Homemade Mango Jam or Preserve / मैंगो जैम

The best thing probably about summer in India is Mango. Yes, we get lots and lots of mangoes of different varieties, shapes, sizes and taste. But sadly, mango season lasts only for a couple of months.
Here I am going to share a simple recipe to preserve the goodness of mango and enjoy it long after the season is gone.
It allows you to prepare tasty jam of your favourite mango at your home itself.

Name: Homemade Mango Jam or Preserve
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Preparation time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

1. Mango: Alphonso 1/2 Kg.
2. Lemon: 1 or 2 depending on sweetness of mango.
3. Sugar: According to taste (optional)
4. Fresh Ginger: 1 small piece 

Preparation of Ingredients:

1. Use well ripened mango. I suggest Alphonso(Hapus) because of its taste aptly tuned for jams and jellies. 
2. Peel the mango and cut it into cubes (for chunky jam) or squeeze it into puree (for smooth jam).
3. Fresh lemon juice
4. 1 inch fresh ginger finely grated 

Cooking the Jam:

1. Put the mango pieces/puree in a mildly heated pan or wide base kadhai (without oil or ghee)
2. Add fresh lemon juice 3/4 table spoons and mix it well
3. Cook it on medium flame for 5 minutes while turning it on regular intervals
4. Add sugar to your taste once the mango pieces are mashed up
5. Add grated ginger 
6. Keep cooking the mix for around 20 minutes on medium flame without lid.
7. By the end the mix would turn into thick jam and water content would be gone. 
8. Turn off the flame and let the Jam cool off
9. Once cooled preserve the Jam into an airtight jar

In an airtight jar this jam can be stored for months.