Spicy and sweet, this tomato and chilli jam is so tasty. It's so easy and great mixed into sauces, served on cheese boards or sandwiches and even for gifts.
3-4long red chillies, roughly chopped (deseeded, if you prefer less heat)
600gcherry tomatoes(~1 ¼ lb)
1lime, zest only (using a microplane)
1 ½cups packedlight brown sugar(315g/11oz)
½cupred wine vinegar(125ml)
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
medium saucepan
Preserving jars (sterilised)
Instructions
Place the shallot, garlic, chilli and half the tomatoes into a blender and blend to a puree as smooth as possible.
Dice the remaining tomatoes into 6 or 8 (depending on their size) and add them to a medium saucepan. Add the chilli-tomato puree, lime zest, sugar and red wine vinegar. Mix well.
Heat over medium-high heat, stirring regularly to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a boil. Boil for 25-30 minutes until it gets to about 105C/220F. Then it’s all by eye and to your preference. You can thicken it as much as you want, just don’t let it catch on the bottom of the pan. You want to stir it regularly in the last 10 minutes and be standing by the pan stirring very often for the last 5 minutes.When is the jam ready? It should be reduced, thick and glossy. It shouldn’t look watery at all and it should have a jammy consistency (remembering it will thicken further on cooling). When you drag your spatula through, it will leave a clear spot that doesn’t cover up immediately - taking a good 5-6 seconds or more to close over again.If it’s too lumpy for your taste, you can use an immersion blender to blend it to a smoother consistency.
Remove from the heat and cool for 10 minutes, giving it a stir every so often to stop the solids from sinking straight to the bottom.
Transfer to a warm sterilised preserving jar and seal with a lid. Allow to cool completely before storing in the fridge for 3 months. Use within 1 month of opening.
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Notes
Tablespoons: I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (equal to 4 teaspoons). Check yours before measuring.
If your jam sets and is too thick, you can add a little filtered water to thin it out, though you will need to now consume the jam within 1 month.
You can use whatever chillies you like, according to your taste. I use long red chillies but sometimes find their heat can vary. I would call this recipe with 3 chillies a medium heat. It’s spicy but it’s not going to blow your head off with heat. 4-5 chillies would make it a medium-hot heat. More than that would be hot and spicy. You can also add in birdseye chillies for more heat.
Nutrition details are approximate only - scroll below the recipe to find the full nutritional information.
Have you tried this recipe?Don't forget to leave a rating and comment below and let me know how it was! I love hearing from you. Nutrition information is approximate and derived from an online calculator. The brands you use may cause variations.