Gulkand or rose petal jam is a delicious sweet preserve made using fresh rose petals and sugar and is mildly flavored with green cardamom. It is an Ayurvedic medicine and a traditional Indian recipe with many healthy benefits. Gulkand is a powerful antioxidant and a very good rejuvinator. It helps to improve appetite and helps in digestion and has a cooling effect on the body.It reduces body heat and protects the body from sun stroke particularly during Summers . It has been traditionally used as a cooling tonic to combat fatigue, lethargy, muscular aches, itching and heat-related conditions.
Gulkand can be taken as natural appetiser , it can be added as sweetener in desserts , smoothies , lassi and milkshakes . It is also one of the ingredients in making Paan ( Indian mouth freshener). Gulkand can be easily made at home and it stays good for about a year. Here i have used the traditional no-cook method of making Gulkand, by keeping layers of rose petals and sugar in a wide mouth jar in Sun.
Health Benefits Of Eating Gulkand
- Gulkand is very useful to treat body odour and excessive perspiration. It detoxifies your body from inside and its cooling effect prevents internal heat during summers.
- Gulkand is rich in antioxidants thus acts as an energy booster. The regular intake of gulkand aids in severe ulcers, constipation, stomach heat and heart burning.
- Gulkand aids in heavy menstruation. During periods, gulkand is a very essential diet. It prevents irregular periods and excessive bleeding. It prevents anaemia.
- Gulkand is regarded as the health tonic that keeps your metabolism healthy and fit.
I love rose flavor in my desserts. I mean who would not love ? It not only adds a mild sweet flavor and aroma to the dish but also makes the dish appealing. I got a large pack of gulkand from Mathura 2 years back and use it quite often in my recipes. It is said that as wine, Gulkand too gets better with time. The pack i bought is about to finish but it is still good. This year , i decided to make Gulkand at home, but i could not trust the roses we get in market, as they are pesticide laden. So it is better to use the fresh light pink, fragrant flowers from home garden , potted plants which are organic to make gulkand. So lets get started.
Essential Ingredients For Gulkand Recipe
- 35-40 fresh rose flowers yielding 2 cups tightly packed rose petals
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
Method - How To Make Gulkand
- Separate the rose petals and keep them in a bowl. Wash the petals thoroughly and drain them.
- Dry the petals on a clean kitchen towel in shade.
- Next take a wide mouth clean and dry glass jar and arrange a layer of petals followed by the sugar layer. Sprinkle the crushed cardamom. Again spread a thin layer of petals, followed by sugar and so on, until all the petals and sugar is over.
- Lastly squeeze honey over the top layer and cover the jar with an air tight lid and place it in sunlight for 7-10 days . Every day mix gulkand with a clean and dry spoon. After 10 days, gulkand is ready to eat. 1 teaspoon twice a day, can be taken with milk. Refrigerate the jar. Gulkand can stay good until 1 year if handled with care.
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