After many mango accompanied meals and cakes we settled on making a few batches of Jam. There are still loads of jars of chutney made two years ago which are still tasty so we settled on experimenting with jam. After a little bit of internet research and consulting my mother in laws, mothers holy grail of preserving I discovered the following:
- Mangoes have pectin in but the more ripe the mango, the less pectin there will be.
- The optimum proportion of sugar to fruit should be 75%. 1kg of fruit should have 750g of sugar.
After batches with chili, pepper, spices and plain, taste testing revealed the spiced version to be the family favorite so more batches of sunshine in a jar where made. This is just the basic jam recipe so follow your own technique for canning or sterilising jars and upscale if you have more Mango. I have used so many random recycled jars I have no idea how much this makes!
- 500 grams peeled chopped mango (use a mix of semi ripe and ripe so there is enough pectin).
- 375 grams white sugar
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 star anise
- 2 5cm cinnamon sticks
- 4 tsp fresh grater ginger
Break up the anise and cinamon stick and tie into a small peice of cheesecloth to act as a pouch.
Add all the ingredients and the pouch of dry spices to a heavy bottomed saucepan. The pan should only be around a 1/3 full to give enough room for the jam when boiling.
Heat gently until the sugar is dissolved and continue to heat for a further 5-0 minutes till the mango is soft.
Using a potato masher, mash the mangoes till your jam is at your required consistency (you can leave big lumps if you like).
Bring to the boil and heat for a further 5 mins before reducing the heat back to a simmer, giving it the odd stir from time to time. Using spoon or spatula, remove the “scum” that will have separated and will be floating on the top. At this point put a small saucer in the freezer.
Now, watch your jam! Keep it simmering and stirred till it starts to thicken. The bubbles should go from breaking quickly to plopping slowly.
When you think the jam is thickened, put half a teaspoon on your frozen saucer and put it back in the freezer for a minute. After the minute is up, drag your finger through the jam (on the saucer, not in the pan). If it forms a skin, the jam will set. If it doesn’t, give the jam a few more minutes and try the saucer trick again.
When the jam is ready, put into sterilised jars and pop the lids on, or go through your own canning procedure.
Bring the jam out on a miserable day and brighten up any table. We had this on chicken burger with blue cheese and avocado, or just on toast whilst watching the rain beat on the window.
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