It is not funny how the price of everything seems to be on the ascend these days. I’m not talking about things like the snazziest phone or the flattest television with the largest screen or other such gizmos that manufacturers keep trying to convince you that you cannot live without!
I’m taking about daily living essentials, mainly food. Every time I go shopping for groceries, vegetables or fruit these days, it seems like I’m paying more but bringing home less.
Yesterday, we got the shock of my life when we heard the price of green beans. A month back, a kilo of these beans cost about Rs.24.00 (about 50 c), which isn’t exactly inexpensive here, in India. Last week, they were selling for Rs.60.00 a kilo (about $1.30) and yesterday for Rs.80.00 ($1.75)! Its not like green beans are an exotic variety of vegetable.
Luckily tomatoes are still quite affordable, though I have no idea for how much longer. Last month they were really cheap, and I had bought a whole lot of them to make into pickle and chutney. I also made some into jam when I got into “jamming” mode, along with strawberry jam and some pear and raisin chutney
This recipe is one of my own and I made it up as I went along. Please feel free to adjust or make additions (or subtractions) to the recipe to suit your taste.
Spicy Tomato Jam
Ingredients
- 7 cups tomato pulp
- 2 cups sugar granulated (or more if needed)
- 1 apple , cored and grated (not peeled)
- 2 tsps ginger/ ginger minced paste
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 1/2 tsp cloves powdered
- 1 1/2 tsps cumin powder
Instructions
- Put the tomato pulp, grated apple, ginger, sugar, chilli flakes and salt into a large and deep heavy walled pot. Mix well and turn up the heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and allow to cook for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the powdered cloves and turn down the heat to medium and keep cooking till the jam has thickened enough to pass the u201cplateu201d test. Add the cumin powder and cook for another minute.
- Take the jam off the heat and ladle into hot sterilized jars. Cover the jars with lids to make them airtight.
- I got enough jam to fill two 500 gm jam jars.
- This jam is just slightly sweet, and not overly spicy. The spices and the chilli flakes just lend it a pleasant warmth.
- Serve with crackers, toast or with chappathis, parathas, dosas or as you prefer.
I'm Aparna and My Diverse Kitchen is my ovo-lacto vegetarian food blog where you'll find recipes, food stories & photography. I've been blogging since 2007 and believe the kitchen, and the dining table (by extension) is really the heart of a home. 
Every time when i visit Indian too i am shocke with the prices, but i think it is every wee the same, here too the prices are rocketing up. Few weeks back when i finished doing the shopping and paied the bill i got a shock when i saw the bill, i got so confused that i stopped and checked my bill to see if the grocerry shop make a mistake, ofcourse then didn’t it is just the prices were gone up.Love the spicy tomato jam.
Fresh Greenbeans here is $1.98 to $2.19 most of the time and sometimes it goes down to $.99, then I load up!:)But frozen beans are cheaper and always yummy to cook than canned slimy beans because they flash freeze it keeping the nutrition intact.I have planted the Roma tomatoes, looking forward to Summer. Spicy jam looks yum.Happy Mother’s day, enjoy. Hugs.
I heard about these prices from in-laws! I was telling them I’ll send sugar from here coz it seems cheaper!!sighhh… one day in the not too distant future and during our lifetimes, I hope the wonderful govt will choose to invest in dependable irrigation methods and not leave our economy to the vagaries of the monsoons!!!
I got the shock of my life aftre reading the price of beans….it is very very expensive….god…but if you comapre to the price here, it would be cheap, but we cant compare…its £1.50 for 250g of beans which will be around 120-130 rupees….LOved teh recipe and loved the pic…y dont u put couple of pics more….i mainly come here cos of ur pics, apart from tempting recipes..
Love the gam…interesting to have it with tomato…looks yum
Looks mouth watering!! yeah, buying fruits and veggies burn a big hole in the pocket:-((, tuff times for people like me who gorge on these things!!
Nice spicy jam!! Green beans are a premium here too!! Sometimes that show up fresh and cost the earth!! Can’t wait for summer to get nice freah veges:)
WOw, iam drooling.wat a color 🙂
Agreed – just the staples of life are pricey. You don’t get any deals here fr/ the local farmers markets when they tout their wares, either. Waiting for a house w/ a garden to grown my own again, as I did at my mum’s b/4 I got married.Gorgeous jam. Such flavor and flair.
Yeah! Prices are sky-rocketing high no matter what! That’s why I reduced my updates. Anyway, the jam is divine and mmmm…. I’m simply running out of words…
I know, F. Its really the same situation all over the world!Asha, good to see you back. 🙂 And I always enjoy seeing your garden grow.Best wishes and hugs to you too.Yeah Asha! :(Thanks Shabs for that vote about my pictures. Wish I could add more pictures, but many a time I have just enough time to take just one! :DSome day, I shall have a garden too, Susan. Except I may be too old and creaky to garden! LOLThanks, N.
Everthing does get ridiculously expensive indeed! But we also have tomatoes that are quite affordable and I love the idea of this tomato jam! Bookmarked for future use!
Tomato jam very innovative.Looks colourful and delicious.
When I shopped for cucumbers, tomatoes and onions on Sunday, I heard the lady say 102 and resignedly thought, okay, this is how life is going to be, and handed over the dough. Then she said, 92 only, but that didn’t make me feel much better.
The jam looks yummy! I don’t shop for groceries much, mom still does it, but I still am shocked about the price rise, for fruits especially, since that’s about the only thing I buy.