Can I Use Liquid Pectin To Make Chilli Jam?

Our answer

Nigella's Chiilli Jam (from NIGELLA CHRISTMAS) is a spicy condiment that is ideal to go with cheeses and cold meats. The jam is set using a natural gelling agent called pectin. As chillies contain only minimal amounts of pectin, you need to use jam sugar, which has added pectin, or add pectin to the mixture.

We have tried the recipe using granulated sugar and powdered pectin and it works well. We suspect that you can also use liquid pectin but you need to bear in mind that it is added at a different point in the recipe to powdered pectin. Powdered pectin is added at the same time that the sugar is added to the mixture, but liquid pectin is added after the chilli, vinegar and sugar mixture has initially boiled. We suggest that you follow the instructions that come with the bottle of liquid pectin to calculate how much you should use (it will usually tell you how much relative to the amount of sugar used) and when you should add it. Preserving sugar has large crystals, which dissolve more slowly and give a slightly clearer jelly. However, it is expensive so you don't necessarily need to use it if you are adding pectin to the mixture and you could just use a combination of granulated sugar and liquid pectin.