The juice and jaggery are both from the same sugarcane plant.
In Mumbai, then a teenager, for the first time I drank the refreshing juice freshly squeezed, in front of my eyes by a road side vendor. In the sweltering heat and humidity, this sweet, tangy drink is also very cooling for the body. Due to hygienic reasons, anyone travelling now to India, I advise you not to drink it like I did then. The indoor stalls are cleaner than the roadside vendors.
Growing up in south India, while travelling through villages, I would get a strong whiff of a smoky caramel like smell. As the aroma got intense, I knew I was approaching a sugar cane processing unit or just some locals cooking the juice of the sugar cane in humongous pots over a woodfire. After long and slow cooking, it turns into a thick molasses-like sugar. Once cooled, it is sold in powder or cake form, either light or dark golden brown.
How to: Indian desserts are famous for using jaggery in almost all recipes. Also used in masala chai (Indian black tea), fruit juices/drinks, Gujarathi/regional cuisine, etc. Although it has a slightly different taste from white sugar, the difference is so minor that one gets used to it.
Recipes with jaggery, click on Rezepte main menu German version - Chicken tikka masala and Karanji dessert...come on give it a try...
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