Jaggery

The word jaggery comes to us from the Tamil. It refers to solid, unrefined cane or palm sugar sold in blocks or cones; it is made by boiling down cane or palm syrup and pouring it into forms. Jaggery is always available in Indian markets, sold in conical blocks or broken up in packets. Sometimes it’s soft and pale, sometimes darker, variability being a characteristic of artisanal products. If you can’t find it, use palm sugar from Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, or Sri Lanka. If none of those comes to hand, use brown sugar or sorghum. The consistency of jaggery available in American markets can vary from fudge-soft to rock-hard, and there may not be a choice. Sometimes you might need the blunt side of a sturdy cleaver to hack pieces of jaggery off the block; at other times, the kind of knife you see in the illustration will do quite well.