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Most housewives in Georgia traditionally cook tkemali. This plum sauce perfectly complements various side dishes, fish and meat dishes. In addition to ripe fruits, the sauce contains spicy spices, herbs, capsicum, garlic and other ingredients that make the taste of the product especially sharp and piquant. You can enjoy tkemali not only during the plum season, but also in winter. For this, the product is preserved. We will try to describe the best recipes for making yellow plum tkemali in detail later in the section, so that, if desired, even an inexperienced hostess who is not privy to the intricacies of Georgian cuisine can surprise her loved ones with an excellent sauce.
Easy winter recipe
Tkemali sauce for the winter can be prepared very simply and quickly. To do this, use red, yellow plums or even cherry plums. Depending on the color of the fruit and the taste characteristics of the fruit, the sauce will acquire a certain aroma and color. For example, yellow plums allow you to cook spicy tkemali with sweet and sour notes in taste.
The simplest tkemali recipe includes a limited number of ingredients. So, to prepare 4-5 liters of sauce, you will need 5 kg of yellow plums, 2 heads of medium-sized garlic, 2 tbsp. l. salt and the same amount of seasoning hops-suneli, 4 tbsp. l. sugar and one hot pepper. During cooking, you will also need to add some water (1-2 cups).
Cooking a winter harvest from yellow plums will take no more than an hour. During this time it is necessary:
- Wash plums and remove pits. If desired, remove the skin from the fruit.
- Place the peeled fruits in a saucepan and pour water into it, then send the container to the fire. Bring the contents of the saucepan to a boil.
- Peel the hot pepper from the seeds, remove the husk from the garlic.
- Add pepper and garlic to plums. Grind the products with a blender until a homogeneous mass is obtained.
- Bring the tkemali back to a boil, add the remaining spices and preserve.
The proposed recipe is quite simple. If desired, even an inexperienced cook can bring it to life. In winter, tkemali can be served with various dishes. Delicious sauce is always on the table.
Spicy tkemali with herbs and spices
Like many dishes of Georgian cuisine, tkemali is distinguished by its spiciness and spiciness. You can get “the same”, traditional taste only with the help of a set of herbs and spices. Thus, the following recipe perfectly demonstrates the harmony of a number of aromatic ingredients.
To prepare tkemali, you need only 500 g of yellow plums. If you want to cook more sauce, then the amount of plums and all other ingredients can be evenly increased. And for one recipe, in addition to fruits, you will need garlic (3 heads), 30 g of cilantro and basil, 10 g of mint, 3 garlic cloves. Ground coriander and salt are added in half a teaspoon. Red pepper (ground) is added in the amount of one pinch. To prepare tkemali, you will also need a small amount of vegetable oil (no more than 50 ml).
The whole process of preparing the sauce will take about 30-40 minutes. You can cook tkemali according to the proposed recipe on the stove or in a slow cooker. In the case of using a multicooker, select the “Soup” mode and set the time to 3 minutes. This is enough to bring the mixture to a boil.
To prepare tkemali, you need:
- Choose moderately ripe yellow plums and wash them thoroughly.
- Put the plums in a saucepan or multicooker bowl and fill them with water. The volume of liquid should completely cover the fruit.
- Bring the “compote” to a boil, then strain the liquid through a colander into a separate container.
- Rub the plums with a pusher or an ordinary spoon, after removing the seeds from the fruit mixture.
- Finely chop the greens with a knife, garlic can also be chopped or passed through a press.
- In a saucepan (bowl), combine grated plums with herbs, garlic and other spices.
- Add to the mixture of ingredients 100 ml of plum broth, which was previously filtered.
- After mixing, you should taste the tkemali and, if necessary, add salt and spices.
- After another mixing, the sauce must be boiled again and poured into sterilized jars.
- In each jar before corking, you need to add a spoonful of oil. This will keep the product fresh throughout the winter. After adding oil, do not turn the jar of sauce over.
The proposed recipe can be a godsend for every cook. The spicy taste of herbs, minty freshness and pleasant bitterness of pepper harmonize in the taste of tkemali, leave an excellent aftertaste and can complement absolutely any dish.
Tkemali with bell pepper
You can prepare a very tasty sauce for the winter from yellow plums with the addition of bell peppers. This vegetable will give the finished product a characteristic taste and appetizing shade. There are several recipes for tkemali with bell peppers, but the most popular one is to use 1 kg of fruit, 400 g of sweet pepper, 2 heads of garlic. The recipe also includes 2 pods of hot pepper, seasonings, salt and sugar to taste.
It is worth noting that bell peppers of any color can be used to prepare tkemali. By choosing red vegetables, you can get an orange-colored sauce. Yellow peppers will only make the color of the plums even brighter.
To prepare tkemali according to this recipe, you need to stock up on a meat grinder. It is with its help that all fruits and vegetables will be crushed. In detail, the process of preparing the sauce for the winter can be described in the following points:
- Wash the plums and separate from the pit.
- Peel peppers (bitter and Bulgarian) from grains, free garlic from the husk.
- Grind the prepared plums, garlic and pepper with a meat grinder. A more delicate texture of tkemali can be obtained if the resulting mixture is additionally rubbed through a sieve.
- Put the fruit and vegetable mixture on the fire and bring to a boil, then add salt, sugar and spices (if necessary) to the sauce. From seasonings, it is recommended to use suneli hops, ground coriander and a mixture of peppers.
- After adding the remaining ingredients, it is necessary to boil the sauce for another 20 minutes, then pour into glass jars and cork tightly.
Tkemali with sweet bell pepper tastes very similar to the sweet ketchup familiar to many, however, the sauce prepared by one’s own hands is distinguished by a rich aroma and naturalness.
Tkemali with vinegar
For the preparation of tkemali, it is recommended to use slightly unripe yellow plums, as they have a slightly sour taste. But you can also add sourness by adding vinegar. This preservative will not only complement the taste of the sauce, but also allow it to be stored without problems throughout the winter.
To prepare tkemali with vinegar, you will need 1 kg of plums, 6-7 medium-sized garlic cloves, dill and parsley. Greens should be used fresh in the amount of 1 bunch. Red hot pepper will add spiciness to the sauce. You can use 1 fresh pod or a quarter teaspoon of ground red pepper. Sugar and salt in this recipe should be added to taste. Seasoning hops-suneli is part of the sauce in the amount of 2-3 tbsp. l. The amount of vinegar is calculated based on the resulting volume of the entire mixture. So, for 1 liter of sauce, you need to add 1 tsp. 70% vinegar.
Preparing tkemali with vinegar is quite simple. For this you need:
- Rinse greens and plums with water. Lay the ingredients out on a towel to remove excess moisture.
- Cut the plums in half and remove the pit.
- Grind garlic, herbs and plums with a blender until a homogeneous mass is obtained.
- Add spices, sugar and salt, vinegar to the prepared puree.
- Tkemali should be stewed on a small fire for about 70-90 minutes.
- Preserve the sauce for the winter hot, rolling glass jars with iron lids.
The presence of vinegar in the composition and long-term heat treatment allows you to store the canned finished product for 2-3 years. However, jars of sauce for long-term storage are recommended to be placed in a dark, cool place.
You can cook tkemali from yellow plums for the winter according to one of the recipes given or guided by the recommendations given in the video:
The recipe offered on the video allows you to quickly prepare an exceptionally tender, tasty and fragrant tkemali.
Tkemali sauce is a godsend for lovers of spicy and natural food. The hand-made product has a bright taste and rich aroma. It can be used to complement absolutely any dishes. A spoonful of tkemali can always be added to soup or vegetable stew as a dressing. Fish and meat products with the addition of plum sauce become even more appetizing and tastier. Tkemali can fully replace many purchased ketchups and sauces. Having prepared tkemali once, you will definitely want it to be always at hand.