Pineapple halwa or jam

June 21, 2021

Pineapple halwa or jam

For making pineapple jam, the fruits should be just ripe and not over ripe; over ripe fruits may lose their pectin content which will slow down the gelling process. For 2 part fruit puree add 1 part sugar.

Ingredients:

Pineapple : 3

Sugar : 3 cups

Lemon : 3 tsp

Cardamom : 12 pods

Cloves : 12

Cinnamon : 4 inch pieces

Procedure:

Sterilize glass jars, dry them and keep aside.

Wash the pineapples, cut them into halves and grate them on a coconut grater or fork to extract the pulp; or just peel, slice and chop them into pieces. Then puree it using a mixer jar. Do not incorporate the center stem or the core.

Measure the puree (I got 6 cups). Cook it on a medium- high flame stirring continuously using a long wooden spatula.

Continue cooking till the juice is reduced. Add lime juice so that pectin starts gelling and the sugar doesn't crystalise.

Then add half part sugar (i.e. 3 cups) and cook further. Reserve some sugar to powder the spices.

In a spice grinding jar powder the spices along with the reserved sugar. (You can also use whole spices instead of powdered)

Keep stirring throughout as it will bubble and will splatter out.

As it thickens up and the splattering is reduced, add the powdered spices. When it stops splattering and starts leaving the sides and you can see the bottom of the pan, switch off the flame.

Place the sterilised jars on a wooden board (this will avoid the breaking of glass) and pour the jam in it while it is hot; and seal it with it's lid.