Plum Chutney
An amazing spiced sweet-and-sour plum sauce! Plum chutney is one of those dishes whose flavor is hard to pin down. The secret is a good balance of tastes, and that's tricky to reproduce exactly — the plums you start with are always a little different, and their flavor makes all the difference. Plum chutney is best served alongside steamed rice, buckwheat, or mashed potatoes.
Cooking method
-
Step 1:
To make plum chutney you can use any variety of plum, as long as it's ripe. A few blemishes, bumps, dents, or bruised spots are fine, as long as they're easy to trim away. You'll also need fresh ginger, salt, sugar, and a little water — vinegar and herbs are optional. Spices are key in this recipe; use plenty of them, and ideally a variety.
-
Step 2:
Rinse the plums thoroughly and pit them — a freestone variety makes this easy.
-
Step 3:
Put the finely chopped ginger in the bottom of a small saucepan and add the water. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
-
Step 4:
Add the pitted plums, bring back to a boil, and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Now comes the creative part: add the sugar and salt. The amounts are approximate, since much of the finished sauce's flavor depends on the plums themselves. Instead of sugar you can use honey or brown cane sugar.
-
Step 5:
Add the spices — try a little cinnamon (ground or a stick), ground black pepper, paprika, and a touch of turmeric. A pinch of asafoetida can stand in for onion and garlic. Stir and taste; the sour, sweet, and salty notes should be balanced to your liking. If needed, add a splash of vinegar (apple cider is best) and some finely chopped tender herbs. Bring to a boil and set aside.
Caloric content of the products possible in the composition of the dish
- Plum - 42 kcal/100g
- Fresh frozen plum - 52 kcal/100g
- Ginger - 80 kcal/100g
- Dry ginger - 347 kcal/100g
- Pickled ginger - 51 kcal/100g
- Granulated sugar - 398 kcal/100g
- Sugar - 398 kcal/100g
- Salt - 0 kcal/100g
- Water - 0 kcal/100g
- Spices dry - 240 kcal/100g
