Jams and Preserves Archives - Home Culinary Crafts

Homemade Red Chilli Sauce

HomeCulinaryCraftsNovember 25, 2022November 25, 2022Leave a Comment

Sharing with you all a homemade version of red chilli sauce, which is fresh in taste, has got too much of flavour and is preservative free. The taste of sauce is much different from the store bought ones and I must say that this homemade version is absolutely perfect. Who all loves to eat preservative added food nowadays? Nobody right? This is a very easy recipe of red chilli sauce with minimum ingredients and you can store in a clean glass container in refrigerator for 2 to 3 months.

Whenever we are having spring rolls, meat rolls, any Chinese foods, grilled chicken, pakoras, etc., we always check for some accompaniments along with it. This sweet and sour red chilli sauce is a great accompaniment or dip for many dishes. Coming to the flavour part of the sauce, it is sweet, tangy and hot and I bet you will drizzle it over each and everything.

The spice level of the sauce depends on the type of chilli we are using in this recipe. If the chilli is too spicy, our sauce will also be spicy and vice versa. Vinegar and salt present in the sauce acts as preservatives. It is better to keep this sauce in room temperature for 2 days, so that the flavours may get balanced well. After that you could store the sauce in refrigerator and can easily serve it as a dip for your starters.

This sweet and spicy thick sauce is prepared with basic ingredients available at your home. The preparation time is only 5 minutes and the cooking time is only 10 minimum. So, in 15 minutes, it is possible for anyone to prepare a healthier and preservative free sauce at your home. And you can readily enjoy it as soon as it cools down.

Garlic provides a feel good taste for this sauce. You can see small garlic pieces from the picture I had shared. Yes, you will sometimes get a garlic kick as well. Sugar in the sauce makes it to last longer. Before transferring to a glass jar, make sure the jar is steriled properly. Thus we can store the sauce in a clean and efficient manner. Once prepared, I am pretty sure that it will become a favorite staple in your kitchen. Please check out the recipe given below.

Ingredients

Water – 1/2 cup
Vinegar – 6 tablespoon
Kashmiri red chilli – 2
Dry red chilli – 2
Garlic – 4 pods
Sugar – 1/2 cup
Cornflour – 1 tablespoon
Water – 2 tablespoon
Salt – 1/4 teaspoon

Method of preparation

Crush kashmiri chilli, dry red chilli and garlic using a blender.
Add 1/4 cup of water to the blender and then blend it again for a second.
Transfer the ingredients from blender to a kadai and switch on the flame.
Add 1/2 cup sugar to the same kadai and allow it to boil.
Stir the mixture continuously, to avoid the burning of sugar.
Once the sugar is completely melted, add vinegar and salt to it.
Dilute cornflour in 2 tablespoon of water to make a slurry and then add it to the prepared sauce.
Stir slowly and continuously till the sauce becomes thicker. Switch off the flame.
Once cooled, transfer the sauce to a glass container and refrigerate it.

Jams and Preserves

Strawberry Preserve

HomeCulinaryCraftsFebruary 17, 2023January 31, 20223 Comments

This is the season of strawberry and I also got too many strawberries from my garden. So, I thought of making strawberry preserve and share the recipe with you all. The only thing you have to do is to chop the strawberries and mix them with sugar and stir them continuously.

Preserves or Jams that are made fresh from fruits have their own unique flavor than the store bought jams. This is a simple and easy 2 ingredient recipe of strawberry preserve.

Strawberry preserves can be used to toast, can be added as a layer in between the cakes, can be used as toppings for ice creams and cheesecakes.

When you start preparing the jams or preserves in your home, then you won’t go to the store to buy them. The taste is so much different for both. You will get a softer and looser texture if you make this preserve at your home. Do try this 2 ingredient recipe and enjoy !

Ingredients :

Strawberry – 500 g
Sugar – 750 g

Method of preparation:

Wash and clean the organic strawberries
Discard the caps and leaves of all the strawberries
Chop them to half or quarter lengthwise depending on the size of the strawberry

Combine the berries with sugar in a large stainless steel container
Allow the berries to rest overnight
On next day, take a saucepan and add the berries in sugar

Let it slowly boil till the sugar dissolves, by stirring occasionally

Increase the heat and bring the mix to a full rolling boil
Using a spoon, skim off the foam from the surface
Once cooled, transfer it to a glass container.

How to test whether the strawberry preserve is done :

To know whether strawberry preserves are ready, you may dip a spoon into the sauce pan. Take out the spoon and run your finger along the back. If there is a clear path and the jam doesn’t cover that spot, it’s done!

Jams and Preserves

Soaking fruits for Christmas cake

HomeCulinaryCraftsOctober 19, 2022December 6, 20211 Comment

Christmas bells are ringing and the most wonderful time of the year has come. The spirit of Christmas has made me to try out new recipes in cakes. So,I started this month with the fruit soaking for Christmas fruit cakes. Traditional plum cake or Christmas fruit cake requires soaking of dried fruits and nuts for weeks or months in advance. If you like rich and moist fruit cake, then this recipe is for you.

This fruit mix is super easy to prepare. The only thing is you have to shop different kinds of dried fruits and nuts and then chop it into very fine pieces. Christmas cakes are very common across the globe but the timeline for fruit soaking are different in different places. Some may soak before one year, 3 months, 1 month, 2 weeks, and even 2 days in advance.

The most commonly used dried fruits are raisins, prunes, cranberries, dried cherries, candied oranges, candied ginger, dried pineapple, dried apricots, etc. You can choose them as per the market availability and your taste. Almonds, Walnuts, and cashew nuts can also be used along with these dried fruits.

Soaking can be done in rum, wine or juices. The commonly used juices for soaking are grape juice, orange juice and apple juice. But, I always do soaking in homemade wines. If you do not have wine at home, you can go for these bottle juices available in shops. The only thing to keep in mind is that you have to refrigerate the dry fruits if they are soaked in juice. If soaked in wine or rum, they can be stored outside in a cool place.

Even though it is a very simple and easy process, the whole process which starts from shopping of dry fruits to cutting them and finally soaking them takes me to a Christmas mood and it is simply amazing. Wishing you all a happy and blessed season !

Ingredients:

Black raisins – 250 g
Golden raisins – 250 g
Dates chopped – 300 g
Tutti-frutti red,green and yellow- 250 g, each
Chopped cashew nuts – 200 g
Home made grape wine – 2 cups

Method of soaking :

Clean dry fruits as required, remove the stems from raisins if there are any. Also, use seedless raisins. Deseed the dates and chop them into fine pieces
Add all the chopped dry fruits and cashewnuts to a large glass jar or ceramic jar. Do not use any metal containers
Pour the home made wine to the mixture and mix them properly using a spatula
Cover with a lid
Store in a cool dark place of your kitchen
Stir the fruits daily so that they get evenly coated with wine

Then, you can use it as per your cake recipe requirements.

Notes :

If you want a crunchy nut in cake, avoid soaking of nuts. You can add them directly during cake baking.
Some recipe calls for the addition of spices powder (cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg) also to this fruit jar. But I add this spice powder during baking, based on the recipe requirements.
The quantity of alcohol or juice should be just enough to immerse the dry fruits.

Jams and Preserves

Guava Jelly

HomeCulinaryCraftsOctober 28, 2022October 14, 2021Leave a Comment

Here is the simplest recipe of a guava Jelly which you can easily prepare at your home. This Jelly will be loved by all the guava lovers. You can also have it with bread if needed. It can also be consumed directly. Jelly’s are made of nothing more than fruit and sugar, boiled in water. It is the pectin in fruit that is the magical setting or gumming, agent-a hydrocolloid that causes the fruit syrup to set firm as it cools. We extract the chemical glue, pectin, from fruits by boiling them. Because there is just a small amount of pectin in most fruits, it needs to be concentrated, then coaxed into a gel. When boiled gently in water for a few minutes until soft, the fruit cells start to rupture and much of the pectin escapes and dissolves into the water. Adding sugar with the fruit sweetens and thickens the mixture, drawing water away from the pectin molecules and forcing pectin strands to knit. Turning the heat up causes the mixture to boil and froth vigorously. During this time the syrup thickens and pectin reforms into a gel-like configuration.

Ingredients

1½ kg .ripe guavas – good variety with less seeds
1/4 kg sugar
2 lime’s juice

Method of preparation

Cut the guavas into four pieces each. Put them in a clean degchi and pour enough water to cover the fruits. Cover and cook till tender. Strain the cooked fruits through a musline without crushing them. (to get the clear juice). Add sugar to the juice and boil till a syrup consistancy is formed. Add lime juice and cook again for 5 minutes. Store in bottles when it is still warm, but do not close them with the lids before it becomes quite cold.

Jams and Preserves

Jackfruit Halwa

HomeCulinaryCraftsDecember 16, 2022June 28, 2021Leave a Comment

It is the time of Jackfruit and for all the halwa lovers I am introducing Jackfruit halwa. I will make it a bit tasty,this will be really delicious for all the sweet tooth out there. Its a long and time consuming process for a sweet, but worth the hardwork.As jackfruit is a seasonal fruit, my mother prepares in bulk and uses for the off seasons.

Ingredients :

Chopped Jackfruit – 4 cups
Sugar – 2 cups
Cornflour – 1/4 cup
Milk – 1 cup
Ghee – 1/4 cup
Cashewnuts – 15

Method of preparation:

Add the chopped jackfruit in a blender
Blend it by adding small amount of water and make Jackfruit puree
Switch on the flame and add this puree to a kadai
Add sugar
Mix the cornflour in milk
Add milk to the kadai,when the sugar dissolves completely
Now add ghee and mix well
Cook in a medium flame until you get a thick consistency
Check the taste and add sugar and ghee as per your taste(if needed)
Roast cashewnuts in ghee and add it to kadai
Mix well
Switch off the flame when halwa consistency is reached
Allow the Halwa to cool
Our jackfruit halwa is ready to serve
Refrigerate it.

Jams and Preserves

Mango Jam

HomeCulinaryCraftsDecember 16, 2022June 14, 2021Leave a Comment

Mangoes are the best fruit which is available during summer. Using mangoes, varieties of dishes and sweets can be prepared. Here is the recipe of Mango Jam using 3 ingredients and is 100 percent natural. No preservatives or coloring agent is added. This home made jam is super tastier than the jam which we buy from shops. You can refrigerate this jam for 1 to 2 months and can use whenever required with bread and chapati.

Ingredients :