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Moraba-ye bahar narenj
Moraba-ye bahar narenj (مربای بهارنارنج): bitter-orange blossom jam from Shiraz
When the bitter orange trees lining Shiraz's streets bloom in April, the whole city smells of blossom, and households gather the fallen petals to make this pale golden jam for the year ahead. It is spooned onto bread with fresh cheese at breakfast, or stirred into tea. The petals are bitter, so they are blanched and soaked several times before they meet the syrup. A common mistake is cutting the soaking short, which leaves the jam harsh. Chef's tip: add the lemon juice only at the end; it keeps the petals bright and stops the syrup from crystallising.
- Total time
- 70 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 16
Ingredients
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (3)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add the 7 oz fresh unsprayed bitter-orange blossom petals and blanch for 1 minute. Drain into a sieve and cool under the cold tap.
5 minStep 2: Soak the petals in a large bowl of cold water for 6–8 hours, changing the water three or four times, until a petal tastes only faintly bitter. Drain and squeeze gently.
10 minStep 3: Dissolve the 14 oz white sugar in the 1 ¼ cups water over a medium heat, then boil for 5 minutes. Add the petals and simmer gently for 25–30 minutes, until the syrup coats a spoon and a drop on a cold plate wrinkles slightly when pushed.
32 minStep 4: Stir in the 2 tbsp lemon juice and 1 tbsp orange blossom water and simmer 2 minutes more. The syrup thickens further as it cools, so don't take it too far.
3 minStep 5: Ladle into warm sterilised jars, seal and cool. Keep in a cool cupboard for up to a year; refrigerate once opened.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 100 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 26 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does moraba-ye bahar narenj take?
- About 70 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 16 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of white sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of lemon juice?
- Lime juice, same amount.
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