Pete’s Plum Sauce
(adapted from a recipe in Jams and Preserves, published by Murdoch Press)
- 1.5kg sour plums, stoned and halved (we used the President plums that we bought last week)
- 500g brown sugar
- 375ml white wine vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 onion, peeled and grated
- 2 small red chillis, seeded and chopped
- 1 large apple or two small ones, peeled, cored and chopped
- 60ml dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons of homemade ginger jam (original recipe used 2 tablespoons peeled and chopped fresh ginger)
- 125ml water
1. Put the chopped, peeled apple into a large stock pot and cover with 125ml water. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the apple is soft.
2. Add all the remaining ingredients and bring the mixture to a boil. Simmer for about 45 minutes over a low to medium heat until the sauce is thick and pulpy, stirring frequently.
3. Pass the mixture through a food mill or press it through a coarse sieve. If you’re using a tomato juicer as we did, allow the mix to cool a little prior to processing.
4. Wash the cooking pot, and put the strained sauce back into it. Taste the sauce to see if you’d like it sweeter or more acidic, and adjust accordingly. Simmer over a medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens to your liking.
5. Ladle the sauce into sterilised jars, seal well and process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. Please see our Jam Making Primer for more information. The original instructions suggest that you let the sauce mature for a month before eating, to allow all the flavours to meld.
These quantities make enough plum sauce to fill five to six 300ml jars.
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 