Manathakkali Berry Jam
Msobo jam or Nastergal (Afrikaans for nightshade) jams are a regular farmstead stall feature in South Africa – but we in India don’t think of manathakkali as a jamming ingredient at all! Time to change that as these are a true foraged (never sold in markets) and literally 5 minute jam.
- ½ cup ripe black manathakkali berries
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 squirt of lime or lemon juice
Assemble berries, sugar and lemon juice in a small pan.
Allow the berries to cook in their own juices—stir a little initially until the sugar dissolves completely (and to keep the berries from bursting from heat exposure), and then leave the pan alone (but not unattended) until all the berries have turned to mush and the jam is thickening just slightly.
This won’t take more than a few minutes, so keep an eye on it.
Remove from heat and enjoy!