Asian Plum Sauce

I had a large box of beautiful Pluot Plums given to me this weekend.  Pluots are a hybrid of plum and apricot and are abundant in vitamin C, A and high in fiber.  The plums are a rich purple red color, juicy and firm.

The plums were pitted and cut and I realized just how much there actually was. I was going to have to triple the batch!  It is not recommended to double a batch when making jam, jelly or preserves but since I was going to pressure can the sauce I took the chance.  The plums were put into the blender to hasten the process then the onions were pureed. The sauce fit into a very large pots and was slowly cooked down till it thickened. 

The smell was delicious and made me want to make eggs rolls. Plum sauce is great to cook with chicken and pork. 

When chicken tender pieces are on sale for 99 cents a pound, I buy a 10 lb bag and freeze them in smaller packages.  I thaw the chicken tenders and put them in a roasting pan and cover them with the plum sauce and bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes or until they are done.

My friend Peggy likes to buy the chicken tenders and can them in the plum sauce.  She uses the canned chicken to make enchilladas with a sweet tangy taste.  I have also canned chicken this way and I used the plum chicken cut up in fried rice.  Yummy!

 ASIAN PLUM SAUCE

8 cups pitted and chopped plums

1 3/4 cups packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2/3 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 medium jalapeno pepper -- finely chopped

4 teaspoons mustard seed

2 teaspoons salt

6 cloves garlic -- minced

2 tablespoons minced ginger -- or 1 tbsp. powdered ginger

Bring all ingredients except plums to a boil in a non-aluminum pan. Stir in plums. Simmer until thick, stirring often. Mash with a potato masher or blend if you want a smoother sauce. I added a pat of butter to reduce the foaming as it cooked down.

To can: Fill hot, clean jars with hot sauce, leaving 1/4" headspace. Wipe rims, adjust lids and process in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes at 0-1000 ft., 25 minutes, 1001-6000 ft., or 30 minutes, above 6000 ft. Makes about 6 half pints