Three Ingredients Only - Mikan Jam

Have you seen those smaller sized oranges in Japanese market lately? These cute bright color fruit are called mikan, often named as "Japanese mandarin" or "satsuma orange" in American market. 

The texture is more delicate compared to the larger counterparts. That said, mikan's membranes are softer and don't really need to be specifically picked out at all. Taste-wise, it varies slightly among all the mikan varieties, but I often find it on a sweeter side with a wee bit acidity compared to large oranges. 

Enjoying mikan straight up is the best way to savor it. However, sometimes making citrus into jam can lead you to a different realm. Don't believe it? Just wait till you try this mikan jam paired up with scone and clotted cream.

Three ingredients only mikan jam - 

Ingredients?

• 5 mikan
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

How?

The small amount recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, which half the lemon should do.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil then add in whole mikan. Cook for about one minute.

Remove the mikan and soak them in cold water. Wait till the mikan cools down and able to handle by hand.

Remove mikan from water and pat dry. Peel the mikan first then slice crosswise, pick out the seeds if any, but usually mikan has none or very few seeds. 

Transfer prepped mikan to a medium-sized pot. Also add sugar and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Turn to medium heat and see if it'll bring to a boil. Otherwise up the heat a little bit more to bring it to a boil.

Scoop out any foam on top then turn to medium or lower heat again, at least not boiling anymore. Continue to cook for about 20 minutes. Remember to stir the mixture once a while during the process.

The mixture should start thickening, and will firm up a bit more once stored in the fridge. When it reaches desired consistency, scoop the jam to a container and store in the fridge. 

The amount of jam here is rather small, since we only used 5 mikan for this recipe. Generally speaking, the jam should be gone fairly soon, so there's no need to worry about sterilizing the jar or do the water bath canning. My sincere advice? Just hurry and grab some scones to eat along with.