Palm sugar

Dark and light palm sugar are made from the sap of the sugar palm tree. Dark palm sugar is also known as nam tan pip, jaggery, jawa or gula melaka. It is usually sold in rock-hard cakes; the sugar is shaved off the cake with a sharp knife (though many good Asian palm sugars are softer). Widely used in South-East Asian cuisine in sweet and savoury dishes, it will keep indeterminately at room temperature.