Moraba-ye Havij - Carrot Jam
Moraba-ye Havij aka carrot jam is one of my favourites! My Maman used to make it a lot and so it takes me right back to my childhood. When I tell people about carrot jam, they often react surprised. That’s what I like about this jam! It’s not very common in other cuisines and so it gives people the opportunity to try something new. I encourage you to give it a try!
Cook the most popular Persian dishes at home with the help of my e-book.
Time
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 1h 10 min
Total: 1h 25 min
Ingredients (for about 1.2kg / 2.6lbs)
800g / 1.75 lbs carrots
800g / 1.75 lbs sugar
475ml / 2 cups water
60ml / 1/4 cup rose water
15 cardamom pods
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp saffron
2 ice cubes
Method
Grind the saffron threads using a pestle and mortar. Sprinkle 1/8 tsp over the ice cubes in a glass and set it aside to melt.
Peel and grate the carrots on the coarse setting of the grinder. I cut a few of the carrots into slices to mix it up a bit and to garnish the jars with them. I used a few yellow and purple carrots, in case you were wondering. Transfer all the carrots - ground and sliced - to a pot. Add the water and bring it to a boil. Then let it simmer for 30 minutes over low to medium temperature with the lid on. Stir occasionally.
Then add the sugar, saffron water and crushed cardamom pods to the carrots. Give it a stir, then increase the heat to bring the mixture to a boil once more. Don’t put the lid back on.
Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium. Let the carrot jam simmer for another 30 minutes. Then add the lemon juice. The lemon juice prevents the sugar from crystallising.
Add the rose water 5 minutes later and then let the carrot jam simmer for another 5 minutes. The consistency should be quite liquid. Persian jam is usually not as thick as the jam you find here in the UK. You need to make a solid loghme (a bite-sized piece of flat bread formed into a little bowl shape to hold a piece of butter and a spoonful of jam), that doesn’t allow the jam to run down the sides of the bread. That being said, the jam will firm a bit when cooling down.
If you’re planning on keeping the jam for a few weeks or months, I recommend you sterilise the jars in boiling water or in the oven.
Fill the jars with hot jam, firmly close the lid and let them cool upside down. Enjoy yourself or share it with friends and family.
I’d love to see your Carrot Jam! Feel free to tag me with @igotitfrommymaman on Facebook or Insta so I can take a look and give you a thumbs up!
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