Last year I tried to make rose petal jam and what I made was not jam, more like rose glass candy. The concotion that I made was poured into a glass jar and hours later, it was solidified into a glass like mass and I needed a pickaxe to break into it : ) And for this year I was all ready with a new recipe.
Then, Anita came with gulkhand. That was my first real education about gulkhand. Armed with her recipe and rose blooms from our garden, I made my first batch of gulkhand.
The gulkhand station
I have to admit that I was pretty skeptical. I like the fragrance of roses, but to eat something that would smell like roses was not an easy concept to digest. After bottling the petals, I forgot about them for the next 2 days. As soon as I remembered I left them in the sun for a day. After a night out and some time in the rain the next day, they were remembered and brought inside. A week later I took a small bite. And then a bigger bite and then a whole spoonful. The next day half the gulkhand and almost a whole loaf of Italian bread was gone.
As of today almost all the gulkhand is gone and I made small tea sandwiches to present my home made gulkhand to all of you.
This is one of the best things I have tasted and I wish I had made more. Thank you Anita for introducing me to this elegant preperation.
Layering the petals:
Layering with sugar
I didn’t do exact measurements. For 3 roses, I used a tablespoon of sugar.
Layer rose petals and sugar till all the petals are done.
I poured honey on the top layer.
I used regular sugar for this batch. But the results were spectacular. Next time, I am using honey.
That is a beautiful gulkand! It really is so easy that there is no need for a recipe. I added citric acid crystals as an afterthought – to retain the bright colour longer. But I can see there is no need for that here!
You can use it in a lot of recipes – where ever you need a whiff of roses!
You are absolutely right, Anita. No recipe needed. But I had no idea that it would be so simple. Thank you so much for helping me discover this gem
Gini, I tasted rose petals in icecream, just like you I was skeptical to have it, but once I tasted, it was delicious. Here is a Desi Icecream store which carries Gulkand Icecream and its my favorite these days, I never thought of making it at home….good idea:)
Gulkhand ice cream sounds wonderful. I don’t think the desi stores carry that. Is that a recent arrival?
Wow Gini this is really so cool! I am going to try this too!
Try it, Sumitha.. You will be blown away by the fragrance and the taste.
ooooooo sounds soo exotic.. My dad loves gulkand butter. he dabs tablespooonfulls on bread much to my mothers’ yelling….Wonderful.. Yes I would agree with you a better form of sugar will make this very healthy recipe… Looks awesome. Why did you not invite me for Tea ??
So I am not the only one who have had this with bread. Good to know that. You are always welcome for tea. The gulkhand is all gone. We will have to have something else with tea.
Even I am skeptical abt eating rose petals… But the tender rose petals look sooooo inviting… Did you try making rose essence?
No, do you know how?
Gini, your pictures look lovely. I would camp outside that Malleshwaram store in Bangalore, most days in summer, even before the store opened!
Shilpa, you are a dedicated gulkhand lover. I am sure it was well worth the wait. I have never had gulkhand before. I am really curious to try a store bought one to see how it tastes compared to mine.
What an eye-popping post! I can almost taste that fragrant gulkand.
Thanks, Nupur.
I was speechless at the beautfy of this post… I could almost sense the fragrance of rose here.
Thanks, Anh.
I didn’t know the roses were that fragrant
Gini,
The pictures are wonderful! Gulkhand has lots of medcinal properties. Traditionally as a Siddha Medicine it is made with Rose petals and honey and kept in sun for 7 days. It is rich in vitamin C and a very good medicine for anemia. Also it reduces constipation. Even though you enjoyed it as a jam when taken regularly (1 spoon) with warm milk in the night is really very good for health. Your sandwiches are very inviting
Next time, I will add honey and remember to keep in the sun for 7 days. I have read that it is really good for you.
I am learning so much from you about preserving rose petals. Thanks.
And I am learning from you. Those Parmesan chips have been bookmarked and hope to try them soon.
Keep the information and recipes coming. I never knew rose petals could be so tasty.
That makes two of us, Dausta. Thanks for visiting.
Hi Gini — this would be completely new to me — the colors are just spectacular. Wow!
Linda
Thanks, Linda.
I have often had gulkand but never knew how to make it…thanks…great post…i love the colours….thanks for sharing
Anytime Dilip. My case is different. Never had gulkhand before and didn’t even know about it till Anita blogged about it.
gini, all those roses are from ur garden?amazing! my neighbour used to make this, and i love it in paans…extra gulkand please.. never tried making it though.:)
yeah, roses from our garden. I have heard that it is used in paans, but have never tried it.
So pretty! I wish I could get some organic roses around here!
What a Great idea I have never heard of such a thing… I tried jalapeño jelly one time and loved it, I am forwarding this to my wife to see if she is up to making us a special treat:) thanks for sharing…and I am gong to try a lot of your ideas.
Happy Gardening,
Dave
oyyooo!! this is something strange and special. i will try when my sarah comes here
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hi Gini its a great recipe!! thanks for sharing…… i ll surely put it down to my cook book.is it rose petals, sugar and honey that is all??? and for howmany days should i keep it out in the sun?? plz do reply me back…….. and those pics are very tempting….. thank u and do u live in Bangalore????????
this looks so sweet….does it taste that sweet too??
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so many healthy recipes to choose from on the internet:;~
I loved the picture of your roses and was quite interested to learn about gulkhand. I have never heard of eating roses before, how wonderful. A few years ago I visited a lavender farm and they had lavender pizzas on the menu and they were delicious. I will have to have a look at making gulkhand, it is certainly something unknown to us Aussies down under. By the way your site is beautiful, great work.
Kind regards Ann
You have a wonderful site with some great photographs. Thank you for the recipe, I can’t wait to have a go at making it, it looks so beautiful. Thank you
Hi there, I found your blog via Google at the same time as searching for a comparable subject, your web site came up, it appears to be like good. I’ve bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.