At the moment, there are a huge number of different ways of making sauces. Some of them are suitable only for fish or meat, and some are universal. There are sauces that are easy to prepare at home. It is to them that tkemali belongs. What it is? This is a kind of sauce made from plums (cherry plum). The recipe came to us from Georgia.
Tkemali: what is it
In fact, tkemali is a variety of types of acidic wild plums. However, the same name bears the sauce, which can be prepared at home. There are only a few varieties of this dish: green and red. The recipes for their preparation are practically no different. However, there is a significant difference.
So, red tkemali. What is it and what is it used for? Such a sauce is usually prepared at the end of summer from ripe red plums. Of course, red is only a symbol. Ready sauce can have a yellow and even orange tint. In some cases, blackthorn is added to the composition. Then the finished sauce becomes burgundy.
What about green tkemali? What is it and what is it made of? In this case, the sauce is made from unripe fruits of wild plum. Closing it for the winter is not recommended. Eat green tkemali as needed.
What does tkemali combine with
Tkemali is a fragrant sauce that can be consumed with many products. At the same time, the taste of the finished product is slightly acidic and slightly sharp. Tkemali goes well with fried meat, with poultry and even fish. It can be eaten with pasta, omelet, kebab and young potatoes.
Many claim that the sauce has simply unique properties. It not only gives the finished dishes a unique taste, but also is able to neutralize excess fat.
How to cook
Tkemali in Georgian is prepared very simply. This will require:
- Cherry plum red - 1 kg.
- Red pepper, hot - from 1 to 3 pods.
- Sugar - to taste.
- Blooming cilantro - the middle bunch. If necessary, you can replace the grated coriander grains.
- Salt.
- Swamp mint or ordinary, young garlic, dill - in the middle bunch.
Berry preparation
To make plum sauce, you need to prepare all the basic foods. Berries should be washed and placed in a deep container. It is also worth pouring water so that it only slightly covers the fruits. The pan with cherry plum should be put on fire and bring its contents to a boil. After this, the water must be drained. The procedure must be repeated. Pour enough water so that it covers the berries on two fingers. A container of fruit must be placed on a fire and brought to a boil. You need to cook the fruits until they become softer. It takes about half an hour.
What to do after cooking
Plum sauce is prepared quickly enough. After heat treatment, the fruits should be cooled for 30 minutes, and then grind. The resulting jam should be passed through a sieve. This will remove the skin and bones. The cake should be wrung out carefully. To do this, use a strainer with a fine mesh. The remaining bones and skin must be discarded.
Cooking process
Dill, cilantro, young garlic and mint should be finely chopped or chopped using a meat grinder. The resulting mass must be mixed with cherry plum puree. It is necessary to add salt, as well as chopped hot pepper. Tkemali from cherry plum is almost ready. All that remains is to mix thoroughly and try.
If the sauce is very sour, then it is worth adding a little sugar syrup or granulated sugar to it. If the tkemali turned out to be thick, then you can bring it to the desired consistency with ordinary boiled water.
How to store
Tkemali from red cherry plum can be stored simply in the refrigerator or rolled up and stored in the cellar. In the first case, the prepared sauce after cooking should be poured into carefully washed glass jars and closed with a nylon cover. You can also store tkemali in bottles.
As for the winter version, there are some features. During the cooking process, dried spices are added to such a sauce. Using fresh herbs is not recommended. All components are boiled and then poured into carefully washed and sterilized containers. Vegetable oil is also poured here. After that, the cans with sauce are hermetically sealed and stored in a cool place.
Cooking recommendations
Now you know how to cook tkemali for the winter. Of course, if necessary, the sauce recipe can be changed a little. It all depends on what products are available. If there is no red or yellow cherry plum, then using a regular plum is not recommended. The product is not very tasty. It is allowed to replace the main component with green gooseberries. The technology of cooking tkemali does not change.
If at hand there is no marsh or ordinary mint, then it can also be replaced. Most often, thyme or lemon balm is used to make red cherry plum tkemali.
The process of making the sauce also has its own characteristics. When cooking, plum should be mixed regularly. However, instruments made of metal or plastic are not suitable for this. It is better to use a spoon made of wood. Otherwise, the taste of the sauce will be spoiled.
It is also not recommended to add vinegar to tkemali. Even if the sauce will roll for the winter. In this case, several tablespoons of vegetable oil should be poured into a jar of tkemali. This will protect the product from spoilage.