Homemade tkemali. How to make a wonderful Georgian sauce from any plum

Real Georgian tkemali sauce/seasoning, depending on the degree of ripeness of the plum, it turns out green (from unripe green tkemali) or red. Red is brewed from yellow or red tkemali or from green tkemali with the addition of sloe.

The main ingredients of the sauce are tkemali plum, garlic, herbs, ground pepper. The most commonly used herbs are cilantro, dill, and ombala, a type of mint with small rounded leaves (can be replaced with lemon balm).

First, the tkemali plum is boiled, then rubbed through a sieve, the resulting puree is boiled to the consistency of sour cream, crushed garlic, spices and salt are added, allowed to boil, and then cooled.

Classic tkemali made from yellow cherry plum

Different varieties of cherry plum differ from each other in shape, size, flavor and color of the fruit (they are yellow, red and green). Cherry plum is cultivated in Central Asia, Transcaucasia, the Caucasus and Crimea. Wild cherry plum, which is often called wild plum, also grows in these same areas.

If desired, you can add hot pepper and a couple of sprigs of lovage - a spicy and extremely fragrant perennial plant from the Apiaceae family, which also includes caraway, dill and fennel.

Classic tkemali made from yellow cherry plum

To prepare tkemali you need:

• 1 kg yellow cherry plum
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp. with a heap of non-iodized salt
• 2 tbsp. l. Sahara
• 1 tsp. khmeli-suneli
• 1 large bunch of fresh cilantro

1. Pour cold water over the cherry plum, bring to a boil, cook until soft, 30–40 minutes.
2. Rub the plum through a sieve.
3. Finely chop the garlic and mix with the plum pulp.
4. Transfer the resulting mass to a thick-bottomed saucepan and heat over low heat for 1 hour.
5. Add salt, sugar, suneli hops, chopped cilantro. Stir and bring to a boil.
6. Remove from heat and use as directed.

Ingredients:

• Cherry plum - 2.5 kilograms
• Greens - 200 grams (dill, mint, parsley, tarragon, cilantro, reyhan)
• Garlic – 2 pieces
• Red pepper - 2 pieces (hot)
• Allspice peas - 5-7 pieces
• Bay leaf – 3 pieces
• Dill - 3-4 pieces (umbrellas)
• Sugar - 1-1.5 cups
• Salt - 2-2.5 teaspoons
• Khmeli-suneli - 2 teaspoons
• Utskho-suneli – 2 teaspoons
• Ground coriander - 2 teaspoons
• Water – 1 glass

Number of servings: 20

Classic tkemali with ombalo and utskho-suneli

A big plus of tkemali: if you add sloe, blackberries or cherries to it, you get many options for delicious seasoning. Depending on the preparation method, the sauce may be intended for immediate consumption or for long-term storage.

Tkemali goes well with new potatoes, omelet, rustic spongy bread and flatbreads. It is generally accepted that it miraculously neutralizes excess fats and promotes their combustion.

Classic tkemali with ombalo and utskho-suneli

To prepare tkemali you need:

• 2 kg tkemali plums, green or yellow
• a sprig of dry ripe dill
• 5-6 cloves of garlic
• 3-4 pods of red pepper or 5-10 g ground
• 7 g tseretso or dill
• 7 g utskho-suneli
• 3-5 g ombalo
• 7 g coriander seeds
• non-iodized salt

1. Rinse the plums, put them in a saucepan and add water until it covers them. Place dry dill sprigs into the water. Bring to a boil, place in a sieve and drain.
2. Add very finely chopped garlic and pepper and a mixture of crushed spices to the resulting mass. Let it brew. Add salt.
3. Then put on low heat and, stirring continuously and adding water little by little, cook the sauce to a sour cream consistency.
4. Cool, then pour into sterilized bottles. Close the lid tightly. Store in a cool place.
5. Tkemali is served in a sauce boat with finely chopped fresh dill and cilantro.

How to store

The rolled sauce keeps well for twelve months. This happens thanks to ombalo, which has preservative properties.

Another secret to long-term storage is long cooking. It is this that provides the delicate consistency of the sauce. Store tkemali in glass jars in a dark and cool place.

Plum sauce "Tkemali"

Our regular and loyal user Yuna from the Yamal Peninsula is a great specialist in sauces. She made this one with blue plums, which she's not embarrassed to admit. The plum sauce turned out excellent.

Plum sauce "Tkemali"

To prepare plum sauce you need:

• 1 kg blue regular plum
• 3 clove buds
• 0.5 tsp. cumin
• 0.5 tsp. coriander seeds
• 0.5 tsp. dry mint
• 1 small bunch of fresh cilantro
• 1 small bunch of fresh parsley
• 1 small bunch of celery greens
• 1 small chili pepper, with or without seeds
• 1 medium head of garlic
• non-iodized salt and sugar

1. Wash the plums and remove the pits. Puree in a blender until pureed.
2. Place in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook from the moment of boiling for 15-20 minutes. Be careful, the mass is “spitting”! The foam needs to be removed.
3. Grind the dry spices in a mortar. Finely chop all the greens and chili peppers. Separate the head of garlic into cloves, peel and pass through a press.
4. Add the prepared ingredients to the contents of the pan.
5. Cook the sauce over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring. Salt and add sugar to taste.
6. Pour the hot sauce into prepared jars/bottles and seal. Store in a cool place.

Contraindications

Tkemali sauce can harm people who suffer from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (gastritis, ulcers). This is due to the natural pungency and acidity of the components.

Due to the fact that the product contains natural herbs, individual intolerance to any ingredient may occur. As a result, allergy symptoms may appear. Therefore, you should stop eating the dish.

Tkemali sauce is a healthy seasoning. Thanks to its qualities, you can easily enhance the taste of many dishes. First of all, this concerns meat, which makes it especially aromatic and piquant.

Making the sauce is quite simple, but the main thing is to find Tkemali plums. After all, it is problematic to do this outside of Georgia. Housewives can use tkemali recipes that offer other ingredients.

Plum sauce “Tkemali for the winter”

Is it worth making tkemali sauce for the winter if you can always buy something similar in the store? We are sure that yes, because homemade is much more tasty and aromatic.

This tkemali sauce contains no salt or sugar. A good plum simply doesn’t need them! However, if you think this is not the case, add a little salt and sugar during cooking or directly to the sauce before serving.

If you seal the tkemali sauce hermetically, it will be perfectly preserved throughout the winter, even without a refrigerator - just in a cool, dry place.

Plum sauce “Tkemali for the winter”

To prepare plum sauce you need:

• 1 kg plums, you can even use regular blue ones
• 100 ml drinking water
• 3 sprigs cilantro
• 1 head of garlic
• 3 tsp. ground coriander
• 1.5 tsp. ground chili pepper
• 2 tbsp. l. dried dill
• 2 tsp. dried mint
• 6–8 tsp. vegetable oil

1. Sort the plums, separating the wormy and wrinkled ones. Remove the branches. Place in a large saucepan.
2. Pour water. Place on the stove and bring to a boil over medium heat. Then reduce it to low and cook until the fruits are completely cooked.
3. Place a metal sieve over a small bowl. Throw the fruits onto it and collect the decoction. Press the plums through a sieve into another bowl or small saucepan.
4. Place the container with plum puree on low heat and, stirring, cook for about 45 minutes, periodically adding broth. The result should be a mass with the consistency of thick sour cream.
5. Finely chop the cilantro. Chop the garlic. Add it along with the cilantro and all the spices to the container with the plum puree. Cook over low heat for another 5 minutes.
6. Pour the resulting sauce into dry sterilized bottles and fill with vegetable oil. Seal tightly and let cool completely.

What can be replaced

We discussed in detail the preparation of tkemali sauce at home - unfortunately, it is not always possible to quickly prepare a delicious, aromatic dressing. If you couldn’t make the spice yourself and didn’t have time to buy the coveted bottle in the store, it’s time to figure out what to replace tkemali sauce with.

Now you know exactly what you can use to replace tkemali sauce in kharcho or other dishes. Don't be discouraged if you don't find the ingredients you need, because all it takes is a little ingenuity to fix the situation!

Have you studied what they eat with and where to add tkemali? It's time to prepare a couple of bottles to delight yourself, your family and guests! You already know the recipe, put it into practice without a doubt!

Bonus: recipe for chakapuli with tkemali

The popularity of chakapuli is easy to explain: young lamb is simmered in white wine with tkemali and a whole bunch of herbs. The result is an incredibly aromatic sauce and the most tender meat!

Chakapuli with tkemali

To prepare 4 servings you need:

• 2 kg lamb on the bone
• 100 g tarragon
• 100 g young green onions
• 100 g cilantro
• 1 green hot pepper
• 1 kg onion
• 50 garlic this season
• 1 tsp. Utskho-Suneli
• 0.3 tsp each ground coriander and red hot pepper
• 150 ml tkemali sauce, preferably green
• 300 ml dry white wine
• 100 g butter for serving

1. Cut the meat into pieces with bones. Finely chop all the greens, green peppers, onions and garlic.
2. Place the prepared products in a cauldron or thick-walled pan in layers: meat, onions with garlic, herbs, spices, salt, pepper, tkemali, and so on until all the ingredients are gone. Fill with wine.
3. Place over medium heat, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover with a lid and simmer over low heat until the meat is tender, 30–40 minutes.
4. Remove from heat, add butter cut into small pieces and let it melt. Serve immediately.

What is it served with?

You already know how to prepare tkemali sauce – it’s time to figure out what the bright, tasty mass is served with? It has memorable notes that perfectly complement a range of different dishes.

First, let's discuss what dishes Georgian tkemali sauce is ideal for:

• Beef, pork, lamb and chicken – fried or boiled meat/poultry;
• Fresh and stewed vegetables;
• Any side dishes – baked, boiled, charcoal-grilled or grilled. Potatoes, cereals, unsweetened cereals;
• Kebabs;
• Soups - especially borscht, cabbage soup and kharcho;
• National Georgian dishes - dolma, kharcho, chakhokhbili, lobio, kebab;
• Flatbreads and bread;
• Marinades.

Alternatively, you can put the mixture in a bowl and serve. Each guest will independently decide which dish to complement with spicy dressing. What is tkemali sauce and what is it eaten with now? Let us note in which cases it is better to refuse to use seasoning:

• Not suitable for fish, seafood and other protein products with a rich taste.

Also recommended: Unagi sauce

It's time to talk about what kind of dressing replacement you can choose if you don't have the original recipe at hand.