Mahanandi

Living in Consciousness ~ Indi(r)a’s Food and Garden Weblog

Jaggery~Tamarind~Cumin Candy

A food parade without candy, no way!

Here is my contribution to Independence Day Food Parade – a candy from my childhood. The main ingredients are jaggery, tamarind and cumin and the candy tastes sweet, tangy and fragrant. It’s one of those super good, can’t get enough types of candies and often prepared in our homes by loving parents.

This humble village candy is now flying high. You would see this candy often served on domestic flights in India as part of welcome kit at the beginning of the flight. The Hajmola candy they serve in flights is just like this candy and tastes similarly. Main purpose of course is to prevent nausea and jet sickness associated with air travel. Those three natural ingredients have some good ayurvedic properties that are healthy to us, that’s what my grandma says.

The recipe is simple. Jaggery, tamarind pieces, cumin and a pinch of salt – all pounded together in a mortar to smooth paste and then made into small balls. A stick is inserted for a lollipop style candy or wrapped in paper for a stylish presentation. Either way these sweet tangy candies are irresistible and lip smacking good.


Ingredients for the Candy ~ Jaggery, Tamarind and Cumin


Making the Candy ~ Pounding the ingredients together in a stone mortar with a pestle


Sweet, Tangy and Fragrant Candy from India
For the Independence Day Food Parade & For Indian Sweets 101

Posted by Indira©Copyrighted in Amma & Authentic Andhra,Indian Sweets 101,Mitai (Monday August 14, 2006 at 10:49 am- permalink)
Comments (37)

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37 comments for Jaggery~Tamarind~Cumin Candy »

  1. That’s a classic one, Indira. What my childhood memories are made up of. Branded sweets/chocolates were not yet big when I was in school. What we used to get at the small kiosk-like shop outside school were candies like this one. Made at home by somebody…often the wife of the shop-keeper. 🙂

    Comment by Vaishali — August 14, 2006 @ 11:00 am

  2. Hi Indira,

    This recipe brought back so many nostalgic memories, my sister and I used to make balls out of tamarind and dip it in sugar and used to lick it with glee.
    Thanks for sharing this.

    Comment by Deepa — August 14, 2006 @ 11:11 am

  3. Toooo gooood !!! I have never tasted this, but can imagine how tasty and tangy it would be !!

    Comment by Archana — August 14, 2006 @ 11:22 am

  4. Hi Indira –

    Simple ingredients blended together to create a ‘tart & sweet’ candy and I bet it is a great palate cleanser ! Will be perfect for an after-meal treat.

    Thanks for sharing.

    Comment by Monisha — August 14, 2006 @ 11:25 am

  5. Good choice Indira. Yummy looking down-to-earth candy. I have tasted this before and I like it.

    Comment by Kerala Girl — August 14, 2006 @ 11:37 am

  6. Hi Indira,
    How can I add your site to my rss feeds? I cannot find a link in your website for rss feeds. I love your website and the recipes are awesome.. keep up the good work..

    – Samcam.

    Comment by samcam — August 14, 2006 @ 11:50 am

  7. This is one of my favorites. In fact I just bought a small pack from Indian store so that my kids can try it. But it had a lot of red chilli powder. I am going to try your method. Thanks for sharing a very indian candy.

    Comment by Krithika — August 14, 2006 @ 12:21 pm

  8. My sis & I used to make this at home, when my mom was sleeping on sunday afternoons..brings back memories

    Comment by Shankari — August 14, 2006 @ 12:50 pm

  9. Hi Indira,
    Even though I decided my feeble attempts at Indian cooking weren’t quite up to submitting something for this event, I’ve certainly been enjoying seeing what you’ve been making. India has been on my mind lately because I recently saw the film “Water”, quite an amazing movie.

    Comment by kalyn — August 14, 2006 @ 1:35 pm

  10. Hi Indira,

    Thanks for bringing those child hood memories back to life:)

    Comment by tanuja — August 14, 2006 @ 1:46 pm

  11. This is a fun and precious candy, isn’t it? Thanks all for your nice comments.

    Samcam: Thanks.
    I’ve removed RSS feed for my blog, because of frequent content and image theft. For updates, one has to follow the old style web browsing, has to visit “Mahanandi” site.

    Hi Kalyn: What are you talking about?:) You are a great cook and cauliflower curry (from Bittman’s) you’ve blogged few months ago is a perfect Indian recipe. You did justice to that recipe by using all Indian spices.
    I haven’t seen the movie ‘water’ yet but heard good things about it.

    Comment by Indira — August 14, 2006 @ 2:14 pm

  12. Indira, I’m sure the stewardess must have thought that I was crazy to grab a huge handful of these babies on the flight. Everyone else seemed to prefer the sugary packaged candies. I think the plane version has salt and some spice as well, but it is sooo yummy!! thanks for the nostalgia 🙂

    cheers!

    Comment by Saffron Hut — August 14, 2006 @ 2:48 pm

  13. Hi Indira, I have been visiting your website frequently, but this is the first time I am leaving a comment. Your website is really a BIG source of inspiration to live healthily and happily even amongst all the buzz of the day. I have been writing quick recipes to cook quick food, but this time you have inspired me to start a foodblog for myself, for my parents to see from far away and to have healthy food daily (tough for grauduate student). I have decided to participate in your Independence day parade and hope I can make it. Thanks for this awesome and super instructive website, from which I have learnt to cook in a great and fun way!

    Comment by Su — August 14, 2006 @ 2:49 pm

  14. Indira, My hubby loves Hajmola. I keep suggesting him to stop eating them. Now with this reccan recipe, I think I can replace the hajmola at home :).

    Comment by shilpa — August 14, 2006 @ 3:34 pm

  15. I am getting this feeling I am going to be totally depressed tomorrow…you are gonna drown me in nostalgia….

    Comment by InjiPennu — August 14, 2006 @ 5:27 pm

  16. Hi Indira,

    Your blog is full of pleasant surprises.
    I must have eaten this candy exactly 3 times in my preschool years and as you’ve mentioned ,on the damania airways flight more that 6 years ago.

    My co-worker once gave me the vietnamese version of these delectable candies. Chinese stores carry these from time to time.

    Thanks for posting the recipe. The pounding looks like a formiddable task though, for me atleast :).

    Comment by ranjana — August 14, 2006 @ 5:29 pm

  17. Hi Indira,
    What a treat on Independence day parade. Will all the participents get one candy at the end of parade ?
    Me and my cousins used to make these kinds of tamarind candy at my Grandmother’s house. Using the traditional morot makes its taste more delicious. Thanks for the wonderful treat.

    Comment by Madhu — August 14, 2006 @ 8:58 pm

  18. Hi Indira,
    “Desi” style candy perfect for independence day.
    Thanks for sharing.

    Comment by menutoday — August 14, 2006 @ 10:22 pm

  19. What kind of tamarind is this? Is this dried indian tamarind? The one I normally use is from thailand. Its more like a paste. Do you think it will work?

    Comment by sher — August 14, 2006 @ 10:53 pm

  20. Hi Indira! You are doing such a FANTASTIC job! The independence day post is outstanding!
    Good luck to you in all ur culinary ventures!

    Comment by dhuva11 — August 15, 2006 @ 10:23 pm

  21. Its so…………….

    I cant tell you Indira. I just loved it.

    Comment by Someshwari — August 23, 2006 @ 4:42 am

  22. When I was recovering from a stomache bug I was given some wonderful homemade Ayurvedic candies that were similar to this, only they were more spicey and some of them were coated with chilli powder. They were a great pick-me-up for a troubled tummy. I didn’t have anything in my tummy and just ate one of those, and it really made me feel better… wish I knew what mixture of spices it was…

    Comment by Clare — January 23, 2007 @ 5:46 pm

  23. Dear Indira,
    I made those candies yesterday, it is so delicious. I had tasted some in Kerala and as my husband is malayalee, he told me to add pippali, i made the mix with your recipe and my memories with cumin, fennel seeds, pippali and chilli, I can’t stop eating it, thank you !

    I am glad to hear that you tried and liked these treats. Thanks for letting me know Charline.
    Addition of pippali and fennel seeds sounds wonderful.
    -Indira

    Comment by Charline — March 1, 2007 @ 1:12 am

  24. you haven’t mentioned the qty of the ingredients.

    Comment by reshma — February 26, 2008 @ 6:29 pm

  25. we loved it…=) has anyone tried it with a special coating or something?

    Its because we want it to be less sticky…
    and MOOORE DELICIOUS!

    From Mexico! =)

    Comment by Stefanie Vanessa — March 27, 2008 @ 1:20 pm

  26. Indira, wow simple to follow great tasting reciepes. Please provide the quantity of ingredients for the tamarind, jaggery, cumin candy. Thank you Indira for the beautiful treats for our eyes, too.

    Comment by Bonnie — August 3, 2008 @ 6:43 pm

  27. hey indira
    great recipe i would want to try this out could u let me know the proportions of the ingredients please
    thanks BTW great website

    Comment by sush — March 5, 2009 @ 2:07 pm

  28. That simple. WOW…I love it!!

    Comment by deeba — June 30, 2009 @ 8:51 am

  29. Thank you for the photo. I will make this candy in those proportions. Maybe add a bit of ginger? My Vietnamese co-worker-friend gave me some candy after her visit home and it was so fabulous. Perhaps this is the recipe? Either way, this sounds delicious…far better than typical candy bars and too-much-white-sugar. Thank you again for sharing your knowledge.

    Comment by Susan — July 1, 2009 @ 11:02 pm

  30. Hello Indira,

    I got your site a week ago when I was searching for “Nandyal”. I too studied in Nandyal. You are really amazing Indira.
    I had been following your site since then. I keep it always open all the day in my work place and keep peeping in to it. I was very lazy to try out new dishes. But after visiting your site, I kept on trying dishes with Jowar, Ragi, etc. My husband is amazed to taste all the new dishes everyday and confused 🙂 to find out how am I really doing all these with less effort. I feel bad for missing your blog all these days. Thanks a lot Indira.

    Keep continuing the spirit.
    Best Wishes,
    Kalyani.G

    Hello Kalyani,
    It is so good to hear from fellow Nandyal person. I also studied in Nandyala.
    I am glad to read that you are trying out new recipes and enjoying the results with your family. I greatly appreciate the feedback and thanks for the good words.
    Best regards,
    Indira

    Comment by Kalyani — March 18, 2010 @ 7:42 am

  31. Hi Indira,
    I love your site.Your photographs are amazing and receipes wonderful.Thank you for giving us the virtual treat.keep up the good work

    Comment by Rajani — August 12, 2010 @ 2:25 pm

  32. Hi Indra,

    Could you please let me know how long can this sweet can last coz i am planning for a party and want to make this ahead of time. can i use paste tamarind?

    Comment by rajes — November 27, 2010 @ 9:45 pm

  33. I am glad to read that you are trying out new recipes and enjoying the results with your family. I greatly appreciate the feedback and thanks for the good words.

    Comment by Küstenpatent, — January 7, 2012 @ 5:02 am

  34. I am glad to read that you are trying out new recipes and enjoying the results with your family. I greatly appreciate the feedback and thanks for the good words

    Comment by Dissertation writing services — January 12, 2012 @ 3:52 am

  35. Great post. Great comments too!!! If everyone could email me their addresses, I’ll put some time into thinking about where this goes next and get back to you all. Maybe if I put together a Ning and and a Yahoo Group you could all sign up and we’ll get there,

    Comment by divorce lawyers — January 16, 2012 @ 4:22 am

  36. We recently received tamarindo in our produce department. I was surprised too see it after all these years. I was 4 the last time I remember it. I am 54. We were in panama. I saw it again mexico.in the last 10 years in the upper midwest I have been able to prepare and eat and share produce from my childhood…like the fried plaintains and finger bananas and papayas mangoes coconuts and an aray of sea meats andsea veggies. I feel so much healthier and happier.

    Comment by lori — July 11, 2012 @ 7:13 pm

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    Comment by abhijeet kumar — June 27, 2016 @ 8:05 am

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