What is a jaggery block called in Hindi?

Bheli, or bhela. A piece broken off it is a dali or dhela, and gur rolled into balls is called laddu or pedi.

Which jaggery cube size should I buy?

Small cubes if you mostly eat gur by the piece or need single portions for a cup or a tiffin. Large cubes if you mostly cook with it or want it to keep longest. Medium sits between the two.

Are small jaggery cubes different from large ones?

Only in size. They are cut from the same block of the same gur, so the taste and the ingredients are the same.

How do I cut hard jaggery without it shattering?

Score a line with a heavy knife, rest the blade in it and tap the back of the knife with a rolling pin. It splits cleanly along the line. Sawing makes crumbs.

Why have my jaggery cubes stuck together?

They took in moisture and then pressed against each other. Pull them apart, let them dry on a plate for an hour away from the stove, and store them in a smaller, airtight jar with butter paper between layers.

Can I make cubes from jaggery powder?

Not by pressing it. Powder has to be melted with a few spoons of water, cooked to a thick syrup and set in a greased tray, then cut while still warm. Buying cubes or cutting a block is far easier.

Jaggery cubes and blocks: small, medium or large, and how to cut a bheli at home

Buying and storing · Updated 26 October 2026 · By Ayush Tomar · 6 min read

Bheli, dali, laddu, cubes: the shapes gur is sold in, which cube size suits which use, why small pieces soften first in the monsoon, and how to cut a hard block cleanly.

Three cuts of jaggery side by side: a whole block, the block cut in half and the block cut into four small cubes — Representative image.

In short: Jaggery is the same whatever its shape; only the size of the piece changes. Small cubes are single bites and suit a cup, a tiffin or a pooja plate. Medium pieces suit a mug or an after-meal piece. A large block or bheli is for breaking into a pan or keeping in bulk. Cut a block by scoring it and tapping the knife, not by sawing, and do it on a dry day.

The shapes gur is sold in

Common shapes of jaggery in India
Name	What it is	Usual size
Bheli (bhela)	The large block, set in a mould or a heap at the kolhu	Half a kilo to several kilos
Dali, dhela	A broken lump or piece of a bheli	Whatever breaks off
Laddu, pedi	Round balls, shaped by hand while warm	A palm-sized ball
Achu (achu vellam)	Gur set in moulds, common in Kerala and Tamil Nadu	Small moulded pieces
Cubes	A block cut into even pieces	One bite to a few bites
Powder (shakkar)	Gur dried and ground	Loose grains

More names, in every Indian language, are in the gur glossary.

Small, medium or large cubes: which size for which use

Our jaggery cubes in a window pouch come in three cuts of the same gur. The large cube is a whole block, roughly 4 cm by 3 cm. The medium is that block cut in half. The small is the block cut in four, about 2 cm by 1.5 cm. Each is cut from a block by hand, so no two pieces are exactly alike.

Jaggery cube sizes and what each suits
Size	Best for	Keep in mind
Small	A sweet bite after a meal, children's tiffins, pooja and prasad plates, a bowl for guests	Most surface for its weight, so it takes in moisture first
Medium	A large mug of chai or milk, one piece to eat, packing for travel	The everyday middle
Large	Breaking into the pan for laddoo, chikki or kheer, keeping a stock through winter	Breaks into the size you want; keeps driest the longest

How to cut a jaggery block into cubes at home

Choose a dry day and a dry block. Gur that has taken in moisture smears instead of breaking. If the block feels soft or tacky, leave it in the fridge for half an hour, wrapped, to firm up.
Set it on a board, flat side down. Put a folded kitchen towel under the board so it does not slip. Never hold a block in your hand to cut it.
Score, do not saw. With a heavy knife, press a line about 3 mm deep where you want the break. Sawing back and forth only makes crumbs.
Tap the spine. Rest the blade in the scored line and tap the back of the knife with a rolling pin. Gur splits along the line, the way a slab of stone does.
Halve, then halve again. Cut the block in two, then each half in two. Halving keeps the pieces even, which is how a large block becomes a medium and then a small cube.
Keep the crumbs. Tip the crumbs into a jar. They go straight into chai, or into a dry mixie jar to become powder, as described in powder, block or cubes.

Storing cut cubes

A jar that just fits: less air in the jar means less moisture for the cubes to take in.
Butter paper between layers: cubes that rest on each other in a warm room can stick together.
Daily jar and stock jar: refill a small jar each week and keep the main stock closed.
The full storage guide, monsoon included, is how to store jaggery.

Questions people ask

What is a jaggery block called in Hindi?: Bheli, or bhela. A piece broken off it is a dali or dhela, and gur rolled into balls is called laddu or pedi.
Which jaggery cube size should I buy?: Small cubes if you mostly eat gur by the piece or need single portions for a cup or a tiffin. Large cubes if you mostly cook with it or want it to keep longest. Medium sits between the two.
Are small jaggery cubes different from large ones?: Only in size. They are cut from the same block of the same gur, so the taste and the ingredients are the same.
How do I cut hard jaggery without it shattering?: Score a line with a heavy knife, rest the blade in it and tap the back of the knife with a rolling pin. It splits cleanly along the line. Sawing makes crumbs.
Why have my jaggery cubes stuck together?: They took in moisture and then pressed against each other. Pull them apart, let them dry on a plate for an hour away from the stove, and store them in a smaller, airtight jar with butter paper between layers.
Can I make cubes from jaggery powder?: Not by pressing it. Powder has to be melted with a few spoons of water, cooked to a thick syrup and set in a greased tray, then cut while still warm. Buying cubes or cutting a block is far easier.