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.
Posted by Anita on June 14, 2007 at 11:22 am
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
Posted by Priya bhaskaran on June 14, 2007 at 11:24 am
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?
Posted by sumitha on June 14, 2007 at 11:35 am
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.
Posted by Revathi on June 14, 2007 at 12:38 pm
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.
Posted by Suganya on June 14, 2007 at 12:44 pm
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?
Posted by Shilpa/eon on June 14, 2007 at 1:28 pm
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.
Posted by Nupur on June 14, 2007 at 6:20 pm
What an eye-popping post! I can almost taste that fragrant gulkand.
Thanks, Nupur.
Posted by Anh on June 14, 2007 at 11:59 pm
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
Posted by Nirmala Jegadheesan on June 15, 2007 at 1:55 am
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.
Posted by Cynthia on June 15, 2007 at 5:46 pm
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.
Posted by Dausta on June 16, 2007 at 6:14 pm
Keep the information and recipes coming. I never knew rose petals could be so tasty.
That makes two of us, Dausta. Thanks for visiting.
Posted by outofthegarden on June 17, 2007 at 1:00 am
Hi Gini — this would be completely new to me — the colors are just spectacular. Wow!
Linda
Thanks, Linda.
Posted by Dilip on June 17, 2007 at 6:24 pm
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.
Posted by mallugirl on June 18, 2007 at 10:38 am
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.
Posted by the chocolate lady on June 24, 2007 at 12:27 am
So pretty! I wish I could get some organic roses around here!
Posted by Xacuti » jugalbandi on July 15, 2007 at 11:06 pm
[...] This is the failed attempt at making Gulkand (Rose Preserves) from the pink climbing rose in our garden. I took these two pictures and kept the jar of rose petals, sugar and citric acid crystals in the sun. I ended up with brown, soggy, slightly bitter-tasting rose petals. Not worth a picture. See the recipe and what the end result should look at A Mad Tea Party and Salt and Pepper. [...]
Posted by Dave B on December 5, 2007 at 2:38 am
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
Posted by rocksea on April 28, 2008 at 1:04 pm
oyyooo!! this is something strange and special. i will try when my sarah comes here
Posted by Sophie on August 7, 2008 at 10:06 am
We would like to feature this recipe on our blog. Please email sophiekiblogger@gmail.com if interested. Thanks
Posted by savitha on April 2, 2009 at 1:27 am
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????????
Posted by Some garden pics « Salt and Pepper. on June 3, 2009 at 1:05 pm
[...] If you have organic rose in your garden, make some gulkhand. [...]