Moraba-ye Pooste Hendevaneh - Watermelon Rind Jam
Moraba-ye Pooste Hendevaneh is a jam made of the white rind, between the skin and flesh of a watermelon. The jam doesn’t actually taste watermelon. What gives the jam its flavours are the other ingredients you add to it: In this case cardamom, cinnamon, saffron, lemon juice and lemon zest. This means you can experiment with it and add any flavours you like it to have. The watermelon rind gives this jam an unusual texture, that makes it really unique among jams.
I recently talked to my Maman and asked what she was doing. She said she was making watermelon jam. That of course made me curious, so I asked her for the recipe to share it with you. What I love about it is, that it uses the part of the watermelon that you would usually waste. You can use this recipe to make a special breakfast treat.
So this year, after enjoying the watermelon, why not turn the rind into something that will last you months?
Cook the most famous Persian dishes at home with the help of my e-book.
Time
Prep: 15 min
Cool: 4h 30 min
Cook: 1h
Total: 5h 45 min
Ingredients (for about 800ml / 3.5 cups)
1kg / 2.2lbs watermelon rind (only the white part)
1kg / 2.2 lbs / 5 cups sugar
480 ml / 2 cups filtered watermelon juice
Juice of 1 1/2 lemons
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp slivered pistachios
15 cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp saffron
Extra saffron threads as garnish (optional)
Method of preparing Moraba Hendevaneh
Remove the red flesh of the watermelon. Cut off the skin of the watermelon, so you are left with the white rind only. Chop it into 1cm / 0.4” cubes.
Transfer the baking soda to a bowl with water and stir until it is dissolved. Add the watermelon cubes to it and place the bowl in the fridge. Leave it to cool for 4 hours. Baking soda is alkaline, so it raises the PH level. Soaking makes the watermelon rind crunchy, which is what makes this jam so unique. In the meantime, you can enjoy eating the watermelon.
After the cooling time, drain the water from the bowl with the watermelon rind and rinse the cubes with water.
Crush the cardamom pods. Wash the lemon under warm water, if it’s waxed. Dry it and peel its zest, using the fine setting of a grinder. Cut the lemon in half and juice it. Also, juice another half lemon.
Add the sugar, 2 cups / 480ml watermelon juice, the juice of 1 1/2 lemons, lemon zest, crushed cardamom pods and cinnamon stick to a pot. Bring the mixture to a simmer and stir occasionally until the sugar is dissolved.
Add the melon rind cubes to this syrup and turn the heat off to let it all cool down for about 30 min.
Grind the saffron into powder, using a pestle and mortar. Turn the stove back on medium heat to bring the jam to a simmer. Add the ground saffron and extra saffron threads, if you like, and give it a good stir. Let the jam simmer this way for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
You can add the pistachios in the last 10 minutes of cooking time. Let the jam cook a bit longer if you would like it thicker. Keep in mind, it will firm a bit when cooling down. The watermelon rind will hold its original shape.
If you are planning on keeping the jam for a few weeks or months, I recommend sterilising 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 Watermelon 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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