Some recipes need very little fuss, and syrupy guavas are a perfect example. Soft, fragrant guavas gently cooked in a light syrup, then spooned over with plenty of custard — or served alongside vanilla ice cream, evaporated milk, condensed milk or a splash of cream. It is the sort of simple pudding that feels wonderfully familiar, the kind that could easily have appeared on Ouma’s table after Sunday lunch.
This recipe keeps things uncomplicated, allowing the guavas to do most of the talking. The syrup is light rather than overly sweet, and I have added a little cinnamon and naartjie peel for a gentle background flavour. You probably will not notice either one immediately, which is exactly the idea. They quietly add a little extra character without turning the guavas into something they are not. For a stronger cinnamon or citrus flavour, let the peel and cinnamon steep in the syrup for longer.
There is also a good reason to keep putting guavas on the menu. South African guava growers, like many fruit farmers, face a number of challenges, including production costs, weather pressures, market access and fluctuating demand. Guavas are not always given the same attention as some of our better-known commercial fruit crops, and that matters when it comes to keeping local varieties and specialised cultivars commercially viable.
Supporting locally grown guavas can be as simple as buying them when they are in season and finding delicious ways to use them. And goodness knows, there are plenty of ways! Guavas can be bottled or canned, made into jam, jelly or chutney, baked into desserts, added to sauces or simply cooked in syrup like this.
These recipes also help keep our food traditions going while giving farmers a reason to keep producing the wonderful guava varieties available in South Africa.
So, make a pot of syrupy guavas. Serve them with custard, because that is hard to beat, and perhaps make a little extra. Ouma certainly would have approved.
Fun fact
The “Faan Retief” Cultivar: Named after the pioneer who planted the first commercial orchard in Paarl in 1890, this pink-fleshed variety accounts for 90% of commercial plantings and is prized for juice production.
Syrupy Guavas | Stroop Koejawels
Equipment
- 2 1 liter glass jars sterilized, see note 1
- large pot
Ingredients
- large bowl of water
- 1 tsp salt
- 20 ripe guavas peeled and halved, see note 2
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 cups water
- ⅛ cup brandy
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 naartjie peel
- squeeze of fresh lemon juice optional
Instructions
- Bottling: Preheat the oven to 130℃/266℉. Wash the jars with soapy water and rinse. Place the wet jars in the preheated oven and place the clean jars in the oven on wire rack (see recipe image for reference). This will prepare the jars for the warm guavas and syrup as well as preventing the glass from bursting. Bake for 10 minutes. Note: the jars MUST be warm when you start filing them to time this step correctly.
- Start by peeling the the guavas and placing in a large bowl of salted water. Allow to soak while you prepare the jars and syrup. Note: some people remove the seeds as well but this is per your personal preference.
- To a large pot add the sugar, water, brandy, cinnamon stick and naartjie peel. Bring to a light simmer and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Continue to simmer on a medium-low for 10 minutes. Then turn off the heat and remove the cinnamon stick and nartjie peel (for a stronger flavour profile, only remove once bottling).
- Drain the guavas. Add the guavas to the syrup and gentle bring to a simmer. Once the syrup starts to bubble lightly, continue simmering for 5-10 minutes or until the seeds start to plump up.
- Turn off the heat and gently transfer the guavas to the warm jars ensuring they're tightly packed. Fill with the syrup to the brim. Use a butter knife or skewer to remove any unwanted air pockets. Close tightly with the lid and tip the jar upside down as this will create a vacuum and seal the jars. Only tip again once the jars have fully cooled down.
- Once they've cooled you can enjoy them straight away. The longer you leave them the better they become of course! Serve chilled with just some syrup, custard, condensed milk, vanilla ice cream or evaporated milk.
Video
Notes
2. Leftover syrup: You can store the syrup in the fridge and use it as a base for your next batch of guavas. This will just continue to build flavour as you make each batch.