A recipe for a spicy plum sauce with an Asian flair, made with fresh plums, chili peppers, soy sauce and a variety of seasonings. Great as a dipper or for poultry.
Chili-Plum Sauce Recipe
Plum sauce time! As Patty and I were cruising through the grocery store, picking up some of the necessities for the week, I rounded the corner and nearly slammed into the enormous purple wall looming before me.
After my vision cleared, I realized it was plums, plums, and more plums.
Plum season runs from May through October, and they clearly JUST got a shipment in. There were so many, so vibrant, glorious in color and like most foods, they spoke to me.
"Mike! We want to be in your cart! Now! Take us home and cook with us!"
So into the cart they went. Who am I to disappoint fruit? The main goal was to enjoy a couple of them on their own. Plums are delicious all by themselves. Slice the up and pop them into your mouth. Not much needed there.
They're succulent, peach-like, mildly tart and cold. After that, it's time to make the plum sauce. Oh yeah!
With the massive amount of chili peppers we harvested from the garden this year, I opted for the golden jaloro peppers for this recipe. They're about the same heat level as the jalapeno pepper, similar flavor and thickness. You can use other peppers to your preference. Consider red or yellow bell peppers.
The color of your resulting sauce will change depending on the types of peppers you use, but the flavors will still be there.
Making the Sauce: In a nutshell, cook down the peppers and plums a few minutes, mix in with your remaining seasonings and simmer, then process to form your sauce.
We went an Asian route today, with vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, ginger. I added some ground mustard, cloves and lime juice to round it out. The end result is a thick sauce that will coat the back of a spoon.
Vibrant and delicious. The next question is:
What Can I Make With Plum Sauce?
Yes, what can I make with plum sauce indeed? I like to use some as a marinade for chicken, and also simmer the chicken in the sauce. Try it out with chicken wings for an Asian style wing.
Use it as a dipper for egg rolls, or toss it into a crock pot with meatballs. It goes nicely with pork as well.
Consider rice or noodles with plum sauce, with a bit of chopped pork or chicken tossed in, perhaps some sauteed cabbage or other vegetables. We also enjoy it as a dipper for fondue. So many uses!
Patty's Perspective
I feel like this sauce is extremely versatile. It can be easily thought of as a salsa. I could just dip chips in it all day. But I think it works great with white fish. It's a smart sauce to make on the weekend so you can use it throughout the week with different meals.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- I opted for the golden jaloro peppers for this recipe. They're about the same heat level as the jalapeno pepper, similar flavor and thickness. You can use other peppers to your preference. Consider red or yellow bell peppers.
- The color of your resulting sauce will change depending on the types of peppers you use, but the flavors will still be there.
Storage & Leftovers
Storing your Chile-Plum Sauce in an airtight container in the fridge may allow to keep it for up to 2-3 weeks. To maximize the storage life, make sure to refrigerate your sauce promptly.
Try Some Of My Other Popular Sauce Recipes
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Chile-Plum Sauce – Recipe
Ingredients
- Dash of olive oil
- 6 ounces chili peppers chopped – I used jaloros from the garden. Use about 10 or so jalapeno sized, or maybe 1-2 large bell peppers for a milder version
- 3 plums chopped
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- Juice from 1 lime
Instructions
- Heat a large pan to medium heat and add olive oil. Add peppers and plums. Cook about 5-6 minutes, stirring a bit.
- Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Cool and add to a food processor. Process until smooth.
- Store in bottles or containers and refrigerate.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Ciancibelli Dominic says
Mike,
Made this sauce according to recipe. When finished the sauce was so vinegary it was inedible. Called for half cup of apple cider vinegar, Where did I go wrong?
Mike Hultquist says
Ciancibelli, I'm not sure, but next time you can use a couple teaspoons of vinegar, then taste and adjust for more if you'd like.
dominic says
Thanks Mike.
Mike H. says
Welcome, Dominic!
Adrien says
I made this with some mild changes- peppers were black pearl hybrid and hinklehats, with some red and yellow non spicy peppers. My plums were small so used about 6 of them. I added some ginger paste instead of dry ginger. I also used a dash of chinese 5 spice powder in place of the cloves. I didn't add the mustard. Very tasty! Mild heat balanced w/ some sweetness. ( my plums were not sweet). Will see how it tastes after sitting in fridge for a few days.
Mike Hultquist says
I like to hear it, Adrien. Very customizable. Sounds wonderful to me. I wish I could try it! Enjoy!
Lorraine says
Can this be made using frozen plums?How long will it keep in the fridge.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Lorrain, you should be able to make this with frozen plums without issue. Because of the vinegar content, it should last a few months easily, though fruit based sauces don't last as long as non-fruit based. Enjoy!
Gretchen Danish says
Can you NOT use the fish sauce? And can you use ghost peppers ?
REPLY: Gretchen, yes, you can skip the fish sauce and YES, ghost peppers would ROCK here. -- Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
Cheryl says
Made this Thursday.....absolutely delicious!
Going to run and get some more plums (used large firm red ones) as my plants are still producing here in Illinois!