The recipe for the beloved Tkemali was first opened by Georgian cooks. This seasoning got its name because of the main ingredient - cherry plum-tkemali. Now sauce is produced on an industrial scale not only in Georgia, but also in Russia, Germany and Bulgaria.
It goes well with meat, fish and vegetable dishes. Tkemali sauce is served with potatoes, pasta, various side dishes and is even used for baking poultry and various types of meat on the grill. In Georgia, they are seasoned with traditional dishes: kupat, chakhokhbili, chanakhs, kaurmu, buglam, basturma and barbecue.
Ombalo grass is sure to be added to the classic Tkemali, giving it a tart aftertaste. To date, many lovers of this magnificent sauce do not know for sure which plums to make a real Tkemali from. In the markets, most likely, you will be offered red or yellow cherry plum.
Tkemali is a wild plum that grows in the highlands of the Caucasus. Its small fruits are red, pink, yellow and green. Before buying the fruits of one or another variety of cherry plum, they must first be tasted. From the one that comes sweet and sour seasoning. True plum tkemali has a sour taste that will suit fans of a piquant taste. Overripe fruits should not be used.
In cherry plum, the skin is thin, and the flesh is well separated from the seeds. In a real plum-weed, the skin is thicker and, accordingly, it is more difficult to clean. If you like sweet tkemali sauce, then when cooking add thorn or plum to it - this is better than granulated sugar.
The cooking process itself involves quite a long grinding of all ingredients. Tkemali sauce can be made at home and even stockpiled for future use or for the winter.
Real green tkemali sauce . Recipe
Rinse the plums thoroughly, put in a pan with cold water so that it covers the fruit. It is advisable to cook them whole. Put dry dill with grains and a sprig of cilantro into the pan. Bring to a boil and, as soon as cracks appear on the skin, immediately turn off. Drain the water, if the tkemali is not too acidic, then pour the water into another container - it is better to use it for cooking seasoning. Then wipe the plums well through a strainer.
The resulting mass is seasoned with a pre-prepared mixture of spices and herbs. It is better to use dry herbs, so the sauce will not go bad. The necessary composition of dry spices:
- cereal, you can dill;
- uzo-suneli;
- coriander;
- ombalo;
- garlic;
- pods of red pepper.
It is problematic to find the Georgian ombalo seasoning, which has no analogues in Russia, but it is close to mint. Most fans of the sauce use mint, although Georgian chefs disapprove of this alternative.
All ingredients must be ground in a blender / meat grinder. A mixture of plums and spices leave to infuse for about an hour. After the time is set on fire and stir occasionally, preventing the sauce from burning. Do not forget to salt to taste.
The resulting foam can not be removed - it will disappear. Tkemali sauce can be cooked for no more than an hour, this is enough to keep it in a sterilized container for a year. If long-term storage is not expected, then half an hour is enough.
Before serving, add chopped greens: cilantro, dill and parsley, as you like.
Not less tasty seasoning is obtained from cherry plum.
Tkemali sauce - recipe for cooking using cherry plum
Per kilogram of red cherry plum you will need: coriander seeds - 20 g, dill, garlic (6-7 cloves), salt, cilantro and red pepper (ground).
Pour cherry plum with water and let it boil, then reduce the heat and cook, stirring constantly. After 15 minutes, when the cherry plum becomes soft, discard it in a colander (do not pour the broth) and wipe it, removing bones and skin.
We put this mass on the fire again and bring to a boil - almost done. Now add dill, cilantro, pepper, chopped coriander and garlic to the sauce. If the seasoning is thick, it can be diluted with a decoction that remains after the cherry plum. Pour the sauce into a pre-sterilized container and close it.
It is known that Georgian seasoning burns fats and normalizes metabolic processes in the body. Bon appetit and good health!