Spicy Apple Jam

This jam … is THE jam.

Ok, now that that’s out of the way.

This apple jam is actually based on an Indian achar (in English translated as pickle, but as you will see by my little story, that’s not always accurate.) called chundo.

For those of you who know me, you know I love pickles, and, in particular, I love Indian pickles.

One day I stumbled upon something called chundo in the achar section of the South Asian grocery store, and even looking at it through the container, it looked more like a jam than a pickle. I was so curious and had to try it.

And, I was right: at least by American standards, this would be considered a jam. Chundo is a shredded green mango “jam” mixed with various spices. It was delicious and I had to recreate it.

Green mangoes are simply unripe mangoes. While they of course differ from green apples in many ways, for this recipe, the fact that both green mangoes and green apples are sour and firm make them a good swap. Plus, green apples are easier to find for most people living in the US.

So, I got a little creative, and botta bing, botta boom, we have here a shredded apple jam based on an achar. Who would’ve thunk?

And while the original is made with mangoes and this one is made with apples, it actually reminds me of pumpkin. That’s because of the spice mix: cumin, fennel, cardamon, cinnamon, and chili powder. It’s like pumpkin spice, but in my humble opinion, even better!

I like to spread this on toast with some herbs (love it with lemon verbena, but it also tastes great with mint). You can also make a spicy peanut butter and jam sandwich (pictured above), or you can serve it like an achar and use it to tame a spicy curry or add flavor to mild dish. It’s delicious no matter how you spread it!

Yield: 8

Author: Elissa D'Aries

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Apple Jam/Chundo

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 10 MinInactive time: 15 MinTotal time: 40 Min

Ingredients

• 2 Granny Smith Apples (130 grams)
• 80 grams sugar (about 3/4 cup)
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 teaspoon whole cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon whole fennel
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 cardamom pods
• 1 teaspoon kashmiri chili powder

Instructions

1. Either shred the granny smith apples (if you have a large shreds option on your food processor, this will work) or cut them into slivers. You may also optionally peel them. How thinly you slice or shred them will affect the final texture.
2. Combine the shredded apples, sugar, and lemon juice and allow to sit for 30 minutes. This will macerate the apples or cause them to release water. This step is precooking the apples, so you do not want to skip it.
3. While the apples are sitting, combine the spices. In a spice grinder, grind the whole spices until fine. Then add in the ground spices and mix. You can add the spices right to your apples.
4. Once the apples are macerated, heat up a pot on medium heat. Place the apples mixed with sugar and spices into the pot. Bring to a simmer and cook for ten minutes, or until the sugar gets thick. If you over cook the sugar will become too hard (like candy), so be careful.
5. Allow to cool and store in the fridge for up to seven days.

Notes

-If you decide to double or triple this recipe, the apple jam will take longer to cook. I made a huge batch of this recipe on my stream (twitch.tv/jerseygirlbreadshop), and it took 20 minutes to cook down.

-This is not a canning recipe, but I have canned this before with great results. Be sure to follow proper canning procedures and check the pH level of your jam (should be below 4.6) before canning.