Tkemali Sauce
Tkemali sauce to Georgians is what ketchup is to Americans. This wonderful sweet-hot-sour invention can accompany practically any kind of dish, be it meat, poultry, fish or potatoes. Its great just to dip it with a nice piece of Georgian bread too.
​
Basically there are two types of Tkemali: green - based on green unripe cherry plums, red - made of ripe plums, so you can try both versions depending on the current season. Tkemali sauce can hold in the fridge for several month, so prepare plenty in advance, because you won't stop dipping on it.
​
Like with most national dishes, the ways to prepare proper Tkemali sauce are infinite. The following recipe makes use of Kmeli suneli, which is a mixture of herbs very popular in Georgian cuisine.
​
Preparation time: 40 mins.
Difficulty level: Easy
Servings: 10
Ingredients
1 Kg (2.2 lbs) plums (better unripe)
1/2 cup water
4 garlic cloves
1 chili pepper
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
3 tbsp. fresh dill
1 tbsp. tarragon
2 tsps. fresh peppermint
2 tsps. khmeli suneli (see below)
1 tbsp. sugar
olive oil
salt
pepper
​
Khmeli suneli
ground fenugreek
dry thyme
ground coriander
dry basil
dry dill
bay leaf
dry celery
dry peppermint
dry parsley
oregano
hot paprika
turmeric
Preparation
Cut plums in halves and remove the pits.
Put in a pot with 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil, then simmer on medium-low heat for about 20 minutes until soft, stirring from time to time.
Chop the garlic and the chili pepper and add to the pot.
Add the rest of the ingredients and let simmer 10 minutes more.
Transfer to a food processor and process until everything is blended into a uniform sauce.
Put in a sealed jar, keep in the fridge.
​
Preparing khmeli suneli:
Mix equal amounts of all the ingredients together. Keep in an airtight box.