Orange Blossom Water

Debs Ar-Remman (pomegranate molasses, Debs is the Arabic word for molasses, Remman is the Arabic word for pomegranate), it is very important ingredient in middle eastern cuisine. This post is about how to make pomegranate molasses exactly like the traditional way, this is how my grandmother makes it.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Let’s make Debs Ar-Remman:

1, 2. Bring sour pomegranates, then cut in half crosswise.

3, 4, 5. Then, working over a large bowl and holding one pomegranate half cut side down, smack the fruit with wooden spoon to loosen and release seeds into the bowl.

5, 6, 7, 8. Remove all white inedible pieces and discard them.

9, 10, 11, 12. In a blender, add pomegranate seeds.

13, 14, 15, 16. Run your blender few times. You should make sure that the white seeds which are inside the red membrane should not be broken, otherwise if they are broken that will affect the taste of the molasses and it will be bitter.

17, 18. Place a stainless steel mesh strainer over your bowl and pour the seed mixture through the strainer.

19, 20. Use a spoon to press the pulp against the strainer to extract as much juice as possible.

21. In the bowl, you will get the juice.

22, 23, 24. In the strainer, you will get bulb, notice that the white seeds are not broken (as I mentioned in previous step).

25. Return bulb to the blender.

26. Add 200 ml water to the bulb.

27. Add salt to the bulb.

28, 29. Run your blender few times. Make sure not to break the white seeds.

30, 31, 32. Return the bulb which is blended to the stainless steel mesh strainer over your bowl that contains the juice. Use a spoon to press the pulp against the strainer to extract as much juice as possible.

33, 34. Bring white cloth and a jar.

35. Line the jar with the cloth.

36. Pour pomegranate juice to the cloth

37, 38, 39. Use a spoon to help you, and you will get pure juice in the jar.

40. Bulb will remain inside the cloth.

41, 42. The bulb which remain inside the cloth, take it and squeeze over another jar to extract as much juice as possible.

43. Pour juice over the first jar.

44. Now, you get pomegranate juice (I got 3 liters pomegranate juice) which will make the molasses.

45. Pour pomegranate juice to a stainless steel pot.

46. Turn on heat, and keep on medium heat.

47. Remove foam that occurs on the surface.

48. Keep over medium heat until boiling, it took approximately 18 minutes till it started to boil.

49, 50, 51, 52. Once pomegranate juice started to boil, reduce heat and keep it very low.

53, 54, 55, 56. Allow to simmer over low heat, for about 3 hours and 20 minutes, till the liquid reduces by 85%. The liquid is ready when it has syrupy consistency, don’t let it to thicken too much, or it will harden when it cools. Molasses will continue to thicken as it cools, if you are unsure about the consistency, measure the reduce liquid, it should be 15% of the pomegranate juice (I got 3 liters pomegranate juice, when reduced it becomes 450 ml pomegranate molasses).

57, 58, 59. Also, check the thickness by adding few drops of molasses into a plate, allow to cool, and you will notice that it is thickened, molasses is thickened to honey-like. When it cools if you notice that it didn’t thicken, so simmer for extra few minutes.

60. Pour hot pomegranate molasses to the jar which you will use it for storing the molasses (I got 450 ml pomegranate molasses).

61. Store in cool dry dark place. Use it in different recipes such as:

Fattoush Maleh, Baba Ghannouj, Bamieh Bel-Bandourah, Fattet Al-Makdous, Fattoush Kudar II, Kousa Mtabbaq, Lahem Bi-A’jin / Sfiha, Mhammarah, Mjaddareh Al-Aruz and Mjaddaret Al-Burghul, Sheikh Al-Mehshi, Ush Al-Bulbul, Yalanji.

Debs Ar-Remman

From: Family Recipe / Servings:
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5 1/2 kg sour pomegranates 200 ml water 2 1/2 tbsp salt

Bring sour pomegranates, then cut in half crosswise. Then, working over a large bowl and holding one pomegranate half cut side down, smack the fruit with wooden spoon to loosen and release seeds into the bowl. Remove all white inedible pieces and discard them. In a blender, add pomegranate seeds. Run your blender few times. You should make sure that the white seeds which are inside the red membrane should not be broken, otherwise if they are broken that will affect the taste of the molasses and it will be bitter. Place a stainless steel mesh strainer over your bowl and pour the seed mixture through the strainer. Use a spoon to press the pulp against the strainer to extract as much juice as possible. In the bowl, you will get the juice. In the strainer, you will get bulb, notice that the white seeds are not broken (as I mentioned in previous step). Return bulb to the blender. Add 200 ml water to the bulb. Add salt to the bulb. Run your blender few times. Make sure not to break the white seeds. Return the bulb which is blended to the stainless steel mesh strainer over your bowl that contains the juice. Use a spoon to press the pulp against the strainer to extract as much juice as possible. Bring white cloth and a jar. Line the jar with the cloth. Pour pomegranate juice to the cloth Use a spoon to help you, and you will get pure juice in the jar. Bulb will remain inside the cloth. The bulb which remain inside the cloth, take it and squeeze over another jar to extract as much juice as possible. Pour juice over the first jar. Now, you get pomegranate juice (I got 3 liters pomegranate juice) which will make the molasses. Pour pomegranate juice to a stainless steel pot. Turn on heat, and keep on medium heat. Remove foam that occurs on the surface. Keep over medium heat until boiling, it took approximately 18 minutes till it started to boil Once pomegranate juice started to boil, reduce heat and keep it very low. Allow to simmer over low heat, for about 3 hours and 20 minutes, till the liquid reduces by 85% . The liquid is ready when it has syrupy consistency, don’t let it to thicken too much, or it will harden when it cools. Molasses will continue to thicken as it cools, if you are unsure about the consistency, measure the reduce liquid, it should be 15% of the pomegranate juice (I got 3 liters pomegranate juice, when reduced it becomes 450 ml pomegranate molasses). Also, check the thickness by adding few drops of molasses into a plate, allow to cool, and you will notice that it is thickened, molasses is thickened to honey-like. When it cools if you notice that it didn’t thicken, so simmer for extra few minutes. Pour hot pomegranate molasses to the jar which you will use it for storing the molasses (I got 450 ml pomegranate molasses). Store in cool dry dark place. Use it in different recipes such as: Fattoush Maleh, Baba Ghannouj, Bamieh Bel-Bandourah, Fattet Al-Makdous, Fattoush Kudar II, Kousa Mtabbaq, Lahem Bi-A’jin / Sfiha, Mhammarah, Mjaddareh Al-Aruz and Mjaddaret Al-Burghul, Sheikh Al-Mehshi, Ush Al-Bulbul, Yalanji.

Notes and Tips

Make sure to use sour pomegranate.

In Syria, pomegranate molasses is prepared during October in the season of sour pomegranate.

In Syria, family of 5 people like my family needs each year about 2 liters pomegranate molasses, which means we use 30 kg of pomegranate.

5 1/2 kg of pomegranates gave 3 liters pomegranates juice, which gave 450 ml pomegranate molasses.

You can store pomegranate molasses in cool dry dark place for few years.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 1st, 2013 at 7:12 PM and is filed under Syrian Ingredients. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.