Fig Jam
Martha Rose Shulman
532 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
532
30 minutes, plus several hours of chilling
Updated June 10, 2024
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Open the can of tomatoes and drain the liquid into a food processor or blender. Reserve the tomatoes.
Slice 3 to 6 fresh red chile peppers (depending on their heat) and add to the blender or processor with garlic, ginger and fish sauce. Blend until smooth.
Pour into a pan, add the diced tomatoes and vinegar and sugar. Simmer until thick and syrupy, about an hour. Natural pectin in the tomatoes gives the sauce its jammy consistency.
When cool, transfer to containers or jars, and keep refrigerated.
Any tips/thoughts on making these with fresh tomatoes? Since they're in season and I can get damaged ones for free at my greenmarket seems silly to buy canned.
What is the yield? Would it justify water-bath processing to avoid refrigeration and short shelf life?
I doubled the recipe using fresh tomatoes, rice vinegar and only 5 chilies. Instead of using a blender before boiling, I used an immersion blender after boiling for about 1 hour. After a second hour of boiling, the pH was 4.01. I water bathed for 10 minutes to seal in jars. Yielded just over 7 ½ pint jars, so I could have reduced a little more to get a thicker jam yielding 6 ½ pits.
Please note that canned tomatoes and different vinegars have slightly different pH.
Excellent! I made this sans-fish sauce, and used three serrano peppers (it was all my grocery store had and my wife has a more sensitive mouth). Wonderful as a topping for bagel and cream cheese. This will be one of my staples.
I made this with about 30 oz worth of fresh tomatoes. Blanched them to take off the skins, chopped them up, and saved as much of the juice as I could. It turned out great! Used 3/4 cup of sugar and I'm glad I did. I spread some cottage cheese on sourdough toast this morning, and topped it with this jam. Heavenly!
How long will this keep in the fridge?
Killer when switched the chilis to chipotle.
How many jars? How big?
I used some fresh tomatoes and used about 2 pounds for the recipe. I whizzed everything up in a blender and then dumped it in a heavy enameled pan to cook. Very easy and very good.
So happy to have found this again after years of loss. I call it Japanese Jeans Ketchup. Thanks.
I simmered the exact recipe (using white wine vinegar and 6 chilies) for about 2 hours until it was a thick jammy consistency. Made just over 2 bonne maman size jam jars full - delicious!
I wish you would make the original recipe (fewer chiles and star anise!) available on line. I have a very worn hand written copy. I use fresh plum tomatoes and don't bother peeling... I get about 3 half pints so if you want to make it really worth the water bath I would double the recipe. I buy large bottle of fish sauce on line as I make so much of this every year for gifts. One friend swears by using it on grilled cheese!
Part 2…sterile wide mouth quarts and used water bath for 15 min. Tasty! Tai-leaning. Use on pork roast, pork belly…consider some lime juice.
Used 1 of my own qts of tom sauce — roasted toms pureed, then simmered with balsamic ‘til thick and flavorful. Had leftovers and 1 with (3) tiny bubbles. Dbl the recipe, decr sugar. Fish sauce was a bit much. Added cay. pep as my 6 pep weren’t hot enough. A glug of balsamic helped w/strong fish sauce. 2 quarts. Waterbath.
Added: 1 sweet onion, diced and caramelized; 1 each dried guajillo and ancho chilis (blended with liquid); 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes. Used cider vinegar, and 3/4 c. sugar. Delicious!!
This makes about a pint and it is delicious.
This is a great flavor combination. In winter, I will use the pre-reduced liquid as soup.
Just made a batch with home grown tomatoes and red poblano peppers. Did add two things: a spoon of lemon syrup from the lemon goop recipe found on NYT and two additional sweet peppers. Admit to lowering sugar to 2/3 cup as the lemon syrup is sweet. Blanched, peeled, diced and drained tomatoes prior to adding to pan. Result reminds me of a tomato forward Thai chili garlic sauce. Can’t wait to let this flavor celebration elevate some eggs or roasted potatoes or goat cheese and crackers.
I simmered the exact recipe (using white wine vinegar and 6 chilies) for about 2 hours until it was a thick jammy consistency. Made just over 2 bonne maman size jam jars full - delicious!
Similar to jam from Darina Allen of Ballymaloe (sp?) published in NYT many years ago. Fish sauce plus star anise gave it a uniquely non-Irish flavor. A family favorite with broiled meat, fish etc.
I made this with fresh tomatoes. It made one pint. Very tasty with the NYT Cooking oven roasted shawarma recipe. Be good on a hamburger, too.
Use 2 lbs fresh tomato 3/4 cup sugar
Use 2 lbs fresh tomatoes, 3/4 cup sugar
I doubled the recipe using fresh tomatoes, rice vinegar and only 5 chilies. Instead of using a blender before boiling, I used an immersion blender after boiling for about 1 hour. After a second hour of boiling, the pH was 4.01. I water bathed for 10 minutes to seal in jars. Yielded just over 7 ½ pint jars, so I could have reduced a little more to get a thicker jam yielding 6 ½ pits.
Please note that canned tomatoes and different vinegars have slightly different pH.
Oops. Should be 11/2 cups sugar. Thanks.
Another one of those recipes lends itself to variation. Here's an alternate ingredient list—see what you think. 2 qts ripe fresh tomato pulp; 3 big red bell peppers; 1/2 c. fish sauce; 1 c. cider vinegar; 1/2 c. almonds; 6" ginger; 8 garlic cloves; 2 oz. tanarind paste; habanero hot sauce to taste; 1 t. salt. Blend these in a VitaMix as if you were making a romesco (starting with almonds), then put it into a pan, add 1 1/2 sugar and cook it down. This will make about 2 qts.
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