CHINESE PLUM SAUCE

By Global Gardens Lead Recipe Volunteer Ruth

This traditional sauce is easy to make. It is great as a replacement for chutney or to use as a glaze/marinade on tofu, stirred into noodles, etc.

INGREDIENTS

500g plums, stones removed and roughly chopped

100g sweet potato, peeled and chopped

I small onion, chopped finely

1 clove garlic, chopped finely

1 dessertspoon grated fresh ginger

1 tablespoon honey

60g light brown sugar

4 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon Chinese five spice powder (available from oriental stores and good supermarkets)

METHOD

1. Put all ingredients except the spice powder in a saucepan and cook for half an hour.

2. Cool until safe enough to blend until smooth

3. Add five spice powder and continue to cook until thickened to a spreadable consistency – about half and hour. Stir regularly so it does not stick. Taste occasionally and add more spice/ salt/ honey/ soy according to your preference.

4. Cool then put in a container. Keep in the fridge and consume within 2 weeks.

5 If you want to preserve this longer you will need to put into sterilised jars and follow online instructions for bottling. It will keep for around a year or more if you do this.

TIPS * You could use substitutions depending on what you have available, for example, using damsons or swapping some of the plums /sweet potato for apple. Experiment!

* Be careful when reducing the sauce , it can spit.

WASTE FREE

* The sauce will freeze if you don’t wish to preserve it through bottling – the flavour will be there, but the texture may be impaired a little.