A Whiff of Lemongrass

What do you do when the kiwifruit gods bestow upon you a ton of kiwifruit to do as you please?  You could be lazy and just eat it as a simple and satisfying snack, straight out of its natural receptacle, or you could make jam.  The process is simple, and what you will end up with is a lovely jam that is sweet, sour and slightly savoury that is full of goodness from kiwifruit (which incidentally has double the quantity of Vitamin C compared to oranges).

You can probably tell that I am obsessed with lemongrass, so after brainstorming with my mum and sister-in-law, we agreed that lemongrass would be a good complement to the kiwifruit jam.  Apples contain pectin, which can be used as a thickening agent for jam, so I decided to add that as well.  And why chilli?  I like a little heat in my food, and I wanted to see if it would work well in a jam, and luckily it was good!

The following recipe makes 1 jar and a bit.

Ingredients:

4 Zespri kiwifruit, skin removed and cubed
1 apple, cored and quartered with skin on
1/2 cup sugar (adjust according to taste)
1 stalk lemongrass, bruised
juice from 1 lime
1 chilli, cut lengthwise, seeds removed

Method:

Put all ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil.  Let it boil for between 30 to 45 minutes (stir intermittently) until the right consistency is achieved.   Once the apples have softened, remove skin and discard.  Discard lemongrass and chilli, and transfer cooked jam into a sterilised jar.

The jam can be used as a spread on bread, or as a chutney for meats.  It will go wonderfully with roast pork.  Enjoy!

Note: Kiwifruit kindly provided by Zespri Malaysia.