Mango and Plum Marmalade
The mango season is in full swing right now in my part of the world.
The fruit markets are teeming with carts laden with the beloved 'aam'.
The air smells of mangoes and monsoon.
Mangoes here, mangoes there, mangoes everywhere.
Now Indians take their mangoes very very seriously, be it langda, dushehri, totapuri or alphonso-the king of the king of fruits.
They have to be perfect, not sour and certainly not overripe.
The flesh should be firm, should have no or minimum fibres and should be preferably bright orange though a bright yellow would do just as well.
They should smell sweet, good and well, mango-ey?
And they should be juicy and taste sweet with the slightest of tang.
No blemishes on the skin , of course.
They should also be the perfect rotund shape, though that would depend on the variety.
That's all.
So what is better than abundant perfect sweet orange mango-ey mangoes?
Mango marmalade, of course.
And you know what is even better?
Mango and Plum marmalade.
With the sticky summer on high mode and rain nowhere in sight, I resorted to cooking something sweet which
1) would not require turning on the oven because that would mean my tiny kitchen would be boiling which is not good at all.
2) would last for atleast a week or longer, because hey, kitchen is not the place to be in sweltering summers like these.
3) would use up the mangoes that occupy almost all the space in the fridge which means the plums are sulking outside and becoming a darker shade of burgundy.
And since mango plum marmalade checked all of these boxes (and maybe some even more), why not?
The recipe is a super-easy no-fuss stove-top one with no artificial colour and flavouring and absolutely no artificial preservatives.
The marmalade is slightly sweet and tart at the same time. It has got a beautiful colour and texture that come from the plums. It has got the warmth of cinnamon which I love. And of course it has the irresistible taste of juicy and fresh (now preserved) mangoes.
It is perfect and potent.
It is plain addictiveness in a jar, no kiddin'.
This is the second batch I have made in 10 days because the first jar got licked clean courtesy my brother and his eager friends.
I had my fair share too. Slathered on warm toast, on a slice of cheddar,with peanut butter, on chapattis and even straight from the jar!
I think jars of sickly-sweet jelly-like store-bought jam are going to stay put at the far end of the cupboard.
Happy jamming!
Mango Plum Marmalade
Ingredients
Mangoes - 3 large
Plums – 8
Sugar – 1 1/3 cup
Orange juice - 1 cup
Water – 2 cups
Lemon – ½ peeled and quartered
Salt – ½ tsp
Cinnamon – ½ tsp
Method
·
In a
pan, bring the lemon, water and orange juice to a boil and then simmer for 30
minutes.
·
Add
the mangoes, plums, sugar and salt. Stir and then simmer for 20-30 minutes till
it starts to bubble and is a thick marmalade-like consistency. Stir occasionally to prevent it sticking to the bottom
( or use a non-stick pan like I did)
·
Add
cinnamon. Check the sweetness and adjust accordingly.
·
Cool
completely and store in an air-tight sterilised jar. Keeps fresh for up to 15-20 days in a
cool dry place.
P.S. It makes a great gift too.
So long!
XOXO
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