Homemade Gulkand / Rose Petal Preserve Recipe

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.

Following are the health benefits of eating Gulkand: Source

• 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.

Preparation time: 10-12 days or more depending on the weather
Cooking time: Nil
Serves: 1/2 cup Gulkand

Ingredients:

• 35-40 fresh rose flowers yielding 2 cups tightly packed rose petals
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon cardamom powder

Method:

1. Separate the rose petals and keep them in a bowl. Wash the petals thoroughly and drain them.

2. Dry the petals on a clean kitchen towel in shade .

3. 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.

4. 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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For recipes using gulkand, do check out my posts on

• Gulab Ki Kheer / Rose Pudding

                              

• Gulkand Flavored Bottle gourd Fudge / Lauki Ki Burfi

                              

• Gulkand Flavored Mava Gujiya

                              

• Rose Lassi Popsicle