Life in a salubrious small riverside town has many blessings- beautiful sunrises, walking amidst greenery and blooms and relaxed tête-à-tête at quaint river side cafés…..

And then there are few challenges. Finding speciality ingredients is one of them.
As I researched the Lebanese and Middle Eastern cuisine for my ‘Go Lebanese’ mission this month, I learnt that quite a few recipes ask for something called Pomegranate Molasses. Further reading revealed it was very simple to make! All you need is excellent quality pomegranates, sugar and a dash of lime. And yeah about 45 minutes of your time.

Rob-e-Anar in Persian, Rub al-Rumman in Arabic and Nar Ekşisi in Turkey and Lebanon, this beautiful red syrup is a widely used ingredient in the Middle Eastern cuisine.

It is used to flavour salads, dips and relishes.
Add it to lemonade to zing it up and give it a pretty colour. Or simply add a couple of tablespoons to a glass to soda water/sparkling water to get a refreshing Pomegranate Spritzer! Top ice creams or mix into yogurt. The possibilities are so many!

You need
8 cups or pomegranate juice
¼ cup of sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice

Mix the juice and the sugar and reduce to one fourth in a heavy bottomed pan alternating the heat between medium and high.

This takes about 45 minutes to an hour.
Keep an eye and keep stirring, specially once the syrup starts thickening.

If trying a small batch, reduce the time accordingly.
It thickens further on cooling so make sure you take it off the heat once it is reduced to a quarter of the original amount. Add the lemon juice about ten minutes before you finish reducing the syrup. Let cool.

Store in a sterilized bottle or jar. Keep refrigerated at all times.
Use up within 4 weeks.
I used it to make Fattoush, a salad and Muhammara, a smoky red pepper and walnut dip. Also had an invigorating glass of Pomegranate Spritzer!

Recipe Source – Whats4eats.com