Recipe for Sweet Star Fruit Preserve - karambal ka murabba

Preserving and pickle-making are traditional skills passed down from mother to daughter.

Monisha remembers her grandmother making a variety of mango preserves every summer - hot, sweet and salty. This star fruit preserve can be stored for about a month in the fridge.

Serves 4

2 large juicy star fruits (carambola), sliced

100g (3½ oz) sugar

Juice of 1 lemon

Pinch of saffron strands

Put the star fruit with half the sugar in a heavy-bottomed pan. Pour in 150ml (5fl.oz) water and bring to the boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes until the fruit is tender but holds its shape. Strain the fruit out of the syrup and reserve.

Add the remaining sugar to the cooking liquor in the pan and cook until it becomes a syrup of single thread consistency. Test this by putting a drop of syrup on a plate and dabbing it with your finger. It should feel sticky and thick.

Add the lemon juice, saffron and cooked fruit to the syrup and simmer for one minute.

Remove from the heat, cool completely and store in a clean, airtight glass in the fridge.