Cape Malay Preserved Green Figs in syrup (Boom Vye Konfyt)
Cape Malay Preserved Green Figs in syrup are so versatile and can be eaten as a sweet at afternoon tea, as part of a cheese platter or used in place of roasted figs with breakfast and appetizers.
Equipment
Ingredients
Preparing the figs
- 2 litres water approximately 8 cups
- 38 grams salt approximately 30 ml or 2 tablespoons
- 1.125 kg unripe green figs
Boiling the figs
- 3 litres water approximately 12 cups
- 5 ml bicarbonate of soda approximately 1 teaspoon
- 28.5 grams salt approximately 22.5 ml or 1.5 tablespoons
Sugar syrup
- 1.2 kg fine granulated sugar approximately 1500 ml or 6 cups
- 500 ml water approximately 2 cups
- 30 ml lemon juice approximately 2 tablespoons
Instructions
Preparing the figs
- Scrape the unripe figs and cut any brown tips off the stalks.
- Use a sharp knife to make crosswise slits at the stalk end of the fig. Alternately you may make the crosswise slit at the bottom end of each fig.
- Prick the figs and place in a deep bowl with 2 liters of water and the 38 grams salt. Move the figs around to distribute the salt in the water.
- Let the figs soak for a minimum of 9 hours or overnight.
- After the soaking time has elapsed you will notice that some of the figs may have a sticky oily residue. Brush this off with a new soft scouring sponge.
Boiling the figs
- Rinse the figs and place into a deep pot with at least 4 liters capacity.
- Add the 5 ml bicarbonate of soda and 28.5 grams salt and mix into the water to distribute it evenly.
- Bring the pot to the boil on medium high and boil for 30 minutes or until soft. Skim off any scum that rises to the surface.
- When the figs are soft, pour off the water and put the figs back into a clean pot.
Preserving in sugar syrup
- Add the sugar and 200 ml of the water to the figs and return to the heat on the lowest setting.
- Stir occasionally and wipe down the sides with a clean spatula or silicone brush to ensure that the sugar does not crystallize on the sides of the pot.
- The sugar will dissolve slowly and it requires a stir every 15 minutes to ensure even cooking.
- After the first hour you may add 100 ml of water, pouring it down the sides of the pot.
- Continue stirring every 20 minutes without breaking the figs.
- After the second hour you can add the other 100 ml water and the lemon juice.
- By now you will see that the figs are becoming darker and more translucent and the syrup will start to thicken.
- After the third hour add the last 100 ml of water and cook for a further 15 minutes or until the figs are completely translucent.
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes before decanting into sterilized preserving jars.
Notes
For figs with a hint of warming spice add the following to the sugar and water (step 1 of preserving in sugar syrup):
- 3 cloves
- 2 cm of root ginger sliced into rounds
- 2 sticks cinnamon
Nutrition
Calories: 228kcalCarbohydrates: 59gProtein: 0gFat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1132mgPotassium: 108mgFiber: 1gSugar: 57gVitamin A: 65IUVitamin C: 1.4mgCalcium: 18mgIron: 0.2mg
Disclaimer: Nutritional information for the recipe is an approximation and varies according to the ingredients and products used.
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