In love with gajak and chikki

Winter is here officially and if you have started to look for rewri or gajak wala around the house, below your office or in nearby markets, then there’s a lot more variety available than you can imagine.

Manufacturers, sweet shops and street vendors have started to stock dozens of types of chikki, patti, gajak and rewri to cater to your sweet tooth this season.

The most popular across ages, of course, remain the moongfali and til patti (jaggery with groundnuts and sesame seeds) but the makers have now started to substitute these with cashewnuts, almonds, pista, walnuts and chana (chickpeas) and besan ke sev to give you variety. The binding agent jaggery has also been replaced by sugar, traditionally, and, of late, by honey as well. Together, they make for interesting varieties like salima and gajak (thick slabs), patti (finer slabs), roll and samosa with khoya filling and rewri (the size of a coin).

Meerut Gota Store at Dariba Kalan, Chandni Chowk, has been making these seasonal goodies for past many decades now. Its owner Sunil Kumar Jain tells us, “Gajak, patti and rewri are favoured in North India particularly as we have a long cold winter. People buy kilos of this stuff as all the ingredients which go into their making – jaggery, sesame seeds and all kinds of nuts – provide warmth to the body. It is good for health and lends a glow to your skin too.

“Besides, you can store them for months. They are sweet but don’t get spoilt.”
Laxmi Sweets and Confectioners Meerut wale, who have a branch at Mukherjee Nagar, are also known for their gajak, patti and rewri. Owner Manoj Aggarwal says, “If these items are made in desi ghee, with good quality sugar, jaggery, dry fruits and khoya, and seasoned well with badi elaichi, kewra or gulab jal, nothing can beat their taste. At our shop, these things sell much more than sweets in this season.”

“Between gajak, patti and rewri particularly, the khasta patti – with gud, till, elaichi and ghee – sell the most. All the items are priced between Rs 200 to 500 per kilo.”

One of their trusted customers, Manoj Tiwari, adds, “I love gajak, patti and rewari and look for them wherever I go. Recently, I had coconut and chocolate patti in Maharashtra. It’s good that sweet shops are trying to bring variety into this stuff, but frankly, nothing beats the traditional gud patti with moongfali and til. It’s a killer, especially, when combined with Delhi’s winter chill.”