It doesn’t take much to get me excited when it comes to fresh ingredients. And for as long as I can remember ‘free’ has been one of my favourite words – music to my ears as they say. Pair these together and you can imagine my joy when I received a whole box of free, freshly picked navel oranges.

Navels are a popular variety of oranges here in Australia; a Winter crop grown in the southern states. They’re free of seeds, are sweet and juicy and hassle free to peel.

What did I do with my freebie? I usually eat fruit in small doses, especially high sugar fruit like oranges, so the obvious route of juicing them was off the table. I’d never eat two or three whole oranges in one serving so orange juice has never really make sense to me. I decided on something more inventive. Something that fits well with my love of all things homemade pickles and preserves. Handmade orange marmalade, without added sugar of course.

Marmalade Memories

Marmalade was a staple for me growing up. I can still picture the brand my mother always bought – Robertson’s Golden Shred Marmalade. My UK based readers may remember Golden Shred – it was kind of iconic for its distinctive ‘Golliwog’ branding (Google it if you’re intrigued).

My fond childhood memories spurred me to create my own marmalade. And some of my favourite matcha tea I’d received from my friends at Zen Green Tea inspired me to boost the antioxidant powers of my marmalade (matcha tea powder is said to contain x134 the antioxidants of regular green tea).

Orange Matcha Marmalade

This recipe is so simple it’s crazy. Of course you don’t need to add matcha powder but if you do have some to hand it’s the perfect way to make this preserve pop. The turmeric matcha powder I used contains black pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg, as well as turmeric of course – a combination of spices that work so well here….

Ingredients:

• 4-6 oranges (around 1kg)
• 1/3 cup chia seeds
• 2 teaspoons matcha powder*
• Knob of fresh ginger (optional)
• 2-3 tbsp honey (optional)

* I used Zen Green Tea’s Turmeric Matcha Tea Powder but standard matcha would work too

Method:

• Wash the oranges and cook them in a pan covered with water for 60-90 minutes (once boiling reduce to a simmer).
• Remove and cool the oranges, then roughly chop them into chunks.
• Then remove and discard 50% or more of the orange skins.
• Add to a blender with the matcha powder and optional honey and ginger. Blitz until smooth.
• Add the chia seeds and stir well (don’t blend them as they add to the texture).
• Transferred to jars and keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks or freeze for later use.

If you’re a fan of chia based healthy preserves you may like my recent recipe for Raspberry or Strawberry Chia Jam. And for another matcha creation check out my high fibre matcha coconut balls.

Laura