Gond katira and babul gond: two gums, two seasons, two methods

Walk into any old apothecary in an Indian bazaar and somewhere near the front there will be two jars of what looks like broken amber. Both are called gond. They come from different trees, they are prepared in opposite ways, and they belong to opposite ends of the year.

Sold side by side and explained to nobody, they cause more confusion than anything else we stock. Here is the whole distinction, plainly.

What a tree gum is

When the bark of certain trees is cut or wounded, the tree seals the injury with a resin that hardens in the air into crystalline tears. Those tears are collected, sorted and sold. Nothing is manufactured and nothing is extracted — the tree makes it and a person picks it up.

Gond katira: cold water, summer

Gond katira is tragacanth gum, and it is a summer ingredient across North India. It is never eaten dry. Soaked in cold water it absorbs many times its own volume and turns into a soft, translucent, almost flavourless gel, which is then stirred into cold drinks.

• Half a teaspoon of crystals in a cup of cold water is one serving. It looks like far too little until it swells.
• Leave it overnight, or for at least four hours. There is no way to hurry this.
• Cold water only. Warm water makes it clump and it will never set into a proper gel.
• Drain off any water that has not been absorbed, then stir the gel into cold milk, sharbat, lemon water or falooda.
• Never eat the crystals dry. They must be fully soaked first, and you should drink water alongside them.

Babul gond: hot ghee, winter

Babul gond is acacia gum, collected as hardened amber tears from the bark of the babul tree, and it is treated in exactly the opposite way. It is roasted, not soaked. Dropped into hot ghee it puffs up like popcorn, turns pale and crisp, and is then crushed into laddoos and other winter preparations.

• Heat ghee in a pan over a low flame — low, because the gum burns before it puffs if the pan is too hot.
• Add the pieces a few at a time. Crowding the pan drops the temperature and the gum goes chewy instead of crisp.
• Lift them out as they puff and turn pale, then cool and crush lightly.
• Fold the crushed gum into laddoo mixtures with jaggery, nuts and flour.
• Store the roasted gum airtight. It goes soft again if it is left out.

One is soaked cold and drunk in May. The other is fried in ghee and eaten in January. They are not the same jar.

The differences, side by side

• Source: gond katira is tragacanth gum. Babul gond is acacia gum from the babul tree.
• Method: gond katira is soaked in cold water. Babul gond is roasted in hot ghee.
• Season: gond katira is used in summer. Babul gond is a winter ingredient.
• Form when used: gond katira becomes a soft clear gel. Babul gond becomes a crisp puffed solid.
• Taste: gond katira is essentially neutral and takes on whatever it is stirred into. Roasted babul gond is faintly nutty.
• Sizes here: gond katira 200 g, babul gond 200 g. Both are single-ingredient.

Honest cautions

• Both are swelling gums, so drink enough water with them and start with a small quantity rather than a heaped spoon.
• Never swallow unsoaked gond katira crystals — soak them fully, every time.
• Anyone who has difficulty swallowing should be careful with gel-forming foods generally.
• Keep both dry and airtight. Damp is what ruins a gum, and once it has clumped in the pouch it will not soak evenly.
• If you are pregnant, nursing or taking prescribed medication, ask your doctor before adding anything new as a daily habit.