SUGAR SYRUP CONSISTENCIES | STAGES OF SUGAR & JAGGERY SYRUP WITH STEP BY STEP PICTURES

I wanted to post this for long time.. But i dint have the confidence to do it. Making sweets is always a night mare to me. Before my marriage ,i have seen my mom making ladoo , thenkuzhal  & thukkada for every diwali.My dad used to buy sweets from famous stalls and we enjoy eating varieties of sweets & savouries. After marriage , the story is just the reverse. My in-laws & my hubby never buy sweets from stalls for diwali because my MIL is a pro in making sweets. She easily makes badushah , adhirasam ,burfis, halwa etc and they taste out-of-the world.. It took almost 5 yrs for me to try sweets on my own.I started making some easy sweets like rava ladoo for last year diwali..
          We all know most of our Indian sweets are based on sugar & jaggery.The success of the sweet mainly depends on the consistency of syrup.So i would like to share the different stages of sugar & jaggery syrup and some tips to identify the right consistency with the help of my cookbook in which i had noted down the different stages of syrup by watching cookery shows hosted by experts like Mrs. Mallika badrinath, Menu rani chellam . . I have tried my best to make u understand the various stages with step by step pics.. This post is purely for beginners like me & for my own reference.. Experts , please excuse & do give ur tips for better understanding.

HOW TO PREPARE SUGAR SYRUP & REMOVE THE SCUM.

I used 1/2 cup ( 100 gms) of sugar & 1/4 cup of water .

• Take a proper vessel of suitable size. Please do not use copper – bottom kadai or iron kadai because these vessels retain heat for long time and may change the consistency of the syrup even after taking out from the fire.Also iron kadai changes the color of the end product.If u r planning to use these vessels , its better to transfer the syrup to another vessel after the desired consistency is reached.
• For lesser quantity of syrup  , use small or medium sized vessel.Now take the sugar in the bowl or kadai and add water just to cover it. Here i used 1/2 cup sugar & 1/4 cup water.The more water u add , more time is taken to reach the consistency.
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  • Keep the fire in low ( Sim) and allow the sugar to dissolve completely by stirring well. Make sure there are no sugar crystals at the sides of the pan.Wipe them and add to the syrup.
  
  
  • Once the sugar is dissolved completely & started boiling add 2 tbsp of milk to remove the scum.Always keep the flame low.After few seconds , the scum floats on top. Strain the syrup and discard the scum/ dirt.Now ur syrup looks clean..
  
  
  • Again keep in low fire and start to boil. After it started to boil , please do not stir or disturb. Over stirring will affect the correct consistency.

DIFFERENT STAGES OF SUGAR SYRUP

I have given the definition of each stage & the sweets which are made in that consistency.I have covered the most important stages with pictures. I am not able to check 3 string consistency as i cant bear the heat..My fingers started burning. So i poured the syrup in a small plate and proceeded further. I checked each consistency by pouring the syrup over the gas stove plate . I dipped my fore finger in little water & checked the syrup.I switched off the flame in each stage to take pictures .If u have any doubts in the pictures or steps , please comment it. I’ll try to clear them..

THIN SYRUP :This is the first stage . The sugar dissolves completely , clears & it gets a shine. After removing the scum , the syurp boils and gets a shine.Keep water in a small plate and dip ur fore finger before checking the consistency.In this stage the syrup wont be sticky just shiny .Hope u can see the shine in my fore finger..This stage is not required for any sweets.So it is not much important.Keep the flame low always. . STICKY SYRUP : This is the second stage.Here the sugar syrup becomes little thick.Dip the fore finger in little water and then quickly in the hot syrup.When u slide the thumb over fore finger , it feels sticky. This is used for Gulab jamun. HALF – STRING CONSISTENCY In this stage , when u test between ur thumb and fore finger , it strings & cuts off immediately.This syrup is used for jangiri , jilebi , Kajas,gulgul .Some people say sticky & half string consistencies are similar.So both can be used to make gulab jamun. ONE- STRING CONSISTENCY This is the most important stage . Here a thin long string is formed upto 2 inches when tested in between thumb and fore finger.One more way to check the syrup is : pour the syrup in a small plate with water. It wont dissolve and it lays a small thread.Kaju katli, badam burfi , Thosha , badushah, mysore pak are made in this syrup.Refer the cover picture too.. TWO STRING CONSISTENCY Two strings are formed when tested between fingers. Generally this syrup crsytallizes very soon . So sweets which require a sugar coated look need this consistency.cashew burfi , mohanthal , boondi ladoo is made in this consistency.. THREE STRING CONSISTENCY Here string becomes thicker and when tested , string is formed in 2 , 3 places..Dhal burfi requires this syrup..Sugar crystallizes very soon in this stage. GATHERING CONSISTENCY Pour little syrup in water , it can be gathered using ur fingers but u cant make a ball ..It is required for some burfis. SOFT BALL CONSISTENCY Pour a small amount of syrup in a plate of water. If rolled with fingers , syrup should form a small ball in the water itself..U cant take the ball in ur finger.This is used for adhirasam & pori urundai. HARD BALL CONSISTENCY When u pour syrup into the water & roll it , u should be able to make a ball and if u drop the ball u’ll get a “tung” sound.The color of the ball is changed. This is used to make “peanut chikkis/ kadalai mittai “. I tested the sound by dropping it in the plate   The remaining stages are soft crack , hard crack & golden brown caramel( last stage) . As we don’t need them for making sweets , i have not discussed here..They are used for making toffees..

STAGES OF JAGGERY SYRUP

Jaggery syrup is almost the same as sugar syrup. The widely used consistency is soft ball & hard ball stage which is used for making adhirasam,pori urundai & peanut chikki . So i have given the pictures for this stages alone. For making syrup, add very little water just to cover the jaggery.This helps in reaching the consistency faster..The last picture shows the hard ball consistency.

NOTE

• Once the sugar is dissolved completely , do not keep stirring. Over stirring will affect the right consistency.Keep the flame low and stir if needed.
• After the sticky stage (pisukku padam) is reached , the half string consistency is reached within a minute Stay alert.
• Similarly one string is also reached within few seconds. The consistency should be checked when the syrup is hot . when the syrup becomes warm , it will reach the next stage and may cheat u. So i checked by pouring over the stove plate and dipped with my wet finger. Also ur finger should not be too watery.For safer side, check by pouring the syrup in little water and see if it forms a thread.
• The  time taken to reach the consecutive stages is very less. The total process gets over by 15 mins in low flame.
• When u feel u have missed the correct stage , just switch off the flame  , add little water , mix well and proceed again to get the perfect stage.
• For dry jamun, badusha, jangiri .. by the time u dip them the sugar may crystallize. To avoid this add few drops of lime juice . OR add little water , boil it and again make the syrup.

I’ve tried my best to explain the stages according to my understanding.Take this as reference and try.I'll try to upload an video.. U can surely get them by practice because if i can make anyone can make it easily

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