Yellow Cherry Plum Tkemali with Garlic
A magnificent classic Georgian sauce with outstanding flavor. Cherry plum tkemali makes a great accompaniment, especially with grilled or pan-fried meat. Yellow plums are the best choice for tkemali, but their more common relatives will do too.
Cooking method
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Step 1:
Here's everything you'll need. My little secret is that I've learned to make tkemali even from canned cherry plums. Cherry plums canned in their own juice during the season, with just a little sugar, are a great winter option for tkemali — they shorten the process, since you no longer need to cook the plums.
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Step 2:
Pit the canned cherry plums. Then, in seconds, bring them to the right consistency with a blender.
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Step 3:
That's basically the consistency — no need to cook it! I add spices to taste and warm it almost to a boil, stirring constantly. That's it. Take it off the heat and add the garlic, pressed through a garlic press. Let it cool and pack it into jars. As the original recipe suggests, you can add vinegar for long-term storage. I don't bother, since this sauce never lasts long in our house. If you want more tang, you can add a little citric acid.
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Step 4:
Voilà, the sauce is ready. You can bottle it and store it until winter.
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Step 5:
My trusty helper, garlic press in hand.
- How to make tkemali from fresh cherry plums: Run the pitted cherry plums through a meat grinder (there should be no pits left at this point, for obvious reasons). Add sugar and salt to the resulting purée and boil it for five minutes. Chop the chile pepper, garlic, and herbs and add them to the boiling mixture along with the ground coriander. Cook for about five more minutes at a boil. Once it comes to a boil, turn off the heat. Serve tkemali cold. Whether you use it right after it cools or save it for later is up to you. If you're keeping it, pour 70% vinegar into the hot tkemali — about half a tablespoon per liter. Pour the tkemali into jars and store it in a dark place.
Caloric content of the products possible in the composition of the dish
- Garlic - 143 kcal/100g
- Dill greens - 38 kcal/100g
- Granulated sugar - 398 kcal/100g
- Sugar - 398 kcal/100g
- Hot capsicum - 40 kcal/100g
- Salt - 0 kcal/100g
- Coriander greens - 25 kcal/100g
- Ground coriander - 25 kcal/100g
- Yellow plums - 45 kcal/100g
