Georgian plum sauce (Tkemali)

Tkemali is the universal condiment in Georgia. It can be used on chicken, vegetables, grilled lamb or beef, or to flavour soups and stews.

Georgian sauces are so delicious in and of themselves that a common expression goes: with a Georgian sauce you can swallow nails.

650g plums		cut in half, remove pits		puree, return to clean pan, bring to boil, cook over medium heat, stirring, 3 minutes
1/4 cup water		bring to boil, simmer covered 15 minutes or until soft
3/4 teaspoon coriander seed			grind in pestle and mortar	cook 5 minutes or until slightly thickened
1 teaspoon fennel seed
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic	peeled, roughly chopped		grind to a fine paste
1 tablespoon fresh mint	minced finely			stir in
1/3 cup fresh coriander

Use tart plums, not too sweet or ripe.

This is simple to make and strikingly exotic.