Middle Eastern Carrot Jam with Orange and Pistachio
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Making jam with what you have to hand is one of my favourite things. This Middle Eastern carrot jam with Orange and Pistachio is a case in point. Throw goodies into a jar and they come out even better, that’s jammin!
Carrots, love’em to bits. We go through lots of carrots, I’m sure Idgy and I must have been rabbits in a past life, at least distant relatives of Bugs Bunny and we must surely have raided Mr McGregor’s veggie patch at some time in a past history.
We both nibble them raw, I make French carrot salad every week, we have them steamed, roasted, boiled, in soup, pureed, chopped and sliced.
I love making them into jam. In fact this jam is actually hitting top marks just now on the breakfast charts, it is even beating my all time favourite of apricot.
I have been making carrot jam for years, but this summer I wanted to add a bit of interest so threw in some pistachio nuts and cooked the carrots in orange juice, the results – wow, Peter Rabbit would be proud of me.
Ingredients for carrot jam
Carrots – the stars of this carrot jam recipe of course. Make sure they are in good condition and not soft or damaged.
Citrus – orange for the flavour that marries so well with carrots and lemon for its zinginess and setting properties.
Sugar – any white sugar will do here. If you use a brown sugar you will get a deeper more caramel type taste which doesn’t work with this fresh Middle Eastern type carrot jam.
Nuts – I’m using pistachio nuts here, but if you don’t like those you could always use almonds or walnuts instead.
How to make carrot jam
First you will want to peel and chop the carrots, grate the zest off the orange and squeeze out the juice.
Cook the carrots in the orange juice along with the zest. This really gets that orange flavour right into the carrots and adds terrific depth of flavour to your carrot jam.
Once the carrots are soft and tender b;itz with either a hand blender wand or use a potato masher.
Add the sugar and lemon juice along with the pistachio nuts and heat till the sugar dissolves completely.
Now raise the temperature so your carrot jam is boiling and keep it bubbling away till it reaches that magical setting point of 105C.
How long does carrot jam keep?
Your Middle Eastern carrot jam will keep for up to a year in a cool cupboard. Once you have opened any jam you should store it in the fridge and use up within a month.
Serving ideas for carrot jam
Serve this carrot orange and pistachio jam on everything from toast and scones to pancakes and toasted sandwiches with chicken or cheese.
Stir some into your Greek yogurt in the morning.
Use as a glaze on roasted chicken or pork.
Add some carrot jam to Asian and Middle Eastern recipes when you want a sweet fruity hit of flavour.
Eat your heart out bunnies this one’s for us!
Looking for more fun carrot recipes? Then check these out before you go;
Quick and easy pickled carrots
Super healthy carrot, turmeric and ginger smoothie
Middle Eastern carrot jam with orange and pistachio
Ingredients
- 800 g carrots
- 2 oranges zest and juice
- 500 g white sugar
- 1 lemon juice and zest
- 50 g pistachio nuts chopped
Instructions
- Peel and roughly chop the carrots.
- Grate the zest off the oranges and squeeze out the juice.
- Cook the carrots in the orange juice with the zest until they are completely tender.
- After cooking zap them to a pulp, you should get about 750g/1lb 11oz of pulp.
- Now add the jam sugar, grated zest of lemon and the lemon juice and those chopped up pistachios.
- Heat gently to dissolve the sugar and raise to a boil. Bubble away until you reach your setting point (that chilled saucer in the freezer for 5 minutes teaspoon of the jam on it and back to fridge for 5 mins to see if it sets enough) and then spoon this gorgeously bright golden zingy jam into sterilised jars .
Karon-
This jam sounds delicious! I love the ne look of the blog. Been away for awhile and am glad to be back and catching up. Hope all is well with you and Idgy.
I know you said this jam was delicious…but…I had to say it, too!!! I’ve made two batches now and even that wasn’t enough to quiet me…so I hope you don’t mind but I posted about your jam on my blog – it will be up on the 18th…it’s just too good not to share with my readers! Plus, I want them all to know about your fabulous spread in Mingle!!! YAY!!! I owe you a long email – it’s coming…so much has been going on, my head is swimming! xoxoxo! Nan
this sounds superb and cannot wait to try. One question; by jam sugar do you mean plain white sugar? Thank you.
Hi there
Jam sugar has added pectin so it helps the jam set
Glad you like the recipe
K
What a brilliant idea! I love the idea of bringing naturally sweet vegetables over into the dessert/jam/jelly world. Move over fruit! Can’t wait to try this.
This is a great start for introducing veggies to jam making, you’ll be amazed how good it is and it looks such a pretty colour too.
K x
I can’t find jam sugar in malaysia
Hi Lee,
Use normal sugar and pectin
K x
I love the flavours, Karon, but was scalded with plumping gloopy jam as I stirred, and didn’t see one wrinkle on the saucer in the fridge/freezer set test!
It tastes great and is all jarred up, but I wonder if it will set or will it just be a gloopy spread? I’m left wondering if I did something wrong or is it meant to be a gloopy spread/butter?
As aforementioned, the flavours are fab together.
Thank’s. Donna
Hi Donna
You have to be careful when making jams and jellies, they are obviously hot. You have to keep boiling till you reach the setting point and get the wrinkle or use jam thermometer.
K x
I Am from the U.S. and am wondering two things is there a proportion of sugar to pectin in this recipe? And when you say “zap”? I’m assuming in a blender, food processor or emmersion blender. Your recipes look amazing and I cannot wait to try them, thank you for sharing your knowledge
Hi Lu
There is no pectin in this recipe. I use lemon juice to help set the carrot jam. Zap means use a food processor/blender wand etc as mentioned in the body of the blog post. You could even use a potato masher.
Hope you like the jam
K
How much jam does this recipe yield? And if jam sugar is not available, how much granulated sugar/pectin should be used? Thank you!
Any white sugar willl do, 500g as stated in recipe. It makes about 700g of jam.
K