Palm Sugar Cooking Methods. Nutritional value and chemical composition. Medicinal properties and contraindications to the introduction into the diet. Jaggeri recipes, medicinal use. How to distinguish an original product from a fake? In industrial production, raw materials are evaporated over low heat, constantly stirring. The longer it is boiled, the darker the molasses. Palm sugar can be offered to customers in the form of molasses, packaged in tin cans.
There is also another manufacturing technology. The juice is first evaporated under the sun or boiled, and then frozen at a temperature of 18-24 ° C. If palm sugar is made in this way, it will resemble regular refined sugar in taste and color. However, the composition will retain all the useful properties.
The composition and calorie content of jaggery
Unrefined jaggery has a high content of nutrients. In home production, the heating of the juice is minimal and the final product retains all the properties of palm juice. When frozen, the vitamin-mineral complex changes slightly, residual proteins and fats, which are already few in number, are destroyed.
The calorie content of palm sugar boiled during cooking is 375 kcal per 100 g, of which:
- Proteins - 1, 06 g;
- Fats - up to 0.4 g;
- Carbohydrates - 98, 54 g.
Depending on the cooking technology, dietary fiber (fiber) may remain in the sugar, and water (up to 20%) in the molasses.
The nutritional value of homemade jaggery is 308 kcal
Minerals: potassium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, magnesium, selenium, copper. Palm sugar also contains isoflavones, antioxidants, and a small amount of organic acids.
Vitamins:
- Thiamine - normalizes the immune system, is responsible for the regenerative properties of the skin and mucous membranes;
- Riboflavin - reduces the production of adrenaline;
- Niacin - has a beneficial effect on the work of the brain;
- Choline - prolongs the life cycle of hepatocytes, when using a liver sweetener it is easier to cope with intoxication;
- Inositol - normalizes the work of the nervous and digestive systems;
- Folic acid - supports the work of the circulatory system and participates in the formation of the neural tube in embryos;
- A nicotinic acid - improves peripheral circulation;
- Anthocyanidins - substances with antimicrobial and immunostimulating effects.
The composition contains a small amount of ascorbic acid and alpha-tocopherol.
Composition of carbohydrates: 50% sucrose and inverse sugars - glucose and fructose.
Due to this composition, the product can be considered a good source of vitamins and minerals.
The health benefits of palm sugar
Yogis have noticed the healing effect of jaggery on the body. It is actively used by adherents of Ayurvedic medicine for medicinal purposes.
Useful properties of palm sugar:
- Does not stimulate the sebaceous glands, unlike regular sugar. With its regular use, the skin becomes softer, the pores become narrower, the number of pigmented areas decreases, and the facial relief is smoothed. The development of age-related changes slows down.
- The tone of the body increases not only due to increased production of adrenaline, but also due to a balanced vitamin and mineral complex. The possibility of developing anemia decreases, and rehabilitation after physical exertion and emotional breakdowns is accelerated. By replenishing the body's energy reserve, efficiency increases.
- The stress on the pancreas and stomach is reduced. This reduces the acidity of gastric juice and the rate of gas formation. This property is especially useful for women.
- Stimulates the secretion of saliva. This is important for those with a sweet tooth. The negative impact on the pulp and tooth enamel after eating tropical sweetness is minimal.
- It has an antioxidant effect, normalizes the intoxication functions of the liver.
- Maintains a stable level of water and electrolyte balance, the pulse rhythm becomes stable, blood pressure is normalized.
- Prevents the development of diseases, the symptoms of which are a decrease in the density of bone and cartilage tissue.
- Reduces discomfort during attacks of bronchial asthma and whooping cough, relieves pain in diseases of the throat.
- Reduces the frequency of migraine attacks and has an anesthetic effect.
- Prevents the development of blood diseases.
- Accelerates recovery in inflammatory processes of the genitourinary system.
Traditional medicine advises women with irregular menstrual cycles to suck a piece of jaggerie weighing about 10 grams (about the size of two slices of regular chocolate) daily.
The product can be introduced into the diet of children of any age and pregnant women. Ayurveda advocates insist on the benefits of palm sugar for diabetes. According to research by scientists from the Philippines, the glycemic index of the product is 35 units, and it is allowed to be included in the diet in type 2 diabetes and to stabilize insulin levels in the first. But according to research by employees of the University of Sydney, the glycemic index of the product is 54 units. This means that diabetics need to adhere to the same recommendations as when eating sugar from beets and cane.
Contraindications and harm of palm sugar
There are no absolute contraindications to the introduction of the jaggery diet. With individual intolerance, an allergy may develop. Deterioration of the condition is more common in children of the first year of life. It manifests itself as itching, irritation and rashes on the skin, localized mainly on the cheeks, buttocks, outer shoulders and thighs.
The harm from palm sugar can only appear when overused. It is worth limiting the amount of sweetness in the diet with ulcerative colitis, a tendency to increased flatulence, and polyvalent allergies. You can not use it with exacerbation of pancreatitis. However, in this state, a starvation diet is recommended.
Jaggerie recipes
Thanks to jaggery, the taste of food becomes softer. In India and Thailand, it is added to desserts and pastries; in the Philippines and the Solomon Islands, it is added to seasonings, salads and meat dishes.
Delicious Palm Sugar Recipes:
- Grilled meat … Heat the grill, spread 500 g of meat in one piece. Fry on each side so that a ruddy crust appears on top, and the middle remains pink. Juice should stand out. This usually takes 2-3 minutes, but if the meat is old, then the cooking time is increased. Remove from the wire rack, allow to cool for 10 minutes, cut into thin slices. From chili pods, 3 pieces, remove the seeds, rub the zest from 1 lime, squeeze the juice. Put pepper pods, 2 garlic cloves, 2.5 cm of fresh ginger root, 1 sprig of mint and 6 coriander in a blender bowl. Grind, add 3 tbsp. l. lime juice, 1 tbsp. l. palm sugar, fish sauce - 3 tbsp. l. Pour the sauce over the meat, sprinkle with slices of lemon grass and arugula (100 g), zest. All ingredients are mixed. Decorate with cut grapes, preferably black. For taste, you can sprinkle with sesame seeds and salt.
- Thai salad … The dish is multicomponent. In a deep salad bowl, mix mango cubes, carrot strips, half a glass of sprouted beans, a bunch of green onions, 1 tbsp each. l. slicing cilantro, basil and mint. Dressing is prepared separately - 1 tbsp. l. lime juice, palm sugar, fish sauce. Stir well and let stand. Fish sauce can be replaced with soy sauce - in this case, the salad is not salted. It is seasoned and sprinkled with overcooked crushed peanuts.
- Pumpkin butternut … Warm up in a wok 1 tbsp. l. sunflower oil, crushed garlic is fried - 2 prongs, 1 tsp. fresh grated ginger. When a rich smell appears, lay out 2 cups of pumpkin pulp, cut into cubes (with edges up to 2 cm), sprinkle with palm sugar - 1 tbsp. l., leave for 5 minutes. Then pour in half a glass of coconut milk, 1 tbsp each. l. fish sauce and lime juice, 1/3 tbsp. l. chili sauce. Leave on low heat for 20 minutes until the sauce thickens. Remove the pan, let it brew for 10 minutes. Sprinkle generously with coconut before serving.
- Tom kha kai soup … Calculation of products for 2 servings. Chicken broth is cooked in advance - you will need at least 2 glasses. Without removing from the heat, pour in slicing 1, 5 stems of lemon grass, half a bunch of cilantro, 2-3 lime leaves, 1, 5 shallots, 2 cloves of garlic, a piece of galangal. Add the hot pepper pod by cutting it in half. Seeds are not peeled. Stir in 1 tbsp. l. jaggery, cook for 15 minutes, until the soup begins to thicken. When the contents of the pan become viscous, strain it through a fine sieve to remove the seasonings. Put the broth on the fire, let it boil. Pour in half a glass of shiitake (can be replaced with mushrooms), 200 g of finely chopped chicken meat, preferably from the thigh, 150 g of canned corn. Pour in coconut milk - half a glass, 1 tbsp. l. fish sauce. When the chicken is cooked, add 1 tomato, cut into cubes, boil for 5 minutes. Pour fresh cilantro into each plate before serving.
- Pudding … A glass of black rice is soaked overnight. Bring to a boil 0.75 liters of water, add rice, a whole vanilla pod, cook for 40-50 minutes. If it thickens too quickly, then pour in water - the rice should be completely cooked. While cooking, salt and add palm sugar - half a glass. Spread the rice mass in layers, alternating with coconut cream.
- Biscuits … Mix in a bowl 200 g of flour, finely crushed palm sugar - 100 g, a pinch of salt. Add butter - ghee, 80 g, a teaspoon of vanilla extract and knead the dough. The dough is allowed to stand for 5 minutes, balls are formed. Bake on parchment for 25 minutes at 150 ° C.
- Banana candy … Dissolve palm sugar in water in a 1: 3 ratio and boil until thick. Then the bananas are cut into slices, dipped in saturated syrup. Throw it on a sieve so that the excess liquid is glass, the pieces are laid out on a wooden board, previously rolled in coconut. Using the same recipe, you can make a banana-coconut dessert. In this case, the liquid is not decanted. The entire contents of the pan are poured into a dish and poured with coconut milk until it has cooled down - 3-4 tbsp is enough. l. Put in the refrigerator for cooling.
Healthy lifestyle advocates advise using the following recipe for treating anemia and recovering from stress. In boiling milk, 120 ml, dissolve a glass of palm sugar. Pour flour separately into a bowl - about 2 glasses, add 1/2 tsp. slaked soda lemon juice, salt, pour in the sugar mixture and knead the dough. If the batch is thick, dilute with milk, liquid - add flour. The tortillas are baked on both sides, pouring the dough with a ladle. Before serving, each cake is greased with butter.
Interesting facts about palm sugar
Jaggeri is popular with the local Asian population. But date sugar is sometimes sold under the same name and at the same price. The technology for preparing the product is different: the fruits are dried and then ground into powder. This is a completely different sweetness, and you cannot use it as a sweetener. It does not dissolve in liquid and burns during heat treatment. In addition, the cost is much lower than that of the original product.
Ayurveda advocates recommend replacing white sugar with palm sugar completely. Moreover, the product is not a rarity. In tropical countries, you can buy it in the markets, "from the hands" of local residents, in large and small stores.
But in Russia and Ukraine, jaggers can be purchased only at specialized points of sale or via the Internet. A product that is delivered on order is often a fake. However, the market can also deceive the buyer.
You can identify a surrogate empirically - dissolve a piece in water. If the liquid darkens, and the not completely dissolved piece does not change color, this is real palm sugar. The water will become cloudy, and the piece will turn white - tinted refined sugar. Unfortunately, it is impossible to distinguish a fake when buying. Traders not only ennoble the color of the raw material, but also mix it with crushed creamy caramel. In India, homemade palm sugar is mixed with tobacco dust and used to brush teeth.
In Asian countries, jaggery is given to infants to relieve the painful symptoms that come with teething. The sweetness is not brought to a lollipop state - the partially evaporated molasses is dried.
Several recipes for traditional medicine, one of the ingredients of which is palm sugar:
- To improve sperm quality … Jaggeri is combined with amla powder (it is made from the fruits of Indian gooseberries), the proportion is 1: 1. Take 3 servings per day, approximately 15-20 g, before meals.
- Against hiccups … To dry ginger powder (3 tbsp. L.) Add jaggery on the tip of a knife, pour into a glass of warm water and drink in small sips.
- With ARVI … Mix with fresh ginger juice in a 1: 2 ratio. Frequency rate of treatment - 2 times a day, dose - 1-2 tbsp. l.
- For migraine … External use. Sesame seeds are pounded, mixed in equal amounts in chopped jaggery. Dilute with water to form a paste. It is applied to the temples and forehead for seizures.
- With chronic cystitis … Dissolve 1 tbsp in a cup of hot milk. l. palm sugar. Drink in small sips. The same recipe will help to recover from acute respiratory viral infections, in case of complications in the respiratory system.
Watch the video about palm sugar:
Once purchased, palm sugar must be stored in an airtight container without access to light. All useful properties are preserved for 2 years. If you buy molasses, then you should use it 2-3 months in advance, otherwise it will become moldy.
