Asian-Style Plum Sauce

makes: 4 half-pint jars

active time: 90 minutes

L ate-season plums, arriving at the end of summer, are dusky and deep, dark violet, with
golden, sweet flesh. When cooked, they turn a deeper purple with reddish under-
tones, like garnets. This is a very versatile sauce. Bright and fruity, acidic, and eye-opening
with the surprise of heat from the chile, it’s wonderful with Spiced Pork Chops (page 307),
mixed with hot mustard for dipping spring rolls or dumplings, or stirred together with
fermented black beans and brushed on grilled tofu. Just one jar has the potential to bring
many new flavors to the table.

1½ cups (12 oz., 340 g) firmly 1. Combine the two sugars, vinegar, onion, chile, garlic, and gin-
packed light brown sugar ger in your preserving pot and bring to a boil that will not stir
¾ cup (5 oz., 138 g) granulated down.
sugar
2. Add the plums and bring back to a boil. Mash the mixture with
¾ cup (6 oz., 180 ml) cider
a potato masher, or use an immersion blender, pureeing for as
vinegar
long as you wish, depending on whether you want a smooth or
1 cup (4 oz., 110 g) finely
chunky sauce. I like mine a little chunky.
minced onion
1 medium jalapeño pepper, 3. Lower the heat and simmer until the sauce is reduced by half,
seeds removed and finely thick, and syrupy, about 30 minutes. Stir well in the last 10
chopped minutes to avoid scorching.
3 garlic cloves, minced
4. Ladle into the warm jars, leaving 1∕2-inch headspace. Clean the
1½ tablespoons grated peeled
rims of the jars well with a damp paper towel. Place the lids and
fresh ginger
rings on the jars and finger-tighten the rings.
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1½ teaspoons salt 5. Process in a boiling-water bath for 20 minutes.
½ teaspoon Szechuan
The sauce is shelf stable for 1 year.
peppercorns
3 pounds (1350 g) late-season or
Damson plums, pitted and
chopped into ½-inch dice

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