When visiting Japan in April I realised that Apple Jam is one of the local foods that overseas visitors praise most because of its subtle sweetness and delicious flavour. On my return home I noticed that apple jam is not sold in supermarkets in Australia. Since I have moved to Tasmania where amazing apples are grown and in season now, and organic apples are only $2 a kilogram, I thought why not use the Japanese apple jam recipe!
Table of contents
Why do I call this homemade apple jam “Japanese”?
Apple jam did not originate in Japan as jam was first introduced to Japan from Europe where jam making has a long tradition and history as a preserved food. The first jam made in Japan was strawberry jam made in the Meiji era, which is only about 150 years ago. According to the International food standard (CODEX), jam is classified as a preserve that has over 60-65% sugar content.
In contrast, JAS (Japanese agricultural standards) approve preserves that have over 40% sugar content as “jam” in Japan. About 45% of jam sold in Japan has 40-45% sugar content. So the Japanese apple jam that many overseas visitors praise is not overly sweet and it is a very special jam that you only get in Japan. reference https://sugar.alic.go.jp/japan/shiten/shiten0909a.htm
Ingredients you need
Apples : Right apples to get the Right results
My first choice is Pink Lady because I like to add a little bit of colour to the jam and also the firm flesh holds its shape when cooked. If you don’t mind a plain coloured jam, Granny Smith (an iconic Australian green apple variety) is good too as it has firm flesh. I used Royal Gala apples this time. Peeling and adding the peel to the jam extracts pectin which helps to form jelly and adds colour. If you like a more mashed up texture in jam, sweet Fuji apples are great too.
Sugar :
for this homemade apple jam recipe, you need about 3/4 cups of sugar. In general, we need a sugar which dissolves quickly when making jam, normal white sugar is fine for homemade apple jam. But I used caster sugar, and if you can get superfine caster sugar it gives a better result.
Lemon juice :
for adding pectin and acidity.
Beware of the pot you make the jam
An enamel pot is the easiest and most readily available pot to use for making jam at home. It is strong against both acid and alkali, and will not affect the taste and colour of the ingredients in it. A copper pot is a great option too and professional chefs like to use copper pots because of their great heat conduction but I don’t have a copper pot so used an enamel-coated pot that I bought from IKEA. Avoid aluminium pots because they will chemically react to the fruit acid.
How to Make homemade apple jam?
- Wash, peel and core the apples. Don’t discard the skin and core as they are used later.
- In a bowl put a cup of water and dissolve a teaspoon of salt in the water and add the peeled apples as you peel them.
- Remove the apple from the salty water and cut them into chunks.
- Place the apple chunks into a enamel-coated pot and add the peeled skin and the core as well.
- Add the sugar over the apple and apple skin. Leave it for about 2 hours. The moisture in the apple will be extracted and you will see liquid at the bottom of the pot.
- Place the pot over medium heat and add lemon juice.
- Bring the apple and apple juice extract to boil. Skim off any scum on the surface with a little sieve.
- Simmer it for 20 minutes or until thickened, stir often with a wooden spoon. Once the colour of the apple skin comes off in the liquid, remove all apple skin before the liquids get thickened and discard them.
- While the jam is hot, ladle the jam into sterilised half-pint jars, wipe the rim and seal lids tightly.
- Cool jars down at room temperature then refrigerate.
Tips for Making Chirashi
- Tips to serve Chirashi beautifully – Chose colourful toppings and scatter topping ingredients evenly considering colour distribution.
- Use the water from soaking the dried shiitake mushrooms to cook the other mixing ingredients (like carrots and the mushrooms) as it is packed with Umami and gives the Chirashi depth of flavour.
- Keep all ingredients except sushi rice in the fridge before assembling.
Proven ways to preserve the apple jam
Sterilising the storing jar is essential to preserve the jam. The length of the storing period will depend on which sterilising method you use. I used the following proven method. Place the jar and a lid in a large pot and bring it to boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and take the jar and lid onto a clean wire rack lined with kitchen cloth. Pack the jam while it is hot and close the lid tightly immediately.
Delightful Ways to Use the Apple Jam
My favourite way to eat apple jam is with yoghurt. This apple jam also goes with toasted Shokupan the Japanese bread very well. Also, gluhwein (1 cup red wine, 1 tbsp apple jam, 2 slices of ginger and 1 cinnamon stick put all in a small saucepan and heat up) is a creative way to eat/drink this delicious apple jam.
FAQ
A: Yes, ofcourse. You could add allspice, cardamom, cinnamon stick or vanilla beans.
Here is my recipe for Apple Jam and If you liked it, please rate it and leave a comment below. Also, don’t forget to follow me on Youtube, Pinterest, Facebook , Twitter and Instagram to keep up to date with all the latest happenings on Chopstick Chronicles. Don’t forget to use the hashtag #ChopstickChronicles so I can see your wonderful creations!
Japanese Apple Jam
Instructions
- Wash and peel the apple.350 g apple
- Peel and core the apple. Retain the peeled apple skin to use later.
- Fill water in a large bowl and add a teaspoon of salt. Add the peeled and cored apple as you work. *2
- Remove the apples from the salty water and finely cut them up.
- Place the cut apple into a enamel-coated pot and add the peeled skin as well. *3
- Put the sugar over the apples and apple skin and leave it for about 2 hours. The moisture in the apples will be extracted and you will see liquid at the bottom of the pot. *4140 g caster sugar
- Place the pot over medium heat and add the lemon juice.1 tbsp lemon juice
- Bring the apple and apple juice extract to boil. Skim off any scum on the surface with a little sieve.
- Simmer it for 20 minutes or until thickened, stirring often with a wooden spoon. Once the colour of the apple skin comes off in the liquid, remove all apple skin before the liquids get thickened and discard them. *5
- While the jam is hot, ladle the jam into a sterilised jar and close lid tightly.
- Cool it down at room temperature then refrigerate.
Hello Shihoko
This recipe sounds great.
Could I ask, how many jars of what size did you get from these quantities?
I’d like to know how many jars I would need to sterilize.
Thanks
Hi Clare, I used 580ml weck jars 😀 hope it helps.
Succesfully made this apple jam following the recipe closely. Previously tries to cook apple leaves them ugly brown but not this time. My jam came out almost as pretty as your pictures and I am so thankful for your detailed instructions. I used mine as topping to sweeten ice tea, similar to boba places and it is delicious!
Hi Sabena, I am glad you successfully made this jam 😀
Does anyone know if this can be canned using water bath method, for longer preservation?
Do i put the apples in the fridge after i added the sugar?
Hi Jia, no you don’t have to.
So good. I made them exactly as the recipe above. Thank you
You are welcome 😀
I’m waiting for a certain variety of apples to become available here in California before I make this recipe. But in the meantime, I thought I’d ask – does one serving really have 727 calories or is that a typo? I can’t wait to make this recipe and when I do, I want to know how much I can eat 🙂
Hi Mel, One serving means this whole jam. I am not sure how many serves in this and people use different amount so I just calculated whole things.