Gulkand with Amla and the stories of a family

 

I still remember how I would insist on licking the gulkand when everyone sat around at the dinner table enjoying a homemade pan made by my aunts. At every family gathering, after the 'heavy' food, we Gujjus love indulging in, lethargy would kick in and the first thing that would crop in our heads would be to eat more food, oops, not food, but a paan. My kaki grew the betel leaves creeper at home. The variety was the slightly bitter one called Maggai. Small roundish and almost heart-shaped leaves in a bright green color.

People sometimes get fooled by their innocuous looks but they indeed pack in a punch. And to avoid that punchiness, I would insist on having only gulkand.

Somehow, the fragrance was more intoxicating than the sweet taste and the haziness that comes with good food, and having a loving family surrounding you had its own special magic. Eventually, as I grew up, I started enjoying maggai paan too, but not without my gulkand.

But over the years, I stopped having gulkand entirely fearing its sugar content until recently, Aazol has come up with the most innovative yet traditional post-meal digestive – the Amla Gulkand, a mukhwas which can be enjoyed guilt-free as the benefits will surpass its sugar content very clearly.

History of the very Indian Amla Murabba and the very Indo-Persian Gulkand

Amla is known as one of the foods high in Vitamin C and has been part of the Indian diet since time immemorial. As per Hindu Mythology, while meditating intensely on Lord Vishnu, Lord Brahma had tears rolling down his eyes. When these tears fell on the ground, the amla tree was born. And making amla murabba from these small, tart fruits is among the best ways to enjoy it. You get all the benefits of amla sweetly. And kids love it too.

Gulkand or Gulqand is believed to be an Indo-Persian product originating around 900 B.C. A naturally cooling post-meal sweet treat that is a must-have during summers, Gulkand is ayurveda recommended, and we have been enjoying its benefits forever.

Our SHG producer has simply and effectively combined two great preserves to give us double the benefits. Both are sun-cooked, have a sticky texture, and can be used in more ways than one. And now you can very easily buy Amla Gulkand online to satisfy your sweet cravings in a healthy way.

Benefits of  Amla Gulkand

• Anti-inflammatory
• Purifies blood
• Good for digestion
• Helps with menstrual problem
• Natural coolant

Here are some benefits specific to gulkand and amla murabba.

Gulkand	Amla Gulkand
Treats acidity and heartburn	Good Source of Minerals
Removes toxins	Arthritic Pain
Helps in better sleep	Helps in pregnancy
Lowers sugar cravings	Rich source of iron

Guava Punch with a twist

Recently, at an impromptu get-together at home, we challenged one other to come up with a different and unique recipe on the spot. The rules were that everyone had to use whatever was available in the pantry only and strictly not rush out to buy anything. The chaos that ensued was worth watching, and my failing miserably, even though it was my home, was absolutely laugh-worthy.

It was my sister who came up with a superb scintillating mocktail. Later, after trying out everyone's poor attempts, settling down to sip on this punchy Amla Gulkand and Guava Punch really refreshed us. Here is a recipe for our new party favorite;

Ingredients

2 cups chopped guava, de-skinned & de-seeded

2-3 teaspoons Aazol's Amla Gulkand

2 teaspoon ginger juice

2 pinch red chilli powder

2 pinch pink salt

2 tablespoon lemon juice

500 milliliters club soda

Instructions

• In a blender, combine guava, add 2 tbsp water, and blend to a fine puree.
• Now, combine guava mix, Aazol's Amla Gulkand, ginger, red chilli powder, salt, and lemon juice in a jug or bowl and mix everything well.
• Add club soda just before serving and mix.
• Portion out in glasses and serve.
• New innovative ways to use the Amla Gulkand mouth freshener at home

The article has made it clear that our love for Amla Gulkand is excellent. And as a family, we all love to have it in our own particular ways.

1. You can spread one of these foods to eat in periods on warm toasted bread and enjoy.
2. It is an ideal mouth freshener for bad breath if you have it daily after dinner mixed with warm water.
3. You can also enjoy it with dairy-free vanilla ice cream
4. Sometimes you can add the amla gulkand to the sweet, tangy chutney prepared for a chat.

 

The uses of Amla Gulkand are many and varied. Once you taste it, you will love the flavour so much that you will keep discovering newer ways to use this healthy pan mukhwas and amla murabba combination. Just be careful not to mix it with dairy milk or any other dairy product, and you are sorted. However, my personal favourite still remains having a spoonful out of the amla gulkand mukhwas bottle and remembering those fun evenings around my family’s dining table !