This is a super simple recipe that gives you a healthier version of maple syrup. There is absolutely no sugar in this recipe. Just pure syrup with all its goodness.
This syrup will go nicely on top of a stash of pancakes, or drizzled over any cake, or crepes. You can even have it the Srilankan way,(they have something similar) where they drizzle molasses over a bowl of yoghurt and serve it as dessert!
This versatile syrup can also be used to marinate steaks or as a drizzling sauce over some meatballs. Mix in a bit or siracha and you have a lovely dipping sauce for kebabs as well.
Ingredients:
500gms of dates
3/4 litre of water
2 cups of orange juice
Juice of 1 lemon
muslin cloth for straining
Method:
In a deep pan, add the water to the dates and let it cook for about half an hour. Once softened, remove and strain the mixture through a muslin cloth. This is the only part of the recipe that requires a bit of muscle to squeeze out all that goodness.
The syrup at this point looks more like date water. Squeeze as much as you can from the muslin cloth and discard the rest.
Put the syrup back on the heat, adding 2 cups of orange juice.
Now you can do this next step the quick or slow way. If you happen to be around the kitchen with a bit of time on your hands, keep the heat low and slowly reduce the liquid.
If time isn't on your hands, you can turn the heat higher, but do stay around so you can watch the pan and it doesn't boil over.
Reduce the liquid to about half of the level you first started with, then add the juice of 1 lemon. Keep reducing it, till you notice the syrup starts to get a slightly thick.
If you notice any froth or scum, remove it with a spoon, as this is cloud up your syrup and you won't get a nice clear end result.
The final syrup consistency should be about the same as regular maple syrup. Unlike jam, this wont thicken much once cooled, so stop when you are satisfied with how thick you want your syrup to be.
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