A couple of years ago when my nephew, a  jam maker sent me a bottle of his new product - dragon fruit and lychee jam, the first thought that came to my mind was what a brilliant concoction!

I knew it would taste great and I was not wrong. I loved it since, and it is my favourite jam from the range of artisan jam.
He has since sold his business, and my longing for this tropical fruits jam began...

Dragon fruit with white flesh is always in season but not the red ones. I have been keeping a look out for them.
So, you can imagine my excitement when I saw red dragon fruit and lychee selling side by side at the local fruit stall at the wet market last week.

It is not difficult to make jam at home. Just bear in mind that you cannot omit sugar if you are making jam. Sugar is essential for gelling and for preservation.
So, I would recommend you skip this recipe if sugar is your current enemy.

Adding pectin to your jam allows shorter cooking time, and it will turn out like those commercially bottled jam. When cooked together with sugar, it thickens up and is generally foolproof.

I did not include commercial pectin in my recipe simply because I have no intention to.
All fruits contain natural pectin, some more, some less, which is why I toss in the skin of lemon to help thicken it.

The first batch I made appeared runny or compote-y, a common sight when not using pectin.
Also, partly because I was too impatient and did not cook it long enough.

For the current batch, I added another half lemon and took longer cooking time (about 45 mins), and yes it thickened up beautifully.(It will further gel up after it has cooled down)

If overcooked (as in cooked too long), the jam will end up thick and hard.
Should this happen, just add some liquid (juice) to help loosen the texture.

Call me old school, but I do enjoy the charm of long cooked traditional jam flavour anytime.



You will need:
600gm of red dragon fruits, peeled and cut
8-10 lychee, peeled, seed removed
2 cups of white sugar
juice of 1 and a half lemon
lemon skin (from the 1 and a half lemon)

Methods:
1. Add dragon fruit, the skin of the lemon, lemon juice and sugar in a pot; bring to a boil.
2. While boiling, pressed/mashed down the lemon skin to extract the natural pectin
3. Once boiled, lower to medium heat and continue to simmer for about 30- 45 mins or when shown signs of thickening.
4. Add in the lychee at the last 20 mins or so.
5. Remove from heat and spoon into hot, sterilised glass jars and seal.