"Tomato Jam~ Amma (Mom) Style" … Jam's are something everybody loves spread on bread ... it's also very handy to have for those in between hunger pangs when all you need to do is spread a layer on crackers biscuits and relish them ... here is my Amma's Special Instant Jam without any preservatives that goes well with bread, dosa, roti, paratha, plain biscuits, panpolo, sandwich filling, etc. … as for me, I can just eat it out spoonfuls as it is too ... Yummilicious ...
** Tomato Jam is not something that we get easily over the counter in stores and they are always best prepared at home, as the shelf life is not much, it is best prepared and stored in fridge and consumed within a week. This is my Amma (Mom) Special Instant Tomato Jam, without any preservatives. I have lovely childhood memories of this jam which whenever she prepared I insisted to be served almost for all my meals through the next few days. I think to her dismay I emptied it faster than she thought she could store it, but never said a word about it. that's Amma (Mom) they never crib when children polish off the dishes, in fact they just go about preparing it all over again.
** Though recently I have seen them in Malls, I heard from my friend who bought it that it somehow is not the same, somewhere the taste is more so like ketchup than the Jam she ate at my place. Mention “Tomato Jam” and to my mind my Amma homemade jam comes on instantly. She never made any type of Jam and dad always bought them for us from stores. Those days and specially in my parental home, Jam’s were rarely prepared at home as the knowledge was lesser also having large families to attend to they stuck to traditionally learned dishes. Mom always cooked everything at home. But Mom made this Tomato Jam that did not have any preservative added to them.
** Mom had picked this up from some magazine and prepared it and to date I simple love it very much and make it often when tomatoes are in season. Its a simple Jam without onions or garlic yet it tastes great. Though its shelf life of say about a week it never lasted that long as we all at home relished this one very much. Frankly, it would be over within no time between us siblings. For some time now I have been thinking of this Jam on and off and the craving was too much this week, so I went ahead and just cooked the Jam. Yumz. Now all I am waiting is to relish this with as many dishes as possible. Very easy to prepare, so just go ahead and prepare it and enjoy. Kids are sure to love it.
** Here is my simple recipe for "Tomato Jam~ Amma (Mom) Style" ... My Amma's own style which I learned from her ...
** Wash and drain properly about 15-16 large sized ripe tomatoes. In a large vessel bring to boil about 2 liters of water. When the water is boiling add in the tomatoes and continue till you see cracks appearing on the tomatoes.
** Remove and keep covered till cool enough to handle. Once the water has cooled down, remove the tomatoes from the water with the help of a slotted spoon and peel off the skin with a sharp knife. Snip of the stem side portion if it’s a bit hard.
** Mash the tomatoes with a potato masher till all tomatoes are mashed well. Put it in a thick bottomed kadai and bring to a full boil, lower the heat to medium and keep cooking and mashing in between till the tomatoes reduce in quantity and are properly blended.
** Now add in 1 tblsp of chilly powder (mirchi powder/ mirsange pitti), ½ tsp of cinnamon (tike saal) powder, ¼ tsp of cloves (lavanga/ laung) powder and a large pinch of cardamom (ellaichi/ yellu) powder. If desired you may add in a pinch of kala Namak (black salt) to taste. I have not added in any salt however, it does taste good. Mix well and add in about 200- 250 gms of sugar (shakkar/ sakkara) and mix well.
** Note : The amount of sugar actually depends on individual taste. You may increase or decrease as per your liking, but I think it needs the said amount to remain good for a few days, as is its shelf life.
** Now, keep stirring on medium heat till the sugar melts and the mixture starts thickening. Do not increase the heat to high, coz. now we need to keep constant medium heat. High heat will cook the sides faster and the mixture will not get an even consistency.
** Keep stirring till the mixture leaves the sides of the kadai/ pan and there is a sort of mirror type glaze on it. Do not overcook at this stage. Lastly add 1 tsp of homemade ghee (toop/ tuppa) and freshly squeezed juice of 1 medium sized lemon (limbiyo/ nimboo). Mix well remove from fire and keep aside to cool a bit.
** When the Tomato Jam has cooled down a bit pour it into a sterilized bottle and tighten with the lid. Keep aside till it cools completely. You should keep this Tomato Jam immediately on cooling in the refrigerator so that it remains fresh for some time.
** I have successfully kept it in the fridge for about a week. Well it gets over soon too, so the question of keeping it for more days did not happen. But do keep the jam outside for 10 minutes before you start using it. It is easier to spread the jam that way.
** "Tomato Jam~ Amma (Mom) Style" is done and ready to be used as and when necessary. Enjoy this simple homemade tomato jam, with your family and friends, It tastes great served with our very own panpolo or oondi. Children are sure to love it with poori, roti or parathas too. You can also apply a layer of it on bread, dosa, roti, paratha, plain biscuits, panpolo, sandwich filling, etc. the options definitely are many. Remember that this jam does not have shelf life of more than 4-5 days in fridge, so please prepare it fresh and finish off as soon as possible without allowing it to run rancid.
** Do try it out when tomatoes are plenty in season and remember to give me a feedback. I will definitely pass on your comment to my Amma and I am sure she will be delighted to know the same as she still loves this Jam very much and is always eager to prepare it when we demand. Always try out dishes as much as possible to prepare in your own home with fresh ingredients as they are the most healthiest and the best gift you can pass on to your coming generations to treasure.
** Sharing a common link to all "Jam" recipes in the blog below, you may browse through in leisure and try them out ....
Homemade fresh Jam is something which everyone should make at home. It hardly takes time and it is effortless also. Store brought contains preservatives thus should be avoided. Thanks for sharing such a healthy recipe. This recipe encourages young girls to choose homemade options.
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