Beetroot - Dates Jam

Beetroot-Dates Jam: A very healthy, preservative-free, artificial flavor-free jam that works as a healthy spread for bread, roti, naan, and chapati. Beetroot Jam has been my family's distinct dish for years which comes through my granny to my mom and yes, from mom to me. I haven't had tasted any store-bought jams (not even once!) as homemade Beetroot jam was the best choice. Granny and Mama used to prepare the jam with Beetroots and Tomatoes. I made my variation and my version is with Beetroots and Dates.

I have made Beetroot jam many times, at times with Jaggery and at times with Palm Jaggery. But you know? Both yield Jammy texture, but that jammy feel is what I missed really. So, I have added a good amount of dates that act as a natural sweetener (yeap! healthy too). Without compensating the taste for health sake, this Beetroot-Dates Jam is a win-win for both health and taste.

Okay, coming to cooking science now. Why Lime juice in the jam? Lime juice helps to avoid crystallization of sugar while making jam. It also increases the acidity, hence helps pectin bonding to make a well-set jam. Commercial jams have more sugar, artificial colors, and flavors than the real fruit and are no way equivalent to the homemade jams. Try this healthy jam once and I guarantee, your kids won't ask for any other commercial jam thereafter.

⏲ Preparation Time: 20 minutes
⏲ Cooking Time: 30 minutes
🍴 Yields: 230g (approx)

What to Use?

• Beetroot -2 cups
• Dates - 1 cup
• Water -1/4 cup
• Rock candy - 80g
• Lime juice - 1 tsp

How to Make?

• Chop Beets roughly and measure to fill 2 cups.
• Deseed the dates and measure them to get 1 cup full.
• Add roughly chopped beets and dates to a pressure cooker along with the water and cook for 2 whistles.

 

• Cooldown the veggie-fruit mix and grind them to get a sweet smooth paste. 

• Add the paste to the same cooker and stir occasionally (careful! boiling jam would splutter).

• Add rock candy to the jam and stir.

• Stir now and then, until the jammy texture is reached.

• Switch off the stove, and add lime juice.

• Mix well, let it cool for 10 minutes and transfer the jam to some sterilized air-tight container.

Visual Treat: Check our video in YouTube.  

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Tips:

• Do not add lime juice more than a teaspoon. Too much lime juice could break the pectin bond which results in beetroot-dates sauce, but not the real jam that we crave for.
• Both undercooking and overcooking ruins the jammy texture, and if you do, you may end-up in a runny jam or over-spiky jam that we don't at all need.
• How to get to know when my jam is ready? Take a spoonful of jam and let it cool down completely. If the water content in it is not separated (means the jam is well-set), the jam is ready to eat. 

Healthy New Year with Homemade Healthy Jam!