Tomato Jam

Tomato jam is one of the important side dish served along with biryani in weddings at our place. Though as an effect of modernization, the recipe has changed a lot with added fruits and nuts. This classic recipe is always a hit. Like tomato jam we have few more must haves with the meal, like boiled eggs, fried appalam and onion raita. Its very simple but tastes soo yumm.

INGREDIENTS :

Tomatoes   - 4 big ones
Sugar         - 1/4 cup
Ghee          - 3 + 1 Tblsp
Cashews     - 1 Tblsp
Raisins        - 1 Tblsp
Lemon Juice - 1 Tblsp
Salt              - A Pinch

METHOD :

    Blanch the tomatoes and remove the skin. Cool them a bit and in a food processor just mash them well. Don't puree them because the texture adds a nice texture to the jam.
   Heat a pan and add a tablespoon of ghee and roast the cashews and raisins and keep aside. In the same pan bring the pureed tomatoes cook under medium flame. Add the sugar with a pinch of salt. Let the sugar dissolve completely. At this point you can check the sweetness and add more sugar if you like, because if the fruits are not that sweet you might need more sugar. Then add the lemon juice. Reduce flame and let the mix evaporate, add the ghee now and let it thicken a bit.
   When it starts to leave the sides add the roasted cashews and raisins and remove from fire and cool down.
  This has a shelf life of a week and can be refrigerated for a month or frozen for about 3 months.