Words Harriet Boucher, Images Ashlee Decaires
Use up those early season plums with this Chinese five spice chutney. Serve this chutney alongside your Christmas ham, turkey or roast chicken, then use it with leftovers toasted sandwiches for days to come. You can also blitz it up for a smooth plum sauce.
1 small onion, diced
4cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated (around 30–40g)
1kg of Billington (Christmas) plums, cut into large cubes
2 apples, peeled and grated
¾ cup malt vinegar
1 cup water
¼ cup soy sauce
¾ cup brown sugar
large pinch of chilli flakes
1 tbsp Chinese five spice
¼ tsp cloves
good grinding of pepper
Place all ingredients into a medium sized saucepan. Bring to a simmer then turn the heat down and reduce into a thick chutney, about 1 hour. Pour into sterilised jars and seal.
