Dry fruits for the Teej sinjara, and the pista and badam that finish a ghevar

Customs differ from family to family, so take what follows as a guide to the dry fruit part, not a rule book for the whole sinjara.

What Teej means in Jaipur

Teej falls in Shravan, the monsoon month, usually in July or August. In Jaipur it is one of the biggest days of the year. Women dress in lehariya, swings go up, the Teej procession moves through the old city, and sweet shops stack ghevar high for weeks beforehand.

For a newly married woman, Teej is closely tied to her parents’ home. The sinjara is how her family marks it: a parcel of good things sent to her and, through her, to her new household.

What usually goes into a sinjara

• Ghevar, often several, because it will be shared with the in-laws.
• Clothes, very often a lehariya saree or odhni.
• Bangles, mehendi and shringar items.
• Other sweets, depending on the family.
• Dry fruits, in a tray or packed boxes, which keep far longer than the sweets.

Dry fruits make sense here for a practical reason. Ghevar is best within a few days, and in monsoon humidity it goes soft quickly. A tray of nuts is still good weeks later, when the sweets are long finished.

Which dry fruits to send, and how much

There is no fixed list. These are the amounts we suggest when families ask us, based on the size of the household receiving it.

That is a kilo for a small household and about two and a half for a large one. Four or five kinds look fuller in a tray than two kinds in bigger quantities.

Because this is a gift and will be seen, buy whole nuts. Super Cashew or Jumbo Cashew look generous in a bowl. Mamra Badam is a common choice for gifts in Rajasthan, though it costs about three times as much as regular badam, at around at today's shop rate a kilo against around at today's shop rate. For dates, Medjool Dates are large and soft, and chuara is the traditional choice.

Garnishing ghevar at home

Many families buy plain ghevar and finish it themselves, or make it at home. The topping is usually rabdi or malai, and on top of that go slivers of pista and badam, sometimes with a few strands of kesar.

• Pista Katran gives the green slivers.
• Badam Katran gives the pale slices.
• A pinch of green elaichi powder in the rabdi.

For one medium ghevar, about 5 g of pista slivers and 5 g of badam slices is enough to cover the top without hiding it. A 100 g pack of each will finish about ten ghevars, which is useful when you are sending several.

Put the nuts on just before the ghevar is packed, not days ahead. Slivers soften once they sit on a wet rabdi layer.

Packing for monsoon

Teej comes at the most humid time of the year, and humidity is what spoils dry fruits.

• Pack each dry fruit in its own sealed pouch or airtight box before arranging the tray.
• Keep dry fruits away from the ghevar. Syrup and ghee will soften and stain the nuts.
• Kishmish and dates are sticky. Keep them in separate compartments so they do not clump with the nuts.

Our dry fruits shelf has everything in one place, and today’s dry fruit prices in Jaipur are listed on the city page. Jaipur orders usually arrive in one to three days, so order about a week before Teej to leave room for packing. Delivery is free on every order, and orders start at ₹1,000. Our guide to mamra and Californian almonds will help if you are unsure which badam to send.

Questions people ask