Monday, January 11, 2016

Chunky Strawberry Jam (without pectin)

It is the time of the year I always look forward to. Yes!! It is winter!!! Winter in Pune is amazing. Cold, crisp and wonderful produce. The vegetables and fruits at this time of the year is beautiful and fresh always. But the best thing about Pune winters are Strawberries!! Ruby Red, juicy, tangy and full of freshness.

Every time I buy these beauties I end up gobbling them as they are. I want to make something out of them but temptation plays havoc and I only enjoy them as they are.... But this time my neighbour had given me a kilo of them and I resisted temptation to make a wonderful chunky strawberry jam!!! 


I love jams that are chunky with pieces of fruits in them to bite. So I did not juice the berries but simply chopped them to big chunks and cooked them with just sugar and lemon juice. I did not add any preservatives.

The jam was sweet with chunks of strawberry to bite with the tartness of lemon. My folks loved it that they even had it with Dosa!! 

Makes: about 250 - 300 grams of jam
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Preparation time: 10 minutes

What would you need:
  1. Strawberries - 300 grams (chopped to big cubes)
  2. Sugar (granulated/ castor) - 1 cup + 2 tbsp
  3. Lemon juice - from one lemon
How to go about it:
  • Wash the berries and chop them into big cubes. If you do not like chunks in your jam you may also puree the berries. 
  • Sterilise a bottle and keep it ready.
  • In a heavy bottomed pan, add the chopped strawberries, sugar and lemon juice. Give it a stir and let it cook on medium heat.
  • You would observe that the strawberries slowly give away and turn mushy along with the sugar.
  • Let it bubble up for few minutes. 
  • After about 15 - 20 minutes, take a spoonful of the jam and put it  on a plate. Run your index finger in the middle of the jam. If you see a line without the jam closing in again then its done. If the line closes in immediately, then cook for some more time and repeat the process. This is how you check the readiness of the jam.
  • Once done, let it cool completely and then can in a jar and refrigerate it.
  • The jam hold well at least up to 3 months. Spread it generously on your favorite food and enjoy!!!
Njoy with your loved ones...

Luv...

Champa




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