Plum sauce - five delicious recipes for the winter

What it is

Tkemali sauce is a spicy, sweet and sour, aromatic red or green sauce made from plums and a large number of herbs and spices. Ideal for vegetables, grilled meats, fish, seafood and salad dressings. It's almost as versatile as ketchup.

The Georgian word "tkemali" refers to a type of small wild sour plum. This is the main ingredient in the sauce and is almost impossible to find outside of Georgia. Therefore, in other countries, other types of red, yellow, green plums are often used for its preparation, as well as cherry plums, dried and fresh prunes, and sloe. They are boiled, crushed and mixed with seasonings.

There are two versions of real Georgian tkemali sauce:

1. green from sour unripe plums;
2. red from ripe fruits.

What does tkemali sauce look like - photo

Compound

Tkemali sauce contains:

• garlic;
• anise;
• coriander;
• chilli;
• dill;
• cilantro;
• Pennyroyal mint (also called pennyroyal or ombalo).

But you can experiment with whatever seasonings you like and substitute them for classic ingredients. Often the following is added to tkemali sauce:

• peppermint;
• basil;
• fennel seeds;
• Cayenne pepper;
• dried tarragon;
• Dill seeds;
• khmeli-suneli.

Depending on the type of plums used to make tkemali, another common ingredient is sugar. It is added to taste if the sauce is too sour. When tkemali is prepared from ordinary red plums, which are already quite sweet, there is no need to add sugar.

Yellow plum sauce for the winter

Cooking time: 65 minutes. Yield of finished sauce: 3.5 liters. Kitchen utensils: sieve, blender, saucepan, spoon, seven 500 ml cans, ladle.

Ingredients

Preparing the sauce

1. We wash the yellow plums with water, divide them into two halves, and discard the pits. You should have 4 kg of pitted plums.

2. Pour the plums into a saucepan and boil until soft.

3. When the plum has become soft, we crush it with a blender and rub it through a sieve. Then pour it back into the pan.

4. Add 400 g of tomato paste, 400 g of sugar and 120 g of salt to the plum.

5. Season with the following spices: cinnamon, coriander, chili pepper, ground black pepper. 5 g of each spice. And add 15 g of suneli hops.

6. Mix all the ingredients and bring to a boil, and then simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.

7. Using a blender or garlic press, chop 400 g of garlic and 6 pcs. carnations.
   Add garlic and cloves to the sauce only after it has simmered for 20 minutes.

8. Boil the plum sauce for another 10 minutes.
9. We sterilize the jars by steaming or in the microwave. Boil the lids for 5-10 minutes. Pour the sauce into half-liter jars and roll up. Wrap the jars in a blanket and leave until completely cool.

What is the taste and smell?

Tkemali sauce tastes different, but, as a rule, it is tart, slightly sweet and at the same time sour-spicy with a herbal note. A mixture of freshly ground coriander, fennel seeds, cayenne pepper and minced garlic gives it a distinct smoky flavor.

The green version of tkemali sauce has a tart, vinegary smell and a slightly spicy and slightly sweet taste. It's something between ketchup and Indian chutney.

Red is characterized by a sweet and sour taste with light fruity notes and moderately intense spice.

How to make tkemali sauce yourself

Tkemali sauce can be made at home from scratch using any plums you have.

Classic red plum recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 kg of red (ripe) tkemali plum;
• 5 grams of anise;
• a sprig of fresh Pennyroyal mint (also called pennyroyal or ombalo);
• 2 sprigs of green flowering cilantro;
• 100 g garlic;
• 1 level tablespoon of salt;
• 10 g ground coriander or 10 g fresh green coriander leaves;
• 5 g dried hot red chili pepper;
• if the plums are sour, you can add up to 2 tbsp. Sahara.

Preparation:

1. Wash the plums and place in a deep saucepan. Pour a glass of water into it. Place on the stove and heat on high until the plums begin to boil, then reduce the heat. Continue cooking for 10-15 minutes until the plums are soft.
2. Remove them from the pan and place them in a bowl. Do not pour out the plum broth remaining in the pan.
3. Rub the plums through a sieve with a wooden spoon. Add a little of the broth that remains after boiling. Mix well.
4. Discard the plum pits once all the pulp and juice have been strained. Add more broth and stir until smooth. You may have some plum water left over.
5. Peel the garlic and chop using a meat grinder.
6. Wash the mint and use your fingers to remove the flowers and tiny leaves. Crush them. Don't throw away the stems.
7. Mix the crushed flowers and leaves along with coriander or cilantro, crushed garlic and salt. Add to the pan with the pureed plums and stir thoroughly with a wooden spoon.
8. Tie individual sprigs of flowering cilantro, anise, and mint stems tightly together with kitchen string. Place the bunch of herbs along with the dried red pepper in the pan with the plums. Heat over very low heat for 40 minutes.

Georgian green plum recipe

The classic recipe includes small green unripe tkemali plums. Other types can be used as long as they are not overripe - their peel contains sufficient acidity to give the sauce a characteristic smell and taste.

Green tkemali contains a lot of pectin and the plum mass can become very thick. In this case, add boiled (but cooled) water until the paste reaches the desired consistency.

Ingredients:

• 600 g unripe tkemali plums;
• 1 glass of water;
• ¾ teaspoons coriander seeds;
• ¼ tsp. dill seeds;
• ½ tsp. sea ​​salt;
• 3 large cloves of garlic;
• 1 crushed red chili pepper (optional);
• ¾ cup a mixture of finely chopped fresh herbs, such as mint, cilantro and dill.

How to do:

1. Combine whole plums and 1 cup water in a large saucepan. Cover and simmer over medium heat until the plums are soft, about 20 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and let cool for 15 minutes. Remove and discard the plum pits.
3. Transfer the cooked plums to a food processor and blend until smooth. Place in a medium bowl.
4. Grind the coriander seeds, fennel seeds and a pinch of salt using a mortar and pestle. Add the garlic, the remaining teaspoon of salt and, if desired, the chopped chili pepper. Grind these seasonings.
5. Add the garlic and fresh herb mixture to the plum puree and stir until smooth. The sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

How to prepare for the winter

If you have harvested a large harvest of plums in the fall, you can prepare tkemali sauce for the winter at home using this step-by-step recipe.

Ingredients:

• 3 glass jars of 250 ml, sterilized;
• 1 kg of ripe red or any other plums;
• 100 ml or ½ glass of water;
• 4-5 large cloves of garlic, minced;
• 1 finely chopped red chili pepper;
• 5 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (or 5 teaspoons dry);
• 3 tbsp. l. chopped fresh dill (or 3 tsp dry);
• 2 tsp. chopped fresh mint (or 2/3 tsp dry);
• 1 tbsp. dried tarragon;
• 2 tsp ground coriander;
• 2 tsp khmeli-suneli;
• 2 tsp salt;
• 1 tbsp. Sahara;
• 2/3 tsp. ground black pepper;
• 3 tbsp. pomegranate juice;
• olive oil.

Cooking instructions:

1. Cut the plums into quarters, remove the pits and place in a saucepan with a little water. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. When the plums are soft, drain them through a sieve and save the juice (it's tasty and healthy). Using a wooden spoon, press the plums through a sieve and return them to the pan.
3. Add garlic, chili pepper, cilantro, dill, mint, dried tarragon, ground coriander, suneli hops, salt, sugar, black pepper and pomegranate juice. Stir. Cook for another 5 minutes.
4. Pour the sauce into hot, dry jars. Add 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil to preserve longer. Seal and store in the refrigerator or just a cool place.

A simple recipe for prunes and basil

To prepare tkemali, you can use dried prunes, but they must first be soaked overnight in water and vinegar.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg of prunes, preferably unripe;
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, chopped;
• ½ - 1 glass of water (the exact amount depends on the juiciness of the plums);
• 1-2 jalapenos (or about ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper);
• 1 tsp dill seeds;
• ½ - 1 tablespoon ground coriander;
• ½ teaspoon dried marjoram;
• ½ tsp. ground celery seeds;
• ½ tsp. turmeric;
• salt to taste;
• 1-2 tsp. Sahara;
• ½ cup chopped cilantro;
• ½ tbsp. chopped fresh mint;
• ¼ - ½ tbsp. chopped fresh basil (preferably purple)

Cooking instructions:

1. Cut each plum in half. Remove the seeds.
2. Place the plums in a saucepan. Add ½ cup water and dried herbs and spices, bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat and simmer for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add all remaining ingredients. Using an immersion or stand blender, or food processor, puree. Adjust seasoning to taste and water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and let cool. Pour the sauce into clean, dry jars.

Boiled Georgian sauce

There is a recipe for cooking boiled Tkemali. For this you will need:

• plums;
• garlic;
• mint;
• coriander;
• salt;
• sugar;
• water.

In the classic Georgian sauce, only cherry plum is used, but the seasoning turns out delicious from any variety of plum. To make the fruits soft, place them in a 5-liter saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook for 120 minutes.

You need to turn 4.5 kilograms of fruit into puree. Then they are turned off and left to cool. The peel and seeds are removed, and the resulting mass is ground through a sieve.

While the puree is infusing, the remaining ingredients are prepared for it. Five cloves of garlic are peeled and passed through a garlic press or crushed in any other way.

Wash and cut 1 bunch of fresh mint. Coriander is crushed.

The resulting puree is put back on the fire and the remaining ingredients are added to it - garlic, mint, 1.5 teaspoons of coriander, 1 teaspoon of salt and 2.5 teaspoons of sugar. The mixture is brought to a boil and simmered over low heat for another 5 minutes.

The finished hot sauce is placed in sterilized jars and covered with lids. The workpiece is wrapped and remains in this state until it cools completely. When the containers have cooled, you can transfer them to a permanent storage location.

How and how much to store

If you are going to use homemade tkemali for a short period of time, let it cool after cooking and pour it into clean, dry jars. Cover tightly and place in the refrigerator.

To store tkemali for a long time without refrigeration:

1. Prepare the jars by washing them thoroughly and leaving them to dry completely.
2. Fill a tall saucepan halfway with water.
3. Put the cans there.
4. Heat a pan of water on low to medium heat for 15 minutes. Place the plastic lids that will be used to seal the jars into the boiling water.
5. Fill each jar with hot tkemali sauce and immediately close it with one of the plastic lids that have been boiled and dried.

This method allows you to prepare tkemali sauce for the winter and store it in a cool, dark place for 3-4 months without refrigeration.

Plum ketchup for the winter

Cooking time: 4 hours. Yield of finished sauce: 3.5 liters. Kitchen utensils: saucepan, jars, lids, spoon, knife, seamer, meat grinder.

Ingredients

Preparing the sauce

1. Rinse with water and sort out 2 kg of plums. Divide into two halves and remove the seeds.

2. Peel 260 g of onions and 120 g of garlic. Cut the onion into several parts.

3. We wash the apples with water, remove the stem and seeds. Cut into slices.

4. Wash three kilograms of tomatoes and cut them into halves.

5. We pass tomatoes, plums, onions and apples through a meat grinder and transfer them to a saucepan. Grind 120 g of garlic with a garlic chopper and place in a saucepan.

6. Place the saucepan with the sauce on the fire, bring to a boil, and then simmer over low heat for 2 hours. During cooking, be sure to stir the sauce with a wooden spatula. Boil the sauce to the consistency of ketchup. The cooking time may be shorter if your tomatoes and plums are not very juicy.

7. Pour 5 g of hot pepper, 5 g of pepper mixture, 4 g of coriander, 2 pcs. into a saucepan. cloves and 3 g cinnamon.

8. Pour 150 g of sugar and pour in 100 ml of vinegar.

9. Mix all ingredients thoroughly and cook for 30-40 minutes. The cooled sauce can be blended with an immersion blender for a more uniform consistency.

10. We sterilize jars in a way convenient for you. Boil the lids for 5-10 minutes. Pour the finished sauce into jars, cover with a lid and roll with a machine. Wrap the jars in a blanket and leave until completely cool. Place the sauce in a cool, dry place.

Video recipe for making plum ketchup

This video recipe will help you prepare this delicious preparation for the winter.

Use in cooking: where to add

In Georgia, tkemali sauce is used in the same way as ketchup throughout the world. Here's what it's eaten with and what dishes it's added to:

• This is an excellent seasoning for fried and baked meat.
• Pairs well with chicken and potato dishes.
• It is used as one of the ingredients in kharcho soup.
• Tkemali goes well with steaks, kebabs, chops and hamburgers.
• Goes well with chicken, roast beef, lamb and fish dishes.
• Spicy salad dressings are prepared on its basis.
• Tkemali is also excellent as a marinade for meat.
• This sauce can simply be spread on bread.

Health Benefits

Tkemali (like other types of plums and cherry plums) is the main ingredient of the sauce and contains a large number of healthy substances:

• citric and malic acid;
• pectin;
• vitamin C;
• vitamin A;
• iron;
• magnesium;
• potassium;
• phosphorus.

It contains vitamins E, B1, B2, P, tannins and carotene.

• Yellow plums are characterized by their high sugar and citric acid content.
• Dark purple, green and black fruits have a high pectin content.

The nutritional value of 100 g of tkemali looks like this:

• fats - 0.1 g;
• protein - 0.2 g;
• carbohydrates - 7.9 g;
• calorie content - 34 kcal.

Here are the health benefits it has:

• Able to stimulate the intestines, therefore useful for constipation. The pectin and dietary fiber content helps remove toxins from the body.
• Thanks to the potassium in plums, tkemali is useful for people with cardiovascular diseases.
• If no sugar was added when preparing the sauce, it can be consumed by people suffering from obesity and diabetes.
• Tkemali is known for its calming and relaxing properties and has a positive effect on the central nervous system. Plums in its composition can normalize blood pressure.
• Also, due to the high content of vitamins C and A, tkemali sauce has beneficial antioxidant properties. These vitamins are involved in slowing down the aging process.
• Delicious tkemali sauce has a positive effect on appetite and digestion and speeds up metabolism due to the large number of spices in the composition.

Contraindications (harm) and side effects

Like most products, excessive use of tkemali plum sauce can be harmful to health and cause side effects such as:

• stomach upset;
• exacerbation of chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
• allergic reactions.

People with type 2 diabetes can consume this sauce, but not more than 1-2 tablespoons per day and provided that no sugar was added during preparation.

It is contraindicated for children under three years of age and women during pregnancy and breastfeeding due to the hot spices in the composition.

Tkemali was recently included in the list of the best sauces in the world. Its fresh, sweet and sour plum flavor goes well with almost any dish and has already become a favorite product for many connoisseurs of Georgian cuisine.

How to prepare “Tkemali sauce with blue plums”

To prepare the sauce, take a blue plum. It needs to be washed and the seeds and tails removed. To prepare the sauce, take ripe plums. Green (unripe) plums are not suitable. It will make a sauce, but not as tasty.

Pass the peeled plums through a meat grinder. Also pass several tomatoes, peeled bell peppers and onions through a meat grinder. Place the mixture on the fire to cook. As soon as the mixture begins to boil, it will change its color to red and will darken as it boils.

The sauce will cook for about 30 minutes. Add vinegar to the sauce, squeeze the garlic through a press. Add sugar, salt, spices to taste (coriander, ground pepper, oregano, fenugreek). Turn it off.

The sauce can be served. Moreover, it can be consumed both hot and chilled. If desired, the sauce can be preserved for the winter.