Lemon & Pepper Jam

Everyone knows of the lemon tree in our backyard and wonderful produce it gives. I have shared the recipe of Lemon Squash, Lemon Pickle, Lemon Hand Scrub, and now it is this time of the year when I have to experiment something new. There is so much produce that even after making pickle, scrub, and squash, I had to research on a new recipe to preserve them.

I was thinking of making Lemon Chundo just like we Gujaratis make Raw Mango chundo by adding sugar to raw mango and making a Jam. Then while looking for ideas on Pinterest. I came across the recipe of Lemon Marmalade by Simply Recipes. The cook/author has described the recipe really well.  So I had to give it a try and added dry Kashmiri pepper (Indian variety) flakes.

I really enjoyed making this recipe. A very different concept and an amazing sweet and sour taste with slight spice. I feel using Habanero pepper would increase the spice and give a kick to the sweet and sour taste. The aroma of lemon cooking in water was just amazing. I could smell it a meter away from the pot and cooked lemons created a great consistency and texture with natural pectin in them. Nothing better than organic Lemon jam made at home and creating these mini jar for friends!! :)

We all associate Jam as a spread on bread or toast, but I used it differently to create fun. I made some gourmet pizza, a cream cheese spread, and marinated paneer tikka. But I am so ready to use it as a topping on yogurt and ice creams, stuffing in puff pasty, and with pecan pie. Believe me sky is the limit to incorporate this Jam in a recipe. Leave a message below and give me more ideas of how you would you use this jam in a different recipe.

Ingredients to make this Jam

6 cups of chopped lemons
6 cups water
6 cups sugar
2-3 tbsp. of pepper flakes (you can change the quantity depending on the spice level)

• Wash and wipe lemons well. Cut into small pieces.  
• In a large pan add cut lemons and water and bring it to boil and cook till lemons skin get tender. This could take around 45 minutes to an hour.
• Add sugar to the cooked lemon mixture. let the sugar melt. You could leave the lemon pieces as is or use a hand blender to slightly blend it.
• Allow sugar syrup to boil and thicken. This could take around 15-20 minutes.
• Add pepper flakes to cooking jam.
• Keep a plate in a freezer for 5 minutes. This plate is used to test the readiness of the jam. I did the same while making strawberry jam earlier. 
• Pour a tiny bit of jam on chilled plate. It should maintain its shape and not start to spread. If it spreads, it is not ready. Also push slightly cooled jam with your finger...it should wrinkle like the author of Simply Recipes, Elise Bauer says.
• Place glass jars in a 350 F oven for 5 minutes. Just to make sure that there is no moisture in them. When ready, Pour hot Jam in the jar and put the lid on the seal them. I would really suggest refrigerating it to store for long time as we have not added any preservatives to it.

Here is step-by-step pictorial recipe

Wash and wipe lemons well. Cut into small pieces.

In a large pan add cut lemons and water and bring it to boil and cook till lemons skin get tender. This could take around 45 minutes to an hour.

Add sugar to the cooked lemon mixture. let the sugar melt. You could leave the lemon pieces as is or use a hand blender to slightly blend it.

Allow sugar syrup to boil and thicken.

Add pepper flakes to cooking jam.

Keep a plate in a freezer for 5 minutes. This plate is used to test the readiness of the jam. I did the same while making strawberry jam earlier. 

Pour a tiny bit of jam on chilled plate. It should maintain its shape and not start to spread. If it spreads, it is not ready. Also push slightly cooled jam with your finger...it should wrinkle like the author of Simply Recipes, Elise Bauer says.

Place glass jars in a 350 F oven for 5 minutes. Just to make sure that there is no moisture in them. When ready, pour hot Jam in the jar and put the lid on the seal them. I would really suggest refrigerating it to store for long time as we have not added any preservatives to it.

Lemon Jam Jars ready for friends!

Here is Naan Bread Pizza that would be great as an appetizer or snack for your next party.

• Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a pan, add slices onions and fry till they turn brown and caramelized. Add handful of pistachios and fry for 2-3 minutes.
• Heat naan in an oven. Remove and spread some cream cheese on it. Spread some Lemon pepper lam. Sprinkle some pepper flakes (optional) Top it with caramelized onions and pistachios. 
• Cut into pieces and serve!

Here is Sweet and Sour Cream Cheese Spread.

• 
  
• Mix 1/2 cup cream cheese with 2  tbsp. of Lemon & Pepper Jam.
• Put on a wax paper or parchment paper . Add some chill flakes and roll the paper tightly to make a log. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set. 
• Serve with crackers.

Here is Sweet & Sour Paneer Tikka Kababs.

• In 1/2 cup thick yogurt, add 2 tbsp. Lemon & Pepper Jam, 1/2 tbsp. chili powder, 1/4 tbsp. garam masala, 1/4 tsp. kasuri methi, 1/4 tsp. salt. Mix well. 
• Cut Paneer into small cubes, cut bell pepper, and onions into small pieces. Marinate everything in yogurt marinade for 30 minutes. 
• Assemble paneer and veggies on a skewer. 
• Preheat oven to 550 F or the highest temperature. Place skewers in a baking dish rim such that paneer pieces do not touch the pan. That way they can cook without getting stuck to the pan.
• Cook Paneer and veggie skewers for 7-10 minutes or till it lightly browns.
• Remove and sprinkle some chaat masala.
• Enjoy Sweet & Sour Paneer Tikka!

Enjoy this Jam and its Variations!!

Chundo

As the temperature starts getting hotter, it reminds me of the times back in India when all women in the family start the process of preparation and preservation. Spices and masalas are sun dried and powdered, and preserved for the entire year. Variety of pickles being made specially different kinds and flavors or raw and ripe mango pickles. Veggies are sun dried and dehydrated and carefully stored. The love that was involved in the entire process of making and preserving would be relished rest of the year. I remember huge glass and ceramic jars called Barni filled with delicious pickle was covered carefully with a cloth to ensure freshness and hygiene. These were the old methods of canning. Although now we sterilize the bottles in the dishwasher itself, my mom used to bask them in afternoon sun. That was just a way of getting rid of any moisture that would cause the pickle to spoil.

Gujarati cuisine is incomplete without the sweet pickle. Yes, we like our food to have all the flavors...the 3 S... Sour, Sweet, Spicy. Even our pickles are sweet, sour, and spicy. The combination of all this just adds to the taste of the food and so this cuisine is very popular worldwide.

Chundo is sweet pickle made of raw mangoes. You can imagine the sourness of raw mangoes blended with the sweet sugar and some spices. This jam like concoction is a perfect balance and side of the traditional Gujarati thepla or a spicy flat bread. When we Gujjus travel, we surely carry thepla and chundo with us. We don't mind unpacking our food anywhere and relishing it, and we are really proud of that! We also don't mind sharing it with people around us!! :) So if a Gujarati offers you some Thepla and chundo, do not hesitate to accept it.

Chundo is a concoction made in the scorching heat of summer. Raw mango and sugar it kept under the overhead sun in a metal container to combine together. Since I am not in India and summer here is later and not very harsh, I am making chundo in the microwave. It could also be prepared over the stove. I like my chundo to be syrupy and not dry. Overcooking will make chundo dry and crystallized, so always keep and eye on it. You can always try a smaller batch before making the larger one. Also, if you like you can add cloves or cinnamon stick for added flavor but it is not needed. Gujarati chundo is simple with minimum spices. Amount of red chili powder also depends on your family's taste. You could make it more hot if you like it that way.

Ingredients
1 cup shredded raw mango
1 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. red chili powder
1 tsp. raw cumin seeds

• Peel and shred raw mangoes. It is important to select firm, hard, green mangoes. I used 3 large mangoes and it yielded around 2+1/2 cups of shred. I like the shred slightly thick and long so that the chundo pickle does not get mushy.
• In a mixing bowl mix shredded raw mangoes, salt, and turmeric together. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes. 
• Add sugar. (For every 1 cup of shredded raw mango there should be 1 cup of sugar. If the raw mangoes are extremely sour, add 1+1/4 cup sugar) The ratio of raw mango shred and sugar I use is 1:1.
• Mix sugar well for 8-10 minutes. While mixing you will notice the consistency changing. Do not worry. Mix well for sugar to dissolve. Let it rest for another 10 minutes.
• Microwave on high for 6-8 minutes stirring occasionally every 2 minutes.. For 2+1/2 cup of shredded raw mango it took me around 8 minutes to cook the mixture. If you have less quantity cooking time may change. Keep an eye on the mixture. You want to cook it till the mixture starts bubbling or forms one sting consistency chashni. You can cook on the stove top too stirring continuously till the sugar dissolves and starts to bubble. 
• Remove from heat and mix well for 2-3 minutes.
• Let the mixture rest for few minutes. It will thicken as it cools.
• Add red chili powder and raw cumin seeds while it is still warm.
• Mix well and pour into clean dry glass bottles or mason jars.
• Cover when they are completely cooled.
• Enjoy with Thepla. muthia, bhajia, or as a sweet dip with crackers.

Here is step-by-step pictorial recipe:

Peel and shred raw mangoes. It is important to select firm, hard, green mangoes. I used 3 large mangoes and it yielded around 2+1/2 cup of shred. I like the shred slightly thick and long so that the chundo pickle does not get mushy.

In a mixing bowl mix shredded raw mangoes, salt, and turmeric together. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes. 

Add sugar. (For every 1 cup of shredded raw mango there should be 1 cup of sugar. If the raw mangoes are extremely sour, add 1+1/4 cup sugar) The ratio of raw mango shred and sugar I use is 1:1.

Mix sugar well for 8-10 minutes. While mixing you will notice the consistency changing. Do not worry. Mix well for sugar to dissolve. Let it rest for another 10 minutes.

This is the traditional method of mixing shredded raw mango and sugar in a stainless steel container and keeping it under the overhead sun to cook. The mirror is a way to Shuuu away birds and crows from destroying the pickle.  My mom used to do that. How do you keep birds away from your pickles while they are cooking in the sun? 

Microwave on high for 6-8 minutes stirring occasionally every 2 minutes.. For 2+1/2 cup of shredded raw mango it took me around 8 minutes to cook the mixture. If you have less quantity cooking time may change. Keep an eye on the mixture. You want to cook it till the mixture starts bubbling or forms one sting consistency chashni. You can cook on the stove top too stirring continuously till the sugar dissolves and starts to bubble. 

Remove from heat and mix well for 2-3 minutes.

Let the mixture rest for few minutes. It will thicken as it cools.

Add red chili powder and raw cumin seeds while it is still warm.

Mix well and pour into clean dry glass bottles or mason jars.

Cover when they are completely cooled.

Enjoy with Thepla. muthia, bhajia, or as a sweet dip with crackers.

Enjoy!!