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Chai-spiced and glazed ham
Serves 6 Starters and mains
For the chai tea spice mix
- 1tbsp fennel seeds
- 1 whole star anise
- seeds from 6 green cardamom pods
- 1 small cinnamon stick, broken
- 6 whole cloves
- 6 black peppercorns
- 2 rounded tbsp Darjeeling tea
- 2tbsp olive oil
- 6 thin slices fresh ginger root
- 1 large onion, peeled and quartered
- 1 large carrot, peeled and quartered
- 2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
- 2.25kg gammon, collar of bacon or ham, with a good layer of fat and skin on the outside
For the glaze
- 2tbsp chai tea mix (see recipe, above)
- 6tbsp soft brown sugar
- 2tbsp pomegranate molasses
To serve
- edible gold leaf or gold leaf flakes, to garnish (optional)
Method
Put the fennel seeds, star anise, cardamom seeds, broken cinnamon stick, cloves, peppercorns and tea in a spice grinder and blitz to a powder. Reserve 2tsp of the spice mix.
Heat the oil in a saucepan, large enough to fit the ham. Add the chai spice mix and cook gently for a few minutes to release its aroma. Add the ginger, onion, carrot, celery and 500ml water. Lower in the ham, skin-side up then add more water to cover. Slowly bring to the boil then turn down to a simmer and cook half-covered for 11⁄2 hours. Once cooked, lift the joint out of the liquid, drain well and leave to cool for 15 minutes. Discard the cooking liquid.
Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/Gas 4. Mix the reserved chai spice mix with the sugar in a small bowl. Carefully peel or slice the skin from the fat, revealing a thick layer. Warm the pomegranate molasses a little in a an and, using a pastry brush, spread it all over the fat layer. Using a sharp knife, score the surface into a diamond pattern. Now, sprinkle and press the chai-sugar mix over the top.
Set the ham skin-side up in a heavy roasting tin. If it won’t stay upright, prop it up with crumpled foil wedges. Roast for 45 minutes until the crust is deep brown and bubbling. Turn off the oven and leave to rest for 20 minutes if serving hot. For a festive touch, add a sprinkling of gold leaf on top of the crust just before serving.
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