Make Georgian Tkemali Sauce with Plums for Winter

Want to add a touch of Georgian cuisine to your meals? Then you should definitely try the legendary Tkemali sauce (a Georgian condiment)—it«s a real discovery for food lovers. Marina Nartova, a resident of Barnaul, shared her tested recipe with NGS22.RU for making this sweet and sour sauce at home using ordinary sloe plums. With this flavorful seasoning, meat, fish, and poultry will take on new dimensions.

What you«ll need:

• Plums (any, for example, sloe) — 2 kg

• Sugar — 5–7 tablespoons (adjust to your taste and the sweetness of the plums)

• Coarse salt (not iodized) — 1 tablespoon

• Garlic — 2 heads

• Large bunch of fresh cilantro

• Half a bunch of fresh mint

• 1 pod of hot red pepper

• 1 teaspoon of ground coriander

• 1 teaspoon of khmeli-suneli (a Georgian spice blend, optional)

• 1–2 tablespoons of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar (6%)

How to prepare?

Wash the plum fruits and place them in a pot. Add 200 ml of water, cover with a lid, and cook over medium heat. After boiling, cook for about 15–20 minutes until soft. Separate the pulp from the seeds and skin. Press the boiled plums through a sieve to obtain a homogeneous puree. Place the plum puree on low heat, add salt and sugar. Cook, stirring, until thickened (about 20–30 minutes). Chop the garlic, cilantro, mint, and pepper. Five minutes before it«s ready, add the herbs, coriander, khmeli-suneli, lemon juice or vinegar. Mix and simmer for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the flavor. Pour the hot sauce into sterilized jars, seal with sterile lids, turn upside down, and cool in a warm place. Store the finished sauce in a pantry or any cool, dark location.