Hiru

Hiru is a jaggery label with a traditional style range, sold both as hand shaped balls and as a fine powder. Jaggery, called hakuru in Sinhala and vellam in Tamil, is unrefined sugar made by boiling plant sap or cane juice down until it sets. Because the molasses is never separated out, it has a darker colour and a deeper, more rounded flavour than white sugar.

Both forms sit in our jaggery gur collection, within jaggery and mishri in the baking, sugar and desserts department. If you want the smoky flavour of palm sap, compare it with our palm and kithul jaggery, which many Sri Lankan cooks prefer for watalappan.

In Sri Lanka a bite of jaggery with a cup of plain tea is an everyday ritual, and jaggery balls are made for exactly that. They are also served beside kola kanda and milk rice at New Year. Powdered jaggery dissolves quickly, so it is easier for aluwa, kalu dodol, pani pol coconut fillings for pancakes, kavum and thalaguli. In Tamil homes it goes into sakkarai pongal, payasam, adhirasam and kozhukattai filling, and a little balances the sourness of sambar and rasam. Choose balls for nibbling and slow melting, and powder for baking and for sweets where it must blend in smoothly.

Jaggery softens and turns sticky in humid weather, so keep it in a sealed jar in a cool place. If powdered jaggery clumps, break it up with a spoon, and if a ball has gone hard, grate it. To compare Hiru with other brands, browse our full jaggery shelf or the kithul and coconut treacle collection.