The drop in temperature may not be enough to pull out the sweaters, but for sisters Sarla Duseja and Lata Makhija, it sure is cue to go fruit shopping.
Duseja's kitchen at her Khar residence, turns into a mini jam factory every winter when Makhija makes a trip from her Breach Candy home so that the two can rustle up a jam supply for their families.
When we drop in on a Wednesday evening, diced carrots are being pressure cooked on one of the stoves, and the sweet-sharp aroma of apples bubbling in a sugar syrup has filled the home. It's tradition for the duo, now. Ever since they can remember, murrabbas (a Sindhi dish that is a sugary blend of fruit or vegetable pieces) have been a winter staple at their home since they were little. "Murrabbas were always kept ready on the dining table for everyone to dig into," says Makhija. And it's not just about fulfilling cravings. With temperatures dropping, the body tends to crave sweets and heat, and murrabbas, say the sisters, serve as instant energy tonics for the body.
While the apple, gooseberry (amla), carrot and mango (during summers) murrabbas go well with roti or paratha, the jam spread is best smeared generously on toast and biscuit.
Duseja meticulously jotted down the recipes her mother once mouthed. However, Makhija prefers to experiment with ingredients. "Although the original recipes suggest cardamom as a key ingredient, I like to add cinnamon instead, since it lends the apple jam a unique flavour," she says.
The jam-making session is simple, and the result is far healthier than its preservative-packed branded option. Other than keeping a tradition alive, preparing jams at home also means keeping a check on the quality of the raw products used. The sisters are also particular about mixing ingredients in the right quantities. Since they don't contain preservatives, the only disclaimer, they laugh, is that the jams must be polished off in a fortnight.
Do it yourself
Carrot Jam
Ingredients
One kilo carrots (peeled and diced; one-and-a-half-inch pieces)
½ kilo cane sugar (three tea cups)
300 ml water (two tea cups)
8 pieces of cardamom (crushed)
10 to 12 strands of saffron (heated and crushed)
A pinch of edible colour
Method
- Pressure-cook the carrots. Make sure you turn off the gas just when the first whistle is about to go off. Open the cooker and add the remaining ingredients. Close the lid and pressure cook again.
- After a whistle, lower the flame for five minutes. Open the cooker, but keep it on the flame. Once the consistency of the syrup is a single thread, the murrabba (jam) is ready.
For a jam spread, read the method for apple jam (below). Mash and mix for six to eight minutes.
Apple jam
Ingredients
One kilo apples
½ kilo cane sugar (three tea cups)
300 ml water (two tea cups)
8 pieces of cardamom (crushed) or an inch-long cinnamon
10 strands of saffron (heated and crushed)
A pinch of turmeric
Method
- Mix water and sugar in a heavy bottom pan, and heat on medium fire. Keep stirring until the sugar melts. Add cardamom/cinnamon and saffron. Let it boil until the concoction reaches a single thread consistency.
- While this is being done, cut the apples vertically into six pieces each, peel and core. When the syrup is ready, add a pinch of turmeric and apples into it, and heat mixture on slow fire for four minutes.
- Turn off the gas and keep the vessel covered. The murrabba is ready. If you wish to prepare a jam spread, heat a few pieces of this murrabba in a small vessel, placed on a hot griddle, on slow flame. Mash and mix for a few minutes.
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