Syrupy Guavas | Stroop Koejawels
Canned guavas in a light syrup. Deliciously nostalgic!
Print
Pin
Servings: 2 1 liter glass jars
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
1. Choosing the right guavas: For the best result, choose guavas that have a slight green tinge to them. The guava must be ripe but not overly ripe as this can cause them to breakdown must faster than desired as as well as add additional unwanted sugar to the final result.
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.
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.