Tkemali is a variety of medium-sized, sour plum. In the “basic” version, tkemali sauce is prepared from this fruit.

Currently, there are various modifications of this dish, and as a result, many recipes have appeared that differ, at first glance, slightly, but the shades of taste and aroma depend on these little things. And now everyone can choose the most suitable cooking method for themselves.

Anyone who has ever tried Georgian cuisine cannot help but notice how memorable, unusual, exquisite taste and aroma, distinguishing them from all other culinary masterpieces; therefore, many housewives try to give their dishes the flavor of Georgian cuisine, at least approximately, so that at least a reminder of this original flavor is preserved.

One of the methods add to everyday dishes The unusual flavor of Georgian cuisine is the addition of traditional Georgian sauces. For example, tkemali is a traditional Georgian sauce that is made from plums and served as an addition to meat and fish, as well as side dishes.

This dish stores well if you prepare it for the winter - simply preserve it in jars or bottles.

Let's look at and compare different recipes for making this sauce.

There are a great many recipes for preparing tkemali at home; each cook strives to add something of his own, or change the proportions of the components according to your taste. But experienced housewives who have already repeatedly prepared plums for the winter in this way can improvise. Beginning cooks are advised to adhere to one of the classic recipes for preparing tkemali, so as not to make a mistake with the future taste of the dish. And in the future, having decided on a set of spices, you can start experimenting and improvising.

So here it is - sauce preparation algorithm"tkemali" made from plums. The recipe is classic; for those who will cook for the first time, you can take it as a basis and gradually modify it in accordance with your gastronomic preferences (any change in proportions, as well as the use of a different type of fruit, will lead to a change in taste and color).

Plum tkemali. Recipe

For the winter, you can prepare various varieties of plums in this way, not only blue-violet ones; You can also make this sauce from cherry plums. This fruit ripens in the middle of summer, and there are more early varieties, which can be used to prepare tkemali sauce at home for the winter already in early July. When using such varieties, you will have to use dry seasonings, since some of the spices necessary for cooking have not yet ripened. Sauce made from yellow plums or cherry plums has a pleasant taste and an unusual, sunny yellow color.

Consider a classic recipe for such a homemade preparation

Let's prepare the products:

  • Ripe cherry plum (or plum) - 1 kilogram;
  • Sugar - 50 grams;
  • three heads of garlic;
  • Salt - to taste, as you like
  • Pepper (hot) - 1 pc., medium size
  • Cilantro - 50 g;
  • Dill (preferably fresh) - 60 g;
  • coriander (preferably ground) - 1 teaspoon

So, tkemali recipe from cherry plum.

You can make tkemali using a slow cooker

Components

  • plum fruits (ripe, you can take any variety)
  • a bunch of fresh herbs (dill, parsley, cilantro)
  • salt and sugar - as they say, to taste
  • 70% vinegar (you will need 1 teaspoon for each liter of sauce)
  • 6−7 cloves of garlic
  • capsicum red pepper - 1 pc.
  • “khmeli-suneli” - one teaspoon for each liter of sauce

Cooking process dishes:

Recipe for plum tkemali with bell pepper

Very interesting variation on a theme classic recipe.

We will need:

How to cook:

  1. Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly and dry
  2. Grind peppers, plums and garlic in a meat grinder
  3. Fruit skins and other large fragments can be removed by rubbing the resulting mass through a sieve.
  4. Boil
  5. At this stage, add spices and seasonings to taste.
  6. Cook over low heat for about 20 minutes
  7. To prepare for the winter, pour into jars and seal with metal lids.

As can be seen from the above recipes, some of the ingredients remain unchanged, but depending on taste preferences, can be supplemented with various components: if you want it spicier, then hot pepper, for a softer, sweetish taste - apples or bell pepper. The main thing is that the sauce turns out tasty.

Bon appetit!

The legendary tkemali sauce is prepared from a certain variety of cherry plum, garlic and herbs. He has mass beneficial properties for human health and has a special aromatic taste that suits meat, fish dishes, as well as turkey and chicken.

The original recipe for this seasoning consists of plums and herbs growing in the highlands of Georgia, but modern options allow you to cook it from sour fruits and berries grown in various regions of Russia, with the addition of spices.

Tkemali - a dish of Georgian cuisine

Tkemali sauce is a prominent representative of national Georgian cuisine. It got its name from the sour plums of the same name, which form the basis of the dish and determine its sweet and sour taste. The second important component is ombalo or a special marsh mint that grows in the Caucasus mountains. It is this that gives the unique lemon-mint aroma to the seasoning.

Classic recipes also include a number of herbs and spices, such as garlic, cilantro, dill, red hot pepper and others.

Tkemali is a natural and tasty product that has a beneficial effect on the human body. It contains whole line vitamins (E, B1, B2, P, PP and C), and a huge amount of pectin, which promotes the active absorption of protein foods. Plum sauce stimulates the functioning of the heart, brain and intestines, and also significantly improves the condition of the skin, hair and nails.

The savory dish contains absolutely no oils or fats, is a low-calorie product and can be safely included in the menu for weight loss diets.

Tkemali made from plums is popular not only in Georgia, but also in various regions of Russia. The classic recipe has been adapted and now sour plums of various local varieties, as well as gooseberries and red currants are widely used for its preparation.

Classic Georgian tkemali recipe

Georgian sauce is prepared from a special variety of cherry plum - tkemali. They're in large quantities grow wild in mountainous areas and in home gardens.

The taste of the dish depends on the color of the fruit. A sour and spicy seasoning obtained from yellow plums, which are sometimes replaced with red ones, and from green ones - softer and sweeter, sloe berries are added to it.

The second mandatory component of the original tkemali recipe is a type of mint with a mysterious name - ombalo, which gives the sauce a unique lemon-mint aroma.

The remaining ingredients in the recipe may vary depending on traditions and taste preferences.

Ingredients for making the sauce:

  • yellow tkemali – 8 kg;
  • ombalo (mint) - 1 bunch;
  • garlic – 8 heads;
  • allspice – 2 teaspoons;
  • red hot pepper – 1 pod;
  • cilantro – 1 large bunch;
  • ground coriander – 1 tablespoon;
  • hot green pepper – 1 pod;
  • majoram – 1 bunch;
  • cloves – 1 teaspoon;
  • sugar, salt, ground black pepper to taste.

When preparing the ingredients, it is necessary to take into account that to prepare one liter of seasoning, four kilograms of plums are required, since they boil down greatly.

Preparing the sauce step by step

Cooking tkemali step by step classic recipe includes three main stages.

First step. The basis of the dish is tkemali puree, which is prepared in two ways:

  1. 1. Wash the plums, place them in a pan with a wide, thick bottom, pour clean drinking water so that they are only slightly closed. Cook over low heat for about 30 minutes. After time, the fruits are removed with a slotted spoon, separated from the seeds and rubbed through a sieve or crushed with a blender. The broth is saved.
  2. 2. Fresh cherry plum is cut in half lengthwise and, turning the halves in different directions, freed from the core, or a special device is used to remove it. Peeled fruits are crushed by passing through a fine grid of a food processor until a homogeneous mass is obtained.

The prepared pulp is boiled over low heat until thick as sour cream, stirring constantly. The seasoning should not be allowed to burn.

Second step. Fresh herbs - ombalo (mint), cilantro and majoram - finely chopped. Garlic is pressed through a press. Mix everything and add to the prepared plums.

Dry spices - allspice and cloves are ground in a mill or ground in a mortar, ground coriander is added to them. The mixture is poured into fruit puree.

Pods of hot red and green peppers are peeled from the stalk with seeds, cut into thin pieces and sent to the plums. The prepared mass is thoroughly mixed, salt, sugar and ground black pepper are added to taste.

Third step. Bring the fruit pulp with herbs and spices to a boil and cook for another five minutes. The finished tkemali is poured into dry, hot, sterilized jars and sealed with lids. For long-term storage, pour a few drops of calcined vegetable oil into each container.

The sauce is aromatic and very hot. To soften the taste, the amount of hot spices is reduced or even completely eliminated from the composition.

Modern methods of preparing plum relish

Tkemali sauce is loved not only in Georgia, but it is also popular among Russian residents different regions countries. However, preparing an original Caucasian dish can be quite difficult, due to the fact that the main components - cherry plum and ombalo - do not grow in Russia.

In modern conditions, the classic recipe has been developed and many housewives use sour varieties of local plums to prepare it. You can find mint at the spice market or replace it with the spice khmeli-suneli, which also contains it.

Homemade plum sauce

The basis of this dish is any plum fruit with a pronounced sour taste.

Ingredients:

  • sour plums – 1 kg;
  • garlic – 1 head;
  • dill and parsley, 1 bunch each;
  • hops-suneli - 2 teaspoons;
  • dried mint – 1 teaspoon;
  • red hot pepper – 1 pod or ground chili – 0.25 teaspoon;
  • sugar – 2 tablespoons;
  • salt – 1.5 teaspoons.

Plum fruits are boiled until softened, the seeds are separated and ground into a homogeneous mass. Hot pepper, salt, sugar and a tied bunch of dill are added to the puree, which is removed at the end of cooking. The mixture continues to cook over low heat until it reaches the consistency of thick sour cream. Then add crushed herbs and spices.

With constant stirring, the resulting mass is brought to a boil and boiled for another 15 minutes, poured into dry, hot jars. Add a spoonful of calcined vegetable oil to each of them, cover with lids and store in a cool, dark place.

The spiciness of the dish is adjusted by personal preferences; for those who like hot seasonings, increase the amount of garlic and pepper, and the predominance of herbs gives the taste softness and tenderness. By changing the proportions of ingredients, you can choose your own best option tkemali recipe.

Tkemali with tomatoes

Tkemali sauce with tomatoes is served with meat, replaces traditional ketchup and creates a new fresh taste for familiar dishes. It is easy to prepare at home and store for the winter.

There are two versions of the plum-tomato seasoning recipe. One of them contains herbs and herbs, while the other does not.

First way. Ingredients:

  • tomatoes – 2 kg;
  • plums – 1.3 kg;
  • onion – 3 medium heads;
  • sugar – 100 grams;
  • salt – 40 grams;
  • garlic – 1 head;
  • chili pepper – 1-2 pods;
  • ground red paprika – 1 teaspoon;
  • celery – 2 stalks;
  • dill, basil, cilantro - 1 bunch each.

The basis of the dish is fruit and vegetable puree. To prepare it, tomatoes, pitted plums, onions, celery stalks and basil are crushed, passing everything through a meat grinder or using a blender. Place the resulting homogeneous mass in a saucepan with a wide, thick bottom, add sugar and salt and bring to a boil, remembering to stir, reduce the heat to low and continue cooking for an hour and a half.

The dill and cilantro are finely chopped, the garlic is passed through a press and placed in the hot mixture 20 minutes before the end of cooking.

Then, as soon as the puree boils, add a mixture of ground paprika and chili pepper, previously peeled from the stalk with seeds and finely chopped. After 10 minutes, the sauce will be ready; let it cool and pour into sterilized jars. Store in the refrigerator or cellar.

The second option is prepared in a similar way, but the following ingredients are excluded from the recipe: celery, dill, basil and cilantro. The dish turns out more spicy.

Plum and nut sauce

Tkemali with walnuts is tasty, healthy and satisfying. You can eat it simply spread on bread, it is good for dishes cooked on the grill, and you can also marinate meat and poultry in it.

Ingredients:

  • red cherry plum – 3.2 kg;
  • sugar – 150 grams;
  • salt – 2 tablespoons;
  • hops-suneli - 1 tablespoon;
  • mint – 1 small bunch;
  • cilantro – 2 medium bunches;
  • garlic – 1 head;
  • crushed walnuts– 1 glass.

Pour the plums with a small amount of water and cook until the pits and skins begin to separate from each other. The fruits are peeled and blended into a homogeneous mass using a blender. The resulting puree is put back into the pan and combined with the broth.

Then you should add crushed garlic, fresh finely chopped herbs (mint and cilantro), khmeli-suneli spices, salt and sugar. Mix everything well, bring to a boil and continue cooking for a quarter of an hour.

Add chopped walnuts, boil for 5 minutes and turn off the heat. The finished sauce is poured into jars and covered with lids.

Tkemali with pomegranate juice

The original seasoning recipe was born in Georgian mountain villages and was developed in national cuisines other peoples. In Armenia they cook with pomegranate juice, which gives a special piquancy to the sauce.

Ingredients:

  • cherry plum – 2.3 kg;
  • grant juice – 100 ml;
  • sugar - 200 grams;
  • salt - 2 tablespoons;
  • parsley, dill, cilantro - 1 bunch each;
  • garlic – 1 head;
  • ground chili pepper – 2 tablespoons;
  • vegetable oil – 4 tablespoons.

Place the washed fruits in a saucepan, pour in the pomegranate juice and cook at closed lid until softened, about half an hour. Then the plums are pitted and ground into a homogeneous mass. The broth is saved.

Add salt and sugar to the resulting puree and pour it into the same container, where it is boiled for 15 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly.

The garlic is crushed by passing it through a press, finely chopped herbs and ground pepper are added to it and placed in boiling puree, which is boiled for another quarter of an hour.

Ready tkemali with pomegranate juice is poured into pre-sterilized jars or bottles. Pour a little on top vegetable oil and seal with lids. It is better to store in the refrigerator.

Georgian plum sauce, prepared according to the classic recipe or with the addition of other fruits and vegetables, is natural, healthy and tasty dish. It will perfectly complement the daily menu at any time of the year and is simply irreplaceable at summer picnics.

Pour the plums into a saucepan and fill with water. Water should not cover the plums; it is needed to prevent the plums from sticking to the bottom. Approximately 1 glass of water per 1 kg of drain. If the plums are very soft, less water will be needed.

Place the mixture on the fire and cook for 7-10 minutes. Cooking time depends on the plum itself; cook until the plum becomes soft and begins to burst. Remove the plum from the heat and let it cool completely.

Pour the entire plum mass into a colander and, without disturbing, simply let the excess liquid drain. We pour the resulting liquid into a separate container and set it aside (only part of this juice may be needed for preparing tkemali). Now let's take care of the plums; it is the pulp that will be needed to prepare tkemali. Carefully grind all the pulp through a colander into a separate pan. Transfer the remaining pulp with seeds in the colander to cheesecloth and, using gauze, thoroughly squeeze the seeds from the pulp. The leftovers (bones with pulp remaining in the gauze) can not be thrown away, but filled with water, added sugar and drunk as a drink. But that’s not about that now. Let's get back to preparing tkemali.

Add garlic, cilantro, coriander, salt, sugar, hot pepper, chopped in a blender, to the pan with the plum pulp. You can adjust the proportions of sugar, salt and spices to your taste. If our plum sauce turns out to be very thick, you can slightly dilute the tkemali with the juice that we set aside earlier. Cook our mixture over low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The main thing to remember is that salt and sugar will enhance their taste after cooling, so it’s better to add a little less salt and sugar.

Pour the finished tkemali from plums into sterilized jars and screw. Turn the jars over and cover them with a blanket until they cool completely. We store plum tkemali in a pantry or cellar. Best sauce ready for meat! The wonderful taste of tkemali in winter will give you memories of warm summer.

Choose classic recipes and the latest creative plum tkemali in the culinary masterpieces workshop website. Check out the variations of “young” tkemali, and ripe cherry plum sauce, yellow and red varieties, with a diverse set of spices and herbs.

The process of preparing tkemali is quite simple, but in order to get a real Georgian dish there are two small secret. First, plums must be sour! After all, tkemali is a wild variety of cherry plum that grows in Georgia. But you can take any other sour plum variety. The second nuance is ombalo grass. This is a “swamp” relative of mint. You can find it in markets, from sellers of Georgian spices.

The five most commonly used ingredients in plum tkemali recipes:

Interesting recipe:
1. Pour cleanly washed cherry plum into a saucepan with water so that the berries are only lightly covered.
2. Bring to a boil, remove from heat. Let cool.
3. Carefully remove the plums using a slotted spoon.
4. Remove the seeds. Puree the pulp using a blender.
5. Peel and chop the garlic and hot pepper (in a blender, in a meat grinder, in a mortar).
6. Finely chop the greens.
7. Mix plum puree and grass.
8. Place the pan on medium flame and heat it well. Add the garlic-pepper mixture, salt, sugar, ombalo and other spices.
9. Boil for 10-12 minutes.
10. Pour into clean containers.
11. Store in the refrigerator.

Five of the fastest plum tkemali recipes:

Helpful Tips:
. It is imperative to save the liquid after cooking the plums. You can thin the tkemali with it if it turns out to be too thick. Or cook a wonderful plum compote.
. The spiciness of tkemali can be adjusted by the amount of hot pepper.
. To preserve tkemali for the winter, you can carefully pour vegetable oil over the surface of the sauce in storage containers, without mixing.
. Tkemali is an excellent addition to meat dishes, fish, pasta and cereals, and vegetable dishes. The sauce goes especially well with poultry meat - turkey or chicken.

For the winter, on the advice of my friend, I decided to prepare the famous Tkemali sauce. It can be prepared according to the classic recipe from cherry plums, but today we will do it from plums. The taste is in no way inferior to the familiar Georgian sauce. And you can serve it with both fish and meat.


Before you begin the cooking process, follow these little tips and then you will repeat the exquisite taste of the sauce the first time:

  1. Choose plum fruits of any color - blue, yellow or red. The main thing is that they are ripe.
  2. Instead of plum, you can use cherry plum. Peeling such a berry is not difficult; the seed is easily separated.
  3. Be sure to use spices from Georgia in the recipe: suneli hops, cilantro, coriander, capsicum. So, it’s easy to add a special aroma and taste to the sauce.
  4. To quickly peel a plum, first dip it in hot water, literally for five minutes or pour boiling water over it. The peel will be easily removed after this procedure.
  5. Watch the cooking time - it is important to observe the time, otherwise the sauce will be easy to overcook and spoil.
  6. So that children can try the sauce, just add less spices to it.

Plum tkemali - classic recipe, step-by-step recipe with photos


This year, I decided to make my own plum sauce, which tastes like the famous Georgian tkemali. Several secret ingredients enriched the taste of the prepared plum puree and made this sauce truly special!

There is no need to visit expensive restaurants at all, because you can quite easily and simply prepare a delicious spicy sauce at home, especially since all the components for seasoning with a liquid consistency, like a sauce, are quite affordable!

Plum sauce goes especially well with meat and poultry!

Ingredients:

  • plums – 1 kg;
  • salt – ½ tsp;
  • sugar – 1.5 tsp;
  • hops-suneli – 1 tsp;
  • Provençal herbs (with dry basil) – 1 tsp;
  • mint leaves – 10-12 pcs.;
  • cilantro – 1 bunch;
  • garlic – 2 teeth;
  • hot red pepper – 1 pod (small);
  • onion- 1 PC.;
  • olive oil – 2 tbsp. l..

Cooking method

Be sure to choose ripe and soft fruits for the sauce; these can be fruits of any variety, for example, July plum, Zarechnaya plum, or early-fruiting plum. Wash the plums thoroughly, remove excess debris and dirt, and remove rotten fruits.


Then, cut the plums in half and separate the pit from the pulp.


Place the peeled fruits in a saucepan and fill with water so that it completely covers all the plums. Simmer over low heat for 15-20 minutes.



Then, transfer the plum mass back into the pan and use a blender to blend the sauce to obtain a homogeneous consistency.


Add salt and sugar to the finished puree. Stir and place back on the stove. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.


Meanwhile, peel the onions. Grind it into small cubes.


Place onion pieces in a heated frying pan with olive oil. Fry until golden brown.


Pass a few cloves of garlic through a press, finely chop a pod of hot red pepper and combine with the fried onions in a saucepan with plum puree. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes.



Add all other spices and fresh herbs to the sauce. Stir, bring to a boil again and simmer for 7 minutes.


Place the prepared plum sauce into sterilized jars and close with tin lids.

Store this delicious sauce, preferably in the refrigerator.


I got 2 small jars of 200 g each.

Plum tkemali - classic video recipe for the winter

Another interesting recipe Making Tkemali sauce will help you understand how to prepare the preparation deliciously. But before you look at this recipe, a few more tips:

  • if you are new to making sauce, it is better to use simple recipes for preparing food for the winter;
  • the sauce will turn out perfect if you use a slow cooker;
  • It is important to add a spice such as khmeli-suneli in time to get exactly the aroma and taste as in real Tkemali;
  • You can add different vegetables to the sauce, for example. It will give the dish a sweetish tint.

To understand all the processes of preparing the sauce, you don’t need to go to Georgia, just watch this video.

And finally, don’t be afraid to try something new, improvise, invent, because you are an artist in your kitchen.