Annapurna: 3 Ingredient Strawberry Jam Recipe / Strawberry Preserve without Refined Sugar

Home-made , healthy and delicious, is how i can describe this easy 3 ingredient strawberry jam. Made from fresh , ripe yet firm strawberries , this preserve is pectin free , refined sugar free , is ready within half an hour and is far more better and tastier than the sugar and preservative laden store bought ones. The natural sweetness of the ripe strawberries is brought to life in this jam with a touch of lemon juice. Have replaced refined sugar with jaggery in this jam without compromising with the taste. It is a small batch of jam made from about 20 Strawberries and stays good for 2-3 months on refrigeration . Smaller batch is easy and quick to make and lesser cooking time also means more flavor !

We love to smear strawberry jam on our toast and pair it with milk for breakfast , you can use it in your milkshakes, bakes , tarts and pies , over your cakes and cookies ,in desserts like parfaits and trifles or simply inside a chapati or paratha roll. We can also warm the jam and drizzle it over pancakes . Strawberries are in plenty now and cheap too and this is the best time to preserve them to make sure you have them on your table year-round. It is the best ever preserve i have made so far and you need to give this a try to believe me.

Strawberry is called "the queen of Fruits " in Asian countries as it is packed with heath benefits. These juicy heart shaped delights are loaded with vitamins, fiber , antioxidants , they contain little or no fat , zero cholesterol and is free of sodium. The health benefits of strawberry include improved eye care, proper brain function , relief from high blood pressure, arthritis , gout a, and various cardiovascular diseases. The antioxidant content of strawberries makes them good for improving the immune system , preventing various types of cancers and for reducing the signs of premature ageing.
Source: https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/fruit/strawberries.html

This picture was taken on one of our visits to Cameron Highlands , Malaysia.

Strawberries are my family favourite and i try to use them in all possible ways while they are in the season and find ways to preserve them and enjoy when not in season too. One more way to preserve strawberries apart from making jam is to freeze the strawberries either whole or sliced and later use as required. Stay tuned as i will be sharing few recipes using frozen strawberries as well. If you also have strawberry lovers like us in your family , do check out the following strawberry recipes from my blog. ( just click on the highlighted name of the dish for the recipe )
Strawberry Cookies , Strawberry Muffins , Strawberry Milkshake , Strawberry Raita , Strawberry Mousse, Strawberry Banana Oats Bars , Strawberry Falooda

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves: 1 bowl of jam

Ingredients: Measurements used : 1 cup = 200ml

20 Strawberries ( should yield 2 cups on chopping )
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup jaggery powder ( amount depends upon the sweetness of berries)

Method:

Rinse the strawberries under running water to remove the dirt.

2. Pat them dry on a clean and dry kitchen towel. Hull them (remove the green leafy part) with a knife and chop . Now before we start making the jam , keep a couple of plates or saucers in the refrigerator to cool (these will be used later on to check the doneness of jam).

3. Heat a heavy bottom sauce pan and add the chopped strawberries and jaggery . Cook on low to medium heat. As the jaggery melts and the strawberries begin to release their juices, the mixture will be watery and frothy. Keep stirring at regular intervals and cooking the mix.

4. Squeeze out juice of 1 lemon in the mixture and allow to cook further until the strawberries soften and are cooked.

5. After 10 minutes , the jam mixture will be thick and bubbly. Simmer and cook further while stirring until it reduces and starts leaving the sides of the pan.

6. Usually when the mixture leaves the sides of the pan , it has reached a jam consistency. we can confirm it by the plate method too. Place spoonful of jam on the cold plate or saucer. Leave for 30 seconds, then push with your finger. If the jam wrinkles and does not gather to fill up the gap, it is ready. If not , turn on the heat and cook the jam for another 2-3 minutes. Put off the flame and repeat the plate test again .

7. Now that the jam is ready allow it to cool down at room temperature before transferring it to a clean dry glass bottle ( preferably sterilised) with a tight fitting lid. Refrigerate the jam and use as needed.

Notes:

You can use refined sugar instead of jaggery powder if desired.
The quantity of jaggery or sugar depends upon the sweetness of berries and your liking.
The recipe can be doubled or tripled.

If you love strawberries and wish to have them on your table-top , year round do try out this flavorful , healthy and easy 3 ingredient strawberry jam , if you do so, we would love to hear from you. Drop in your thoughts in the comment section below this post.

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For more fruit jam and preserve recipes, do check out the following posts from my blog.