Rajinder Singh has been making Kuja Mishri since almost 40 years in Amritsar and he’s the third generation in this work. Kuja Mishri is a specialty of Amritsar and almost 99% of total produced is made here. In fact an entire bazaar is named after it as Mishri Bazaar, in the vicinity of Darbar Sahib. Preparations of its shops of khand khidone (edible sugar toys) was famous not only in the city, but also in neighbouring towns. It is mainly supplied to various regions of Punjab, Himachal and J&K and is mostly given as shagan during weddings and other festive occasions.

About 25 years ago, Kuja mishri was set in clay kujas or bowls which were broken to remove the set mishri. The clay kujas were replaced by aluminium ones which had to be changed every 2-3 years. It is now made in steel bowls.

Rajinder Singh’s family used to make patashas (made of milk and sugar) and then the dhagewali mishri. Now they produce only the kuja mishri along with mithi phulian (sweet kheel) and sweet, also used as prasad or shagan.

Mishri or rock candy is used in pujas and is offered to a deity as bhog and distributed as prasad or given as part of shagan. It also has medicinal uses and is served at most Indian restaurants along with saunf (fennel), post meals, as a digestive. It is a natural sugar made without the use of chemicals. It is made by evaporating the sugarcane sap. There is also a process which uses the sap of the palm tree.

Making of white mishri involves boiling with water and then cooling it down in a dark space inside clay kujas or steel bowls. In the olden days roots of a specific plant were added for the boiled sugar to attach and crystallise. The use of string and thread is also used for the crystallisation process in the Dhagewali Mishri. There is another form called the tawa mishri. In some cases there are instances where a small amount of milk is added to the boiling sugar to make the rock candy appear more white. Water when added to the evaporated sap dilutes the density of sugar and makes it lighter and easier to digest. This is why adding the same amount of mishri does not result in the same intensity of sweetness as sugar.

According to Rajinder Singh the taasir (effect) of the tawa mishri is the coolest and the kuja mishri when made in clay bowls was cooler than the ones made now in steel.