13 Best Step-by-Step Recipes for Making Tkemali Sauce from Plums for the Winter

During the cold season, it's easy to indulge in delicious and healthy fruit preserves. Let's take a look. How to make plum tkemali for the winter – this sauce It pairs perfectly with meat dishes, adding a unique flavor. We offer several successful recipes, including classics, unusual and experimental ones, and those that incorporate other delicious ingredients.

How to make plum tkemali for the winter?

One of the most famous and popular traditional Georgian sauces, Tkemali, is made from cultivated or wild red or yellow plums, as well as sloe. A generous amount of piquant spices and herbs is essential.

This sauce is not only incredibly delicious but also healthy. Its main ingredient, plum, is rich in pectin, which has a beneficial effect on the intestines, promoting proper and active function. The spicy spices and herbs, essential to preparing Tkemali, improve appetite and stimulate digestion.

Tkemali sauce pairs well with all types of meat, as well as fish and vegetables. To ensure the best flavor from your homemade preparation, choose the right ingredients and prepare the containers.

What you need for cooking

Georgian Tkemali sauce is traditionally made with sour plums. Some recipes call for the addition of other fruits and berries, such as apples, gooseberries, or sloes. Essential ingredients include spices and herbs, such as marsh mint, hops-suneli, cilantro, and others.

It's important to choose plums of a sour variety. You can even use plums that aren't fully ripe. They should be firm and dense, with intact skin, and free of any damage or rot.

Before cooking, wash the plums, cut them in half and remove the pits.It is important to keep in mind that plums are boiled down to approximately 3-4 times their original volume during the cooking process. Therefore, to prepare a liter of sauce, you will need about four kilograms of fruit.

It's best to use enameled cookware with a thick bottom and walls. Aluminum cookware is unacceptable, as heat exposure can cause harmful oxidation processes.

Sterilizing containers for canning

Canning Tkemali plum sauce for the winter Store in small or medium glass jars. They should be of high quality, free of cracks, chips, dirt, and corrosion.

First, they need to be washed with baking soda, and then sterilized using a convenient method:

• Place in the oven, neck down. Preheat to 150 degrees Celsius (300 degrees Fahrenheit) and bake for 15-20 minutes, depending on the volume. Carefully remove and use as directed.
• Process in a microwave oven in a similar manner.
• Boil in a saucepan filled with water for 10-15 minutes.

The best recipes

There are several ways and variations to prepare the aromatic and delicious Tkemali sauce for the winter. The recipes we offer are very easy to follow. Even those with minimal culinary experience can handle them.

The classic way

To prepare the Georgian Tkemali sauce according to the classic recipe, you will need the following ingredients:

• 3 kg sour plums;
• 2 medium-sized heads of garlic;
• 200 g fresh cilantro;
• 2 hot peppers;
• 20 g hops-suneli;
• 10 g of marsh mint;
• 150 g sugar;
• 4 tbsp coarse salt.

Sequential cooking process:

1. Wash, cut, and pit the plums, cover with three tablespoons of granulated sugar, and place in a cool place. Leave for half an hour to release the juices.
2. If necessary, add a small amount of boiled water to the container with plums and place it on medium heat on the stove.
3. After bringing to a boil, continue to cook for about ten minutes, and then rub through a sieve.
4. Return the plum mixture to the heat. Stirring constantly, cook over medium heat until the contents of the saucepan are reduced by a third.
5. In the next step, add finely chopped fresh herbs, hops-suneli, crushed garlic and hot pepper, as well as the remaining sugar to the contents.
6. Cook for another quarter of an hour.
7. Place the hot prepared sauce into sterilized jars and seal with sterilized airtight lids.

Cooking in a multicooker

In this case you will need:

• 2 kg of plums;
• 1 head of garlic;
• 2 full teaspoons of table salt;
• 1 teaspoon each of sugar and ground black pepper;
• 1.5 tsp. coriander;
• cilantro, dill, basil, parsley - to taste;
• 1-2 hot pepper pods.

This treat should be prepared in the following order:

1. Place the prepared plums in the multicooker bowl and add salt.
2. Leave for an hour to release the juice.
3. Using an immersion blender, grind the fruits until they turn into a smooth, soft mass.
4. Place in a multicooker bowl.
5. Add sugar, chopped hot pepper and grated garlic.
6. Add coriander and ground black pepper.
7. Add herbs.
8. Select the “Stewing” or “Frying” mode and set the cooking time to 20 minutes, then close the lid of the multicooker.
9. Distribute the boiling sauce into sterilized jars and seal with metal lids.

Tkemali in Georgian

A traditional Georgian recipe requires the following ingredients:

• 10 kg red plums;
• 1 kg garlic;
• 200 g each of salt and fresh cilantro;
• 100 g each of dried and fresh green coriander;
• 50 g each of fennel and ground red pepper;
• 20 g fresh marsh mint.

Step-by-step preparation:

1. Place the washed plums in an enamel pan.
2. Fill with 3 liters of water.
3. Bring to a boil at maximum heat.
4. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking for 15 minutes.
5. Place the soft, cooked plums in a colander and set it over the pan. Retain the juice released by the plums in the pan.
6. Mash the fruit with a wooden spoon and then by hand, wearing gloves.
7. Discard the pits and combine the plum mixture with the juice in one container.
8. Crush the peeled garlic with a special press or pass it through a meat grinder.
9. Separate the flowers and leaves from the bunches of marsh mint, chop them and add them to the other ingredients.
10. Add cilantro, salt and stir.
11. The stems left over from the herbs - marsh mint, cilantro and fennel - are tied together and tied with strong thread.
12. Place the resulting fragrant bunch into the pan where all the other ingredients for the future Tkemali sauce are located.
13. Add ground red pepper and cook on low heat.
14. Boil for 40 minutes.
15. Press the bunch of herb stems, which will float to the top from time to time, into the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
16. After the specified period, pour the finished sauce into glass bottles or jars, previously sterilized, and seal with sterile lids.

Spicy Tkemali plum sauce with adjika

For those who love spicy, savory seasonings, try making the sauce according to the following recipe. You'll need:

• 3 kg plums;
• 1 bunch of cilantro and parsley;
• 2 cups of sugar;
• 1 teaspoon each of paprika, coriander and pepper mixture;
• 1 tbsp. salt;
• 1 chili pepper;
• 1 head of garlic.

Cooking steps:

1. Place the washed plums in an enamel container, add a small amount of water and place over medium heat.
2. Cook until the skin starts to peel off and the seeds separate.
3. Rub the softened fruit through a sieve.
4. Place the resulting puree back on the stove, add salt, sugar and spices.
5. Cook at low heat, stirring constantly.
6. Finely chop fresh herbs and hot pepper, crush garlic.
7. Add all this to the sauce, stir and turn off the heat after a minute.
8. While hot, pour the prepared Tkemali sauce with adjika into glass containers and seal with airtight lids.

A simple recipe for blue plums at home

To prepare the following sauce version, you will need the following ingredients:

• 500 g blue plums;
• 20 g brown sugar;
• 100 ml pomegranate juice;
• 10 g garlic;
• table salt, ground coriander and black pepper, hops-suneli - to taste.

The detailed cooking process will be as follows:

1. Grind the plums, previously washed and pitted.
2. Place the resulting fruit puree in an enamel pan and cook for 10 minutes.
3. Add salt, sweeten and spices.
4. Add pomegranate juice, which will give a pleasant sourness to the sauce.
5. Stir thoroughly.
6. Crush the peeled garlic with a special press and add to the other ingredients.
7. Bring to a boil and simmer for another 1-2 minutes.
8. Place in a sterile glass container and screw on the lids.

Tkemali recipe with tomatoes

The flavor of plums harmonizes with that of tomatoes. This combination is often used to make winter sauces.

This recipe requires the following ingredients:

• 1 kg of plums and tomatoes;
• 3 onions;
• head of garlic;
• 2 chili peppers;
• 150 g sugar;
• 50 g of salt.

You need to do the following:

1. Wash tomatoes and plums, remove pits from plums.
2. Peel and rinse the onion and garlic.
3. Press the garlic with a garlic press and set aside to release its juice.
4. Remove the seeds and membranes from the chili pepper, then chop finely and set aside.
5. Grind the tomatoes, plums and onions in a meat grinder and place in an enamel saucepan.
6. Sweeten and salt, bring to a boil over high heat.
7. Reduce heat and simmer for an hour and a half.
8. Add garlic 10 minutes before the end of the cooking process.
9. Remove the sauce from the stove, wait until it cools naturally and distribute it into sterilized jars of suitable volume.

Yellow plum sauce

For this delicious recipe you will need the following ingredients:

• 1.7 kg ripe yellow plums;
• 4 large garlic cloves;
• 0.5 pod of hot pepper;
• 4 tsp granulated sugar;
• 2 teaspoons of table salt;
• 1 tsp chopped coriander;
• sprigs of lovage, dill and other aromatic herbs - to taste and desire.

Sequential cooking process:

1. Pour water over the washed plums, place over medium heat and bring to a boil.
2. Turn off the heat as soon as they start to boil.
3. Drain the fruit in a colander. Once the water has drained, press it through a sieve to remove the skins and seeds.
4. Cook the plum puree over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring constantly.
5. Add pepper and chopped aromatic spices.
6. When the cooking process is nearing completion, add garlic and finely chopped herbs.
7. Place the hot Tkemali made from yellow plums into sterilized glass containers and seal tightly.

No-Cook Seasoning Recipe

Our next recipe is super simple and time-saving. You'll need the following ingredients:

• 1.5 kg plums;
• 2 bunches of basil and cilantro;
• 1 bunch of marsh mint (can be replaced with peppermint);
• 2-3 heads of garlic;
• 5 pods of red hot pepper;
• 1 tbsp each of sugar and salt.

Cooking sequence:

1. Wash the herbs and dry them by laying them out on a kitchen towel.
2. Peel the garlic.
3. Remove stems and seeds from the peppers.
4. Wash and dry the plums, remove the pits.
5. Grind all the mentioned ingredients in a meat grinder.
6. Add salt and sugar.
7. Mix and leave for a quarter of an hour to allow mutual impregnation.
8. Mix again and distribute into sterile glass containers.
9. Seal tightly with airtight lids.

A fragrant recipe with pomegranate juice

To implement this culinary idea you need to prepare:

• 2 kg plums (red varieties);
• 100 ml natural pomegranate juice;
• salt and sugar - to taste;
• spices - hops-suneli, coriander and others to taste;
• 1 head of garlic.

Step-by-step preparation:

1. Remove pits from the plums and chop them using a convenient method (using a meat grinder or blender).
2. Add dry spices, granulated sugar and salt.
3. Place on the stove, bring to a boil and continue to cook until the desired thickness of the future sauce is reached.
4. Add crushed garlic.
5. Pour in the pomegranate juice.
6. Mix everything thoroughly.
7. Boil for another five minutes, place in small glass jars and seal with airtight lids.

With walnuts

By adding walnuts to plums, you can create a more delicate and flavorful sauce that will harmoniously complement meat dishes.

You will need the following components:

• 3 kg cherry plums or plums;
• 250 g walnuts (pre-chopped);
• 50 g salt;
• 100-150 g sugar;
• 1 tbsp each of marsh mint and hops-suneli;
• 250 g cilantro;
• 1 head of garlic.

Cooking process:

1. Wash the fruits.
2. Place in a saucepan and add water to cover them.
3. Boil for a few minutes until the skin and bones begin to separate from the main mass.
4. Rub through a sieve and discard the seeds.
5. Prepare plum puree using an immersion mixer.
6. Transfer to a cooking pot, add the liquid remaining after mashing the fruit.
7. Add finely chopped aromatic herbs (cilantro and marsh mint).
8. Press the garlic and add it to the plum-spice mixture.
9. Add dried hops-suneli and granulated sugar.
10. Add salt and cook for about ten minutes.
11. Pour in the nuts.
12. Bring to a boil over medium heat and remove from heat.
13. Distribute into sterile glass containers.
14. Roll up with sterilized lids.

Finger-licking good recipe

The following ingredients are used for this delicious sauce:

• 5 kg of plums of any kind;
• 1 kg of tomatoes;
• 500 g sweet bell pepper;
• 2 heads of garlic and 2 pods of red hot pepper;
• 130 g granulated sugar;
• 80 g of salt.

This treat should be prepared in the following order:

1. Wash all vegetables and prepare them properly. Halve and pit the plums, remove stems from the tomatoes and cut into medium-thick slices. Seed the bell peppers and cut into small pieces.
2. Pass all vegetable ingredients through a meat grinder and place in an enamel saucepan.
3. Add seasonings one by one and place on the stove.
4. Cook for one hour over low heat.
5. Cool the prepared vegetable puree and rub it through a sieve.
6. Return the vegetable mixture to the pan, set the burner to the minimum heat setting and cook for about three hours.
7. 40 minutes before the end of the cooking process, add crushed garlic.
8. While hot, place into glass jars.

Aromatic basil sauce

To create a sophisticated, aromatic sauce for the winter, you will need:

• 1 kg of cherry plums or plums;
• a large bunch of basil;
• a medium bunch of parsley and dill;
• 200 g white sugar;
• 50 g salt;
• hot red pepper - to taste;
• 5 large spoons of refined vegetable oil.

Cooking sequence:

1. Remove stems from the fruits and rinse under running water.
2. Place in a thick-bottomed pan and add a little water.
3. Place on the stove and bring to a boil.
4. Leave it until the fruits start to boil.
5. Rub through a sieve or in a colander.
6. Add salt and sugar to the plum puree, then chopped garlic and herbs.
7. Cook for another 5 minutes.
8. Place in jars and seal.

Tomato paste recipe for the winter

One of the easiest recipes to implement requires the following ingredients:

• 2 kg of sweet and sour plums;
• 500 g high quality tomato paste;
• 5 sprigs of fresh and dried dill;
• 120 g garlic;
• 2 large spoons of sugar and 2 small spoons of salt;
• 1 teaspoon each of mustard seeds and coriander;
• 2 bay leaves;
• 7 black peppercorns.

This sauce is quick and easy to make. You'll need:

1. Take an enamel saucepan and place dried dill stems and seeds in it.
2. Next, add the washed plums.
3. Without adding water, close the container with a lid and place it on the stove.
4. Cook over moderate heat for 50 minutes, until the plums are soft enough.
5. To prevent the fruit from sticking to the bottom of the pan, it is necessary to turn it over periodically.
6. After the specified period of time, remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool.
7. Rub through a sieve to remove the seeds and obtain a homogeneous mass.
8. Pour into a saucepan and cook for about 7 minutes.
9. At this time, prepare the spices - pepper, dill and garlic, process in a meat grinder.
10. To obtain a more uniform mass, beat it additionally in a blender.
11. Add tomato paste, mustard and dill seeds, and allspice peas.
12. Bring the pan to a boil and simmer for a quarter of an hour.
13. Add a bay leaf to the mixture and simmer for a couple more minutes. Add sugar if necessary.
14. Place the hot, prepared sauce into small glass jars.

Storage conditions and duration

Homemade Tkemali sauce can be stored for 3-4 months in a cool place - a cellar or pantry. Open containers must be placed in the refrigerator.