Cook Tkemali for 35-40 minutes.
The total cooking time for tkemali from 1 kilogram of plums is 1 hour.
How to cook tkemali
Products for tkemali
for 1 liter of tkemali
Plums or cherry plums – 2 kilograms
Cilantro or parsley – half a medium bunch
Dill – half medium bunch
Garlic – 5 teeth
Dried hot peppers – half a teaspoon
Water – half a glass (150 milliliters)
Salt – 2 tablespoons
Vinegar – 1 teaspoon 70% vinegar
Sugar – 4 tablespoons
How to cook tkemali
1. Wash the plums, halve them and remove the seeds.
2. Place the plums in an enamel or brass saucepan.
3. Pour in water and put the pan on the fire, bring to a boil and cook for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the juiciness of the tkemali.
4. Put the boiled plums in a colander, the plum broth is no longer needed.
5. Rub the plums through a colander using a mortar. Remove the skin of the plums.
Wash and dry cilantro and dill, finely chop or chop with a blender.
Peel and chop the garlic with a garlic press.
Put the plum puree on the fire, add salt, sugar, herbs, spices. Bring the tkemali to a boil with constant stirring and cook for 3 minutes, skimming off the foam.
Add herbs, garlic, pepper to a saucepan and cook for 2 minutes. Turn off heat, pour in vinegar and stir.
Arrange the boiled tkemali sauce in sterilized jars and leave to cool completely.
Fascinating facts about tkemali
Plum varieties for tkemali
Fresh plums are suitable for tkemali: cherry plums, blue ripe or slightly unripe fruits, thorny plums (not to be confused with prunes, which are not suitable for making tkemali). Slightly ripe fruits are allowed.
How to serve tkemali
Serve Tkemali in a saucepan with meat, poultry, fish dishes, just on bread. Great as a sauce for kebabs, side dishes of vegetables, rice, pasta.
What to cook tkemali with
– AT traditional recipe sauce must be added ombalo (mint or flea mint) – a spicy herb growing in the Caucasus.
– Ombalo has nothing to do with ordinary mint; this spice, if necessary, can be replaced with ground coriander seeds or thyme. Fresh herbs are put in the classic tkemali sauce: cilantro, dill, parsley, basil, and garlic.
– The only dried ingredient in tkemali is red hot pepper, but not ground, but crushed into small pieces.
– In modern recipes allowed the use of dry herbs. They help to preserve the bright and rich color of the sauce, which, when added with fresh herbs, takes on a brown hue, especially during long storage. Also, when cooking tkemali, you can add adjika.
How to replace plums in tkemali
Alternatively, use gooseberries instead of plums.
How long to store tkemali
Store Tkemali for 1 year in a cool place.
What is Tkemali
– Tkemali is a Georgian sauce traditionally made from local “Tkemali” plums.