Mango Jam

Since I have been baking bread in these past few months, and eating a lot of toast, I also started thinking a lot about jam and really missing it. Interestingly enough, there is a real void in terms of mid-range jams on the market here. You can buy very cheap jam which seems to be made from synthetic syrup and heaps of pectin, or you can jump straight up to $10.00 jars of Bonne Maman jam, which is no doubt delicious, but I'm not that chic, and honestly there is something contradictory to me about bought jam, since it is something I've always had homemade from family and friends, or at least bought at farmer's markets or community fundraisers, again homemade. 

And so thus began my quest to make my own jam in India, ideally with fruit that was cheaply available here in Mumbai. My first try was apple jelly from David Lebovitz's recipe, which I haven't posted yet. It was quite delicious, though since I don't have a candy thermometer, it was difficult to get the consistency just right. I told this to my grandma on the phone last week, and she casually told me another way to make jam, which seemed so simple that I was doubtful it would work. Yet it did. 

She said to simply mix equal parts fruit and sugar (but start with less sugar, so you can adjust the sweetness), in a heavy bottomed pan and simmer it, stirring, for 15-20 minutes--until it reduces in volume and the consistency is as you want it. You can test it by just letting some sit on a cold plate for a few minutes, or lowering a spoonful into the top of an ice bath and testing the consistency once you take it out. If it disappears as liquid, it's probably not done. 

Since I have been on a mango kick over the past few months, and mango is still slightly in season here, I decided to make a mango jam. That said, I used very hard, unripe mangoes for this recipe, to keep the sweetness down, so you could make this jam any time in the year, I think. One thing to remember about jam is that you can't chince on the sugar drastically as it plays an key role in creating the texture, and acts as a preserving agent as well. So while you can reduce sugar quantities slightly (I used 3 cups sugar for 4 cups fruit in this recipe), I wouldn't reduce it much more than that, as it will result in more of a fruit puree or fruit stew if you don't have enough sugar. This is why I generally prefer tangier fruit in my jam, like crab apples, raspberries, and even chokecherries, though those are only grown on the Prairies so some non-Canadians might not known them. Anyway, what follows is my recipe for mango jam, and in the words of my grandma, you can use this general ratio (1:1) with most types of fruit, or even mix and match. So enjoy.

Ingredients:

• 4 heaping cups unripe mango (I used 3 unripe mangoes and 1 ripe mango, all were large, as pictured above)
• 3 cups white sugar
• A heavy bottom pot 
• 5-6 jars, to store the jam later

Directions:

1. Peel your mangoes, remove the flesh and cube it. Roughly puree it in a blender, leaving some chunks in the jam if you wish (I did, and I liked it)
2. Put the mango puree into a large, heavy bottomed pot and add 3 cups of white sugar. Stir to combine
3. Turn the flame to medium heat, and bring to a simmer, stirring continually so that your jam doesn't burn
4. Reduce the heat to low, and continue to simmer, stirring, until the jam has reduced in volume by almost 1/4, or until the consistency is as you wish it (you can test it by taking some out and letting it sit for a few minutes before trying it. The jam will thicken slightly as it cools.)
5. Taste the jam, and add more sugar if you'd like a sweeter jam. Simmer again, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved
6. Once the jam is thick, and sugar is dissolved, remove from the heat, and ladle into jars. I don't have proper canning jars (and don't know how to seal them properly anyway), so I simply put my jam into regular jars, and left it all in the fridge from the start. But if you know how to seal your jars properly, you could do this. 
7. The jam will keep in the fridge for a few months.