Summer project: Gulkhand- rose petal jam

This is our first experience of the Middle eastern summer. The summer here with its heat, temperature and humidity makes it so terrible.The mercury rises past 45- 49°C.. (even at night)

But I believe that everything has some advantages and some disadvantages ..So I thought why not turn this weather disadvantage into a advantage.. I think this weather is perfect for making Gulkand- rose petal jam which is made by keeping it in sunlight..Confused? Here it how it is made..

My new motto for the summer project..something on the lines of  when life gives lemonade......

A little background of what we are making here...Rose Gulkand is a  rose petal preserve or rose petal jam. Gul means flower in Persian/ Urdu and qand means sweet in Arabic. It is one of the most delicious Ayurvedic preparations which has been used for centuries.. It has many benefits as it acts as an antioxident, blood purifier, digestive tonic, reduces stress and fatigue and relieves body of the extra heat and stress especially in summer season..

Ingredients:

I have used basic ingredients which are rose petals, sugar and cardamom powder.. You will need an air tight glass jar also..In India people add some more Ayurvedic spices to it..but these are hard to find outside India..

Procedure:

Clean the roses thoroughly under gentle stream of water.
 let them dry for a while.. Make sure that there is no water remaining in the rose petals and also the jar..

Now make layers of rose petals and sugar in the jar one after other..

Close the lid of the jar tightly .. Keep it in a dry place where it will get direct sunlight as much as possible.. The sugar melts in natural sunlight and thus 'cooking' the petals with it..With a spoon mix the jam every other day.. Depending on the heat the GulKhand is ready in 10- 20 days..

Some tips:

-In the first few days when you stir the ingredients in the jar you will know if you need more sugar .. add more in the early stages only.

-The jam will be considerably reduced by the time it is done.

- Different types of roses have different flavor..

-Cutting the petals in small makes it easier to form the jam ..

Images: @ my home and subject to copyright!!