Tkemali

Ingredients

• 2¼ lbSour plumsunripe or sour, cherry plums also work
• 6 clovesgarlicfinely crushed or blended
• 1¾ ozcilantroabout one large bunch
• 1chili pepperground chili works too, heat to taste
• 1 tspCorianderseeds freshly crushed in a mortar
• 1 tspMint or ombalo (pennyroyal)dried or freshly chopped
• ⅔ ozDillfresh; crushed dill seed as substitute
• 1 tspkhmeli suneli
• 1½ tbspsugaronly if the fruit is very tart
• 1½ tspsaltadjust to taste
• ½ cupwaterto soften the fruit
• ⅔ ozparsleyin addition to the cilantro (optional)
• 2 tbspvinegarwine or cider vinegar, for preserving only (optional)

Method

1. Wash the sour plums and sort out any spoiled fruit; either halve and pit them or leave them whole — the stones come out later when you pass the fruit through a sieve anyway.
2. Put the plums in a heavy-bottomed pot with the water, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer gently until the fruit collapses.
3. Pour off any excess cooking liquid and keep it — you can use it to loosen the sauce later if it reduces too far.
4. Press the fruit through a sieve to remove stones and skins; if you like, blitz it with an immersion blender first.
5. Finely chop the garlic, chili pepper, cilantro and dill, or work them into a paste in a blender or mortar; add the parsley if you're using it.
6. Return the purée to the pot, stir in the herb paste and season with ground coriander, khmeli-suneli and mint or ombalo.
7. Season with salt and, if the fruit is very tart, with the sugar, then reduce over low heat, stirring often, until the sauce is thick.
8. Check the consistency, smooth it once more with the immersion blender if needed and adjust the seasoning; stir in the vinegar if you want it to keep longer.
9. Ladle the hot sauce into sterilized jars, seal, turn them upside down and let them cool covered; store cool and dark — once opened, the sauce keeps a few weeks in the fridge.

Tips and variations

Instead of sour plums you can use sloes, cherry plums (alycha, briefly cooked and passed through a sieve) or red currants — season the currant version only with coriander, caraway, fresh cilantro and garlic. Tomatoes in equal parts or tart apples can be cooked along with the fruit, pomegranate juice adds extra acidity, and a little oil poured over the sauce in the jar acts as a protective layer. Add cloves, cumin, ucho-suneli or tarragon if you like; for a very herb-heavy, coarse version with basil, onion, barberry, paprika, allspice and Imeretian saffron, simply skip the sieving. You can also purée the raw plums first and cook them afterwards. Let the sauce rest overnight — the flavor rounds out noticeably — and serve it with meat and poultry, hot, warm or cold, and especially with anything off the grill.