In India winter brings is numerous delights and one of them is jaggery that is integral to the daily menu in the Northern part of India. Though it's available all through the year but the production peaks during winters when the sugarcane crop is abundant. So while traveling to Haridwar we stopped by a small jaggery-making unit to witness how this beloved food item is prepared.
First, the sugarcane is crushed to extract the juice. This juice is then put to boil. While doing so it is clarified using okra stem juice. The impurities are skimmed off and it is further boiled till it becomes concentrated. This thick mixture is poured on an open tray and cooled by a constant scraping process. The whole thing eventually solidifies but it remains pliant. These are then shaped into lumps and are dispatched for being sold.
The leftover from the sugarcane crop is sent to a paper mill for paper production. Hope you enjoy this process of jaggery process.