Riim Lagerwerf 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 rejuvenator. 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.Preparation time: 10-12 days or more depending on the weather
Cooking time: Nil
Serves: 1/2 cup Gulkand
Homemade Gulkand / Rose Petal Preserve Recipe
Ingredients:
- 35-40 fresh rose flowers yielding 2 cups tightly packed rose petals
- 3/4 cup cane sugar
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
Method:
- 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.
