Banana & Passion Fruit Jam

I made homemade jam again, this time, it is Banana & Passion Fruit jam.


I bought these passion fruits many weeks ago...this variety is golden-yellow with small white speckles on the skin, before the fruits were riped. I left them at room temperature, and they took weeks before they started to look 'old'...developing wrinkles and dimples on the skin. Over the weeks, the colour gradually changed to a darker shade of red. I was told that they have to turn into a deep purple (just like a mangosteen) before they are considered fully ripened.

I tasted one unripe fruit the very next day I bought them...the amount of pulp and juice in the fruit was miserable. The fruit was quite 'empty', I was only able to scoop out 2 tiny teaspoons of pulp, and it tasted very sour. I waited for almost 3 weeks...it was a torture having to check on them everyday!...and even though the skin had yet to turn purple, I cut out one fruit to try. There were more pulps and juice this time, and it didn't tasted that sour, although it is still a little tangy. The pulp smells wonderful...that's probably why this highly aromatic fruit is also known as "百香果" in Chinese (I'll like to translate it as '100-fragrance-fruit').


I didn't wait any longer and used two fruits to make this Banana & Passion Fruit jam. Other than the little extra effort required to sterilise the jam bottles, this jam is super easy to make. There are just 3 ingredients...bananas, passion fruit and sugar. The original recipe calls for slicing the bananas into 1mm thick slices...but I did it my way...simply mashed up the bananas with a fork. I mashed the bananas really well...almost like a puree, I want the finished jam to be very smooth with no chunks of bananas in it. Cooking the jam took less than 5 mins...about 2 mins to bring the mixture to a rolling boil and another 2~ 3 mins of boiling until the jam turned clear, and it was done. Once again, this recipe doesn't call for pectin, as the bananas would act as a natural pectin to set the jam. When it is still hot, the consistency of the jam will be quite runny or pourable...but it will set nicely when it cools off.


Although this jam has got more banana than passion fruit...the presence of the passion fruit is quite dominant. It is a very delicious jam and the seeds give a very nice crunch to it. This jam doesn't taste that sweet...I believe it is largely due to the slightly tangy passion fruit. It is yummy on a slice of plain toast...and I may use this jam to make a batch of muffins, or a chiffon cake soon.



Banana & Passion Fruit Jam

Ingredients:
(yields about 300ml of jam)

250g riped bananas (without skin), finely mashed
50g passion fruit pulp (pulps from about 2 fruits)
230g granulated sugar*




Method:

1. Place finely mashed bananas, passion fruit pulp and sugar in a pot or a large saucepan. Mix well.
2. On medium heat, stirring constantly with a heat-proof spatula or a wooden spoon, bring the mixture to a full rolling boil (where the bubbles do not stop or lessen when you stir it). Once the mixture starts to boil, skim away any excessive foams or bubbles, stirring constantly all the time.
3. Keep at a rolling boil for another 2 ~ 3 mins, stirring constantly till the mixture thickens, becomes clearer and transparent (no more foams).
4. Remove from heat. The jam will be a little runny when hot but the consistency will be just right after it has cool off.
5. Ladle hot jam into hot sterilised jars leaving a gap of about 1~2cm from the top. (Since I do not have an appropriate ladle or funnel, I poured the jam into my measuring cup before filling the jars. The sprout on the cup helps easy and clean filling.) Secure lids. Let cool. Unopened jam will keep up to 3 months if stored in fridge or in a cool, dark cupboard. Once opened, store in fridge and best consumed within a week**.
   
   Recipe source: adapted from 鲜美果酱轻松做! by Romi Igarashi

Note:
*Do not reduce the sugar, as the amount is required to preserve the jam.
**According to the original recipe book, once opened, store the jam in fridge and best consumed withint 1 week. I didn't have any problem with my homemade jam after 3~4 weeks. However, for safe eating practices, do examine the jam frequently for signs of spoilage.