Friday, July 14, 2006

Avocado Gulkhand

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Back in India there used to be a shop at Malleshwaram in B'lore where people used to queue up for Gulkhand...I remember it was my 'Iyer Ponnu' who introduced me to the lusciousness of Gulkhand....Gulkhand seems to be a Persian influence, like Kewra or Rose water.It is said that making Gulkhand is an art and traditionally,a ritual....Pink wild roses are picked before full moon....the petals are removed carefully in the evening after the sunset.It is then layered in a silver vessel almost an inch thick(1 angulam thickness i.e.,1 finger length,they say).On top pure cane sugar crystals are spread...this is repated and finally on top honey is poured generously.The vessel is now covered with a silver plate and kept in the prayer room for 15 days.On the 16th evening,everything is mixed together well and stored in a glass jar. This has been a traditional mouthfreshener for Indians for several centuries together...This isnt just a mouthfreshner, rather is considered to be medicinal too.It is used a lot in the Unani treatments. It is considered to be a wonderful coolant for the stomach and the nervous system; good for stomach ulcers,stroke,aids digestion etc.No wonder it is an important ingredient in some of the 'Pan Beedas' that we get in India.When kids hesitate to drink milk, gulkhand is given first and then a hot glass of milk!!Eating Gulkhand in the night is believed to bring rosy dreams!!( a nice excuse perhaps someone found out to fight the bad breath of the partner!!)But if you are sensitive to cold and if you are phlegmatic, it is better not to have rosy dreams!!...Gulkhand is best eaten in the summer, rather than the winter because of its cooling property.


I had some avocados in my fridge and I wanted to make something out of it...Avocados can generally be permuted into hot n spicy or sweet combinations... and are generally good to make dips, or chutneys or desserts...I had some stock of Gulkhand left in my pantry still, but very little,I thought of combining both...I had very little Gulkhand so had to substitute Kewra(rose water) for the major share of the flavour....But the outcome was a heavenly dessert!


Ingredients:


Fully ripe Avocados-5(scooped out)
Gulkhand-20g
Kewra/Rose water-1tsp
Honey-3 tbsp
Dried nuts-25g
Dried fruits-25g

Method:

Cut the Avocado into half.Scoop out the pulp.Mix it with dried fruits, dried nuts,gulkhand,kewra,and Honey.Mix well.Scoop it back into the empty shell and a drizzle of honey on top.Enjoy the treat...Kids would love this.You could even scoop a little vanilla ice cream to make it richer!

14 comments:

Vineela said...

Hi Shynee,
GOOD GIRL.sO SWEET .I think i can try your recipe.
THANKS FOR SHARING.
Vineela

archana said...

Such a scholarly write up,loved it. I had no idea how how Gulkhand was made. Thank you. I thought Kewra is the name for Screwpine ( Pandanus)essense/water, and rose water is made from roses. Are these names interchangeably used? I am really stunned to see this impressive array of diverse food everytime i visit your blog.

Sumitha said...

I think i know exactly which shop in Malleshwaram you are talking about....I love Gulkhand too,thanks for this brilliant idea Shynee!

indianadoc said...

>Thanx vineela..pl do try it is so simple...it all about mixing things!!
>Archana...sorry my write up has been a bit ambiguous..Kewra is indeed the pandanus essence, I just meant to say u can either use Kewra or rose water....both give almost similar flavour...Thanx indeed for those sweet words...
>Sumi...r u by any chance fr Malleshwaram?...tis a nice feeling to have gulkhand in the mouth

starry said...

thanks for sharing this recipe. remember eating Ghulkand in bangalore also, where I grew up.

archana said...

Oh, yes Shynee, after reading it for the second time i too realised that. Thank you for clearing it up.Do you have a step by step protocol ( with quantities and all) for making Gulkhand? Thanks

Anonymous said...

Hi Indiandoc....your blogs seems so tempting with so many mouth watering recipes to try out.. just love the idea of gulkhand with Avocado . I guess, even to this day,Malleshwaram is the only place you get to find an authentic Gulkhand.

RP said...

Wonderful recipe. I only know to make a milkshake and a dip with avocados. Lately I was feeling a tingling sensation in my mouth after eating avocados...Am I developing an allergy to it??

Sumitha said...

No Shynee I didnt stay in Malleshwaram,have had to pass that way on my way to college,did I tell you that I have another thing in common with you...I too was a lecturer in Bangalore for few months before I got married.I just cant remember the name of that store,but it was a small store which sells Gulkhand and butter,if I remember right:)

Anne Coleman said...

Fascinating!

Just today my oldest daughter saw me perusing a new book I got and there was a photo of rose petals in a dish that had been made. She asked if you could eat rose petals and I told her "why, sure you can!" She sighed and said, "Oh, good." She then proceeded to tell me that she had eaten some once and was scared they would be bad for her.

Silly girl. I told her to check with me the next time she wants to eat a flower!

Saleem Pothiwala said...

Hey Indianadoc

I am sorry for not responding to your comments earlier... i was in India to visit my parents. I did not delete any of your comments and I am an Indian too so i was not being partial or anything.

indianadoc said...

>Thanx SN, Oh u too r fr B'lore!...that's a lovely city indeed...
>Archana,my friend had once told that they take around 100 flowers at a time and take honey and sugar enough to soak it...she couldnt give me the exact quantity like most of the Indian housewives...we just do it by our 'andaaza'!!I did search too...bt cd nt get anything so very exact....
>thanx lera for those kind words...there are other shops which sell branded Gulkhands in B'lore but it is generally said tht the malleshwaram shop is the best...We do get Gulkhand abroad mostly in those persian shops...
>Oh RP...I have no idea abt the avocado allergy...cd it be that u ate avocado which is too raw?...it happens at times with very raw fruits...
>Sumi, I too dont know the name of the shop for most of the times it was my friend who got it for me and she had once shown me the shop once we were roaming around Malleswaram...I love Malleswaram and its traditional markets...You get Gulkhand is Gandhinagar too...So we are birds of the same feather...that's news to me..which college did u work?
>Thanx Anne for visiting my blog...I can understand u'r daughter's doubts for I too cd nt believe that people ate rose petals and lotus petals too!!Only once I tasted Gulkhand, I knew that it was wonderful...Pl do get your daughter some Gulkhand if possible, her doubts will be gone!!..You get it in some Indian shops and in some of the Persian shops abroad.
>Oh Daagh... sorry abt it...I felt sad when repeatedly my scrap in the orkut group was being deleted and my comments were never seen in u'r blog too, I think u werent perhaps publishing any...and you had such a wonderful blog out there, I had to tell u!!Hope you had a wonderful stay in India...Pl do keep in touch...

Anonymous said...

Hi,
Your recipe sounds really great & exotic ....have to try it...can you alos tell me the name of that shop in Malleshwaram in B'lore and the street address as well if possible i presume Malleshwaram is the name of an area.....i woul definently like to get some from there if they are so famous....kaybee

indianadoc said...

>thanx kb for dropping in...I'm very sorry I dont know the name of the shop...My friend used to get it for me and I have passed by the shop a couple of times...but never really been to the shop..