In the past murabba jaat have been a very vital part of our diets and were used to treat various diseases. Murabba jaat helps our heart to stay healthy, fulfills blood loses, makes our hair stronger and brings brightness and glow to our faces. Murabba jaat are available in the market in open and packed form. It is noticed that the packed ones are more expensive that the ones that are available in open form which makes people reluctant to buy them. People often have different mindsets about things that are available in open form in the markets. They have doubts about the hygiene, methods of preparation which eventually makes them reluctant to buy those muraaba jaat. But this doesn’t makes the importance and advantages of murabba jaat any lesser. So what should we actually do about it? We don’t need to get very concerned about this matter since we, ourselves can prepare murabba jaat according to the seasons. Since we, ourselves will prepare those items which can be stored for a very long period of time as well, we will not be concerned about the hygiene factors either.

Murabba Jaat are not only prepared in the subcontinent but in the entire world especially in countries like China, Japan and Taiwan where it is the most common way of preserving fruits and vegetables. Hakeems have been continuing the business of murabba jaat for a long period of time, however some people who are also aware of its processing, and sell it in the markets. Murabba jaat are usually with under ripened fruits. These fruits are cut in big pieces and then cooked in sugar water. This is how they are preserved for a long period of time but they do require constant caring or attention. Murabba can be prepared with a lot of different vegetables and fruits but the best choices includes, apples, carrots, amla, mangoes, hareer and dates. It is very easy to prepare murabba and it also requires the use of very few ingredients in its preparation. For example if you want to prepare apple’s murabba, follow the following directions. Ingredients: 1 kg apples, 1 kg sugar, 400 grams water, 2 grams citric acid, 1 gram sodium benzoate. Method of preparation: Wash the apples with water and remove their skin. Cut them in appropriate size and rub them with salt. Leave them for a while. After this wrap them loosely in a piece of muslin cloth and add them in boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Remove the soft apples from water and place them some dry piece of cloth till they are dry. Mash the soft apples with a stainless steel fork so that the rest of the ingredients can be soaked well into them. Add citric acid and half of the sugar into the water and mix until the sugar is completely dissolved. Stain the liquid to remove any particles of sugar that are left. Reheat and cook the liquid again until it thickens. Add apples into the liquid and cook for further 2 minutes. After two days remove apples from the sugar liquid and add the remaining sugar into the liquid. Cook for 2-3 minutes and remove from stove. Take some of the sugary fluid from the mixture and add sodium benzoate into it. Add that into the entire mixture and mix evenly. Let it cool down and the add it into the jars.

With little differentiation, most of the murabbas are made somewhat like this. But the most important think that you should keep in your mind while preparing it is to keep the proportion of sugar and fruit exactly the same for example is we are using 1 kg of fruit, then 1kg of sugar will be used too. While preparing mangoes, citric acid will not be used. However for the rest of the fruits, same procedure would be used. Remember to use the utensils of stainless steel while preparing it. Water contact should be kept to minimal as it can contribute to it deterioration. Afterwards, place the prepared jars into boiling water for 5 minutes. This will make them last for a very long period of time. 

I tried out this advice and felt more powerful!

Aslamoalikum respected Hakeem Sahib! Some months ago I read this advice in Ubqari Monthly Magazine and tried it out. It was for people who feel weak and lethargic. It was suggested to cook 5 dried dates (Chuarey) in milk very well at night and then consume it in the morning before eating anything else. I was very concerned about my declining health and weakness but Alhumdulillah I have started feeling so much better since I started doing this.