Recipe: Ginger Jam

This delightful South Indian grandmother’s recipe from Megala’s Kitchen is all about simple Ayurvedic wellness!

Ginger jam is an easy to prepare digestive jam. A teaspoon of ginger jam  taken in the morning on an empty stomach helps improve digestion. It is especially beneficial for children with low appetite as it helps to increase their appetite. Coriander seeds, ginger & raisins all have medicinal benefits of balancing body temperature. Here’s my grandmother’s recipe for wonderful ginger jam or inji lehiyum (in Tamil) handed down over generations.

Cooking time : 40 min

Ingredients:

Tamil names in brackets

• Ginger (inji)- 2 cups (400 g)
• Raisins (ular thratchai) – half cup (100 g)
• Coriander seeds (malli vidhai) – half cup (100 g)
• Jaggery (vellam) – 2 cups (400 g)
• Ghee (clarified butter) – 1 tbsp.

Cooking Method:

1. Peel and chop the ginger.
2. Dry roast coriander seeds on a low flame until they release a nice aroma.
3. In a dry mixer-grinder jar add coriander seeds and grind into a fine powder.
4. Add ginger followed by raisins; grind them into a fine paste (without adding water).
5. Heat ghee in a heavy bottom pan, and add ginger paste once it is hot.
6. Saute ginger paste on a medium flame until the ghee begins to separate (for about 10 mins).
7. Add jaggery and blend together.
8. When the mixture thickens, remove from heat.
9. Store in a clean dry airtight jar when the jam cools down to room temperature.

a few Notes:

• My grandmother preferred to add palm jaggery (karuppatti).
• Use black raisins only; if you happen to notice seeds in them, remove them before grinding.
• Be careful while dry roasting coriander seeds, you have to remove from heat before they get burnt; flip them every 10 seconds while roasting (on low flame only).
• Do not add water while grinding.

For more recipes by Megala, visit www.megalaskitchen.com

See also: Recipe: Grilled Indian Cheese & Veggie Platter