Plum Sauce
Plum sauce and duck sauce are often referred to interchangeably in recipe books and online. Although they’re similar, each one should be treated differently on your plate.
Plum sauce is a Cantonese condiment that has a sweet-tart flavor with a spicy undertone. It is light brown with a smooth, thick texture that’s excellent for dipping, basting, or adding into foods as a sauce. Plum sauce’s flavor is less tangy than sweet and sour sauce (as in Sweet & Sour Pork/Chicken), and the addition of various spices gives plum sauce more depth of flavor. Duck sauce is distinguished by its fruity flavor thanks to the inclusion of apricots, plums, peaches or pineapples. While sweet and sour sauce is sweet, it doesn’t have the fruity flavor of duck sauce.
Uses for Plum Sauce: as a sauce for moo shu, a basting sauce for duck, chicken, or pork as they cook, a finishing sauce for roasted duck, chicken, shrimp, or pork, with noodles or rice, as a stir fry sauce, a dipping sauce for wontons, egg rolls, spring rolls, and dumplings
Duck sauce is a Chinese American condiment that is popular in Chinese restaurants an is a much more recent creation. When Chinese immigrants arrived in the United States, they started local restaurants. One theory is that although local chefs wanted to provide sauce with their food, they needed to adjust the flavor of duck sauce to appeal to local flavor preferences. Duck sauce was the result – a much sweeter sauce with less spice. A second theory is that immigrants couldn’t find a supply of Asian plums in America, so other fruits like apples and pears were included in the mix.
While each sauce has many uses, plum sauce is more commonly used as an ingredient and a condiment. Duck sauce is more likely to be found on the side of a plate as a dipping sauce for crispy duck pancakes, egg rolls, crispy noodles, and other fried dishes. Plum sauce makes a great substitute for duck sauce if you’re looking for a dipping condiment. Plum sauce isn’t as sweet or tangy, but it’ll still make a delicious replacement.
The list of ingredients on Chinese jarred plum sauce is similar to the recipe below.
Chinese Plum Sauce
from https://www.seriouseats.com/
"A quick perusal of Put 'em Up! by Sherri Brooks Vinton inspired me to make this Chinese Plum Sauce, especially after reading Vinton's claim that this condiment might end up being my new ketchup." (Caroline Russock at Serious Eats)
2 pounds plums, pitted and chopped
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
2 garlic cloves
1 star anise
Prepare: Combine the plums, vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and star anise in a large nonreactive pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until thickened, 20 to 25 minutes. Fish out the star anise and discard. Purée the sauce with a stick blender.
Refrigerate: Ladle into bowls or jars. Cool, cover, and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.
Can: Use the boiling-water method. Ladle into clean, hot 4-ounce or half-pint canning jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Release trapped air. Wipe the rims clean; center lids on the jars and screw on jar bands. Process for 10 minutes. Turn off heat, remove canner lid, and let jars rest in the water for 5 minutes. Remove jars and set aside for 24 hours. Check seals, then store in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.
YIELD: about 3 cups
