If you’re looking for a homemade gifting idea, I think this chilli and rose water jam is a great idea. It makes for a great project — because it isn’t too intensive, but just enough to make you feel accomplished — and it looks incredibly beautiful, and your friends and family will think of you every morning, as they dollop a spoon or two onto their their toast. There’s something really cosy about making jam, and I made my very first one when writing a piece about jams and jellies for The Hindu a few years ago. A couple of weeks ago, I sent mum Nigella’s recipe for chilli jam and mum used that as a base for her own version. Because we don’t have access to jam sugar, we’ve had to tinker a bit. The addition of rose water was a last minute decision, and one I am very proud of. Feel free to leave it out, but chillies and rose water are actually a really great combination. We’ve added a tablespoon here, but most likely, you’re going to need more. But each rose water brand has a different level of potency, and we’d rather err on the side of caution. Taste, and add more if needed.

RECIPE: CHILLI & ROSE WATER JAM

Ingredients
1 kilo sugar
3 large red capsicum
7 fresh red chillies
2 birds’ eye chillies
500 ml white vinegar
2 tbsp pectin mixed with 2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp rose water

Method
De-seed the chillies and capsicum, and chop finely. Use a chopper if you have one.

In a heavy-bottomed pot add sugar and vinegar and cook on a medium flame until the sugar dissolves completely.

Once it comes to a boil and the sugar is dissolved, add the chillies and capsicum. Let it cook for 5 minutes and add in the pectin + sugar mixture in a steady stream, while stirring continuously, so that it doesn’t clump up.

Let it boil for another 5 minutes or until it thickens.

Take it off the heat, add the rose water, stir and let it cool.

Pour into sterilised bottles.