Molasses (sometimes referred to as black treacle in English) is a by-product of processing sugar cane into sugar. This thin or thick syrup is a great ingredient for sweetening or adding flavor to certain foods. Molasses is used in a variety of recipes such as sweet kidney beans or shredded pork, as well as sweet treats such as pastries. This product is usually made from sugar cane or sugar beets, but can also be made from products such as sorghum and pomegranate.
Ingredients
Molasses from Sugar Beets
- 3.5 kilograms of sugar beets (or more), finely chopped
- 480 ml water
Molasses from Sugar Cane or Sorghum
A few stalks of sugarcane or sorghum
Molasses from Pomegranate
- 6-7 large pomegranates or 950 ml pomegranate juice/juice
- 100 grams of sugar
- 50 ml lemon juice or one medium lemon
Step
Method 1 of 3: Making Molasses from Sugar Beets
Step 1. Prepare the beets
You will need to use a minimum of 3.5 kilograms of sugar beet if you want to produce at least 240 ml of molasses. Get a sharp knife and cut off the top of the beet. You can discard the beet leaves or save them to eat as a salad. After that, wash the beets with warm running water. Use a vegetable scraper or scraper (or similar plastic object) to make sure all dirt and dust has been removed.
Store the beets in a sealed container in the refrigerator if you plan to eat them at a later time
Step 2. Cut the cleaned beets into small slices
Use a sharp knife to cut the sugar beet into thin slices. Any sharp knife (eg a chef's knife or serrated knife) can be used. If you have a food processor, you can also use it to chop beets.
Make sure you cut the beets on a cutting board so you don't damage the counter or kitchen cabinets
Step 3. Cook the beets
Put the beet slices in a saucepan and pour the water. Turn the heat to medium and cook the beets until smooth. You can pierce them with a fork to make sure the beets are soft. Stir the beets every five minutes to prevent them from sticking to the walls of the pot.
Use a large or medium sized pan
Step 4. Separate the water from the beets
Once the beets are soft, pour them into a colander. You will need to prepare a container such as a large bowl under the strainer to hold the beetroot water. If you want, you can use the sugar beets for other purposes after they are separated from the water. You can use them right away in other recipes or store them in the refrigerator for later use.
You need to store beets in an airtight container. Try to use it as soon as possible
Step 5. Bring the water to a boil
Pour the beetroot broth into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Heat until the beetroot water turns into a thick syrup. Once it becomes syrupy, turn off the heat and let the molasses cool.
- Allow the molasses to cool for at least 30 minutes.
- Use a spoon to check the consistency of the syrup.
Step 6. Save the molasses
Once the molasses has cooled, pour it into an airtight container. Store the container at room temperature. This molasses lasts up to a maximum of 18 months. Once the container is opened, you can store it in the refrigerator, but often the molasses becomes too thick and hard to pour once cooled. As the stone progresses, the top layer of molasses will crystallize and become sugar beets. You need to remove this top layer.
- You can crush the sugar beet crystals and store them in another airtight container for use.
- Record the date of manufacture or preparation of molasses on the storage container. Molasses is stale if it has been moldy or fermented.
Method 2 of 3: Making Molasses from Sugar Cane or Sorghum
Step 1. Choose sorghum or sugarcane as the base material for molasses
Sugarcane is the most common ingredient in molasses, but you can also use sorghum. Usually, sorghum is used as a substitute for sugar cane because sugar cane only grows in tropical or subtropical regions. Sorghum grows in temperate climates and is usually easier to find in these areas than sugarcane.
- Sorghum is usually harvested in late fall (eg late September or early October) before temperatures drop. You can tell if sorghum is ready to be harvested when the seeds at the top of the stem are yellow or brown.
- Sugarcane is ready to be harvested when the leaves dry out or turn yellow or brown. The core structure of the plant will feel fragile.
Step 2. Buy or prepare sugarcane
If you don't buy ready-made sugarcane or sorghum, you will need to prepare it from your own produce. First, remove all the leaves from the stems using a sharp knife or manually (by pulling them out). After that, remove all the seeds using a sharp knife or machete. Cut the stem or stalk from the part closest to the ground. Place this stem or stalk in an upright position (leaning against a shelf/wall) and store for a week, then put it in the grinder. Keep a container under the grinder to collect the juice or juice from the cane/sorghum stalks.
- It's a good idea to buy ready-made sugarcane or sorghum if you can't harvest the crops yourself or use a grinder.
- You may need to cut the stems/stalks about 12-15 centimeters from the soil to avoid contaminating the soil.
- Soil, stems, and pulp can be composted and stored for other purposes at a later time.
Step 3. Strain the sugarcane or sorghum juice
Take the liquid or juice that has been collected in a container and filter it using a cheese cloth or fine gauze. The filtering process helps to separate large particles from the juice. Once the juice is strained, pour it into a large saucepan.
The size of the pot used depends on the amount of juice collected. Usually, you need to use a pan that is at least 15 centimeters deep
Step 4. Place the pot on the stove
Place the pot on the stove (or other heat source). Bring the juice to a boil that has been contained. Once the cider is simmering, reduce the heat to a constant temperature and hot enough to simply bring the cider to a boil. Heat the cider for six hours. Discard any greenish residue that has formed on the surface of the molasses.
- Stir the mixture periodically during the six-hour simmering process to prevent the sugar from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Remove the greenish residue or pulp using a large spoon or sieve.
Step 5. Turn off the fire
You can turn off the heat when the molasses color has changed from green to yellow, or when the consistency thickens and tiny strands form when the mixture is stirred. At this point, you can let it cool and boil it again 2-3 times for a thicker, darker molasses.
- Light colored molasses is produced from the first boiling. This material is thinner and sweeter than molasses which is boiled 2-3 times.
- Dark molasses is the result of the second boiling. This product has a darker, thicker appearance, has a stronger taste and is less sweet than light-colored molasses.
- Blackstrap molasses is produced from the third or last boiling. This product is the thickest and darkest type of molasses, and is not very sweet.
Step 6. Store the molasses in a bottle
Once you're happy with the color and consistency of the mixture, pour the molasses into the container while it's still hot. It will be easier to move or store molasses while it is still hot. Make sure you use an airtight container. If you are using a glass bottle, preheat the bottle before pouring the molasses to prevent it from cracking or breaking. Store molasses at room temperature (or cooler) for up to 18 months.
The top layer of molasses will crystallize and turn into sugar after a while. You need to remove this top layer. However, you can also destroy it and store it in another container
Method 3 of 3: Making Molasses from Pomegranates
Step 1. Choose pomegranate or pomegranate juice
Molasses can be made from pomegranate or its juice. However, it will be easier to use pomegranate juice because if you choose fresh pomegranate, you will need to open and squeeze the juice first. Either way, you can still get the same end result.
You can use any type of pomegranate juice or juice. However, make sure the product used is real pomegranate juice/juice, not drinks with artificial flavors
Step 2. Slice the pomegranate
You will need 6-7 pomegranates. If you're using real fruit, you'll need to split it so you can extract the juice. First, look for the fruit crown. After that, prepare a paring knife and make circular slices on the crown of the fruit. Slice the pomegranate. After that, cut it into several pieces. Take the aril (seed membrane) by prying it. Once the fruit is split open, you can remove the arils in a medium-sized bowl filled with water. Repeat this step for another 6-7 pomegranates.
Place newsprint or paper towels under the pomegranate as you slice it
Step 3. Make the pomegranate juice
You don't need to think about this step if you're using pomegranate juice. At this point, most of the pomegranate seeds are already floating above the water in the bowl. Remove the membrane and water from the bowl. Place the arils in a high-speed blender and puree until they look like juice or smoothies. After that, strain the pomegranate juice using a fine gauze filter. Pour the pomegranate juice or juice into the container.
Four glasses of pomegranate juice is enough
Step 4. Make the molasses mixture
Add lemon juice and sugar to the juice to make a molasses mixture. You will need 100-120 grams of sugar and 50 ml of lemon juice (equivalent to one medium lemon). Stir the mixture evenly.
The added sugar and lemon juice keep the molasses fresher for longer. In addition, these two ingredients make molasses taste sweeter and more sour
Step 5. Pour the mixture into the pan
Place the pot on the stove and turn the heat to medium-high. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low when the mixture begins to boil. The mixture will be slightly bubbly at this stage. Keep heating the mixture for an hour.
Stir the mixture occasionally as it heats up for an hour. Stirring prevents the sugar from sticking to the bottom of the pan
Step 6. Check the mixture after one hour
Most of the liquid has evaporated at this stage. It's okay if the mixture is still a little runny because once the temperature cools down, the mixture will thicken. Remove the pot from the stove. After that, let it cool.
Let the mixture sit for at least 30 minutes to cool. Check the mixture occasionally to see if the temperature has dropped
Step 7. Save the molasses
Pour molasses into jars. Make sure you use a jar that can be tightly closed. Store the jars in the refrigerator. Molasses will keep for a maximum of six months.
