Chinese plum sauce
Vegetarian
酸梅醬 · suānméi jiàng
Ripe plums simmered with sugar, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, star anise and a little chilli, then blended into a glossy, sweet-sour amber sauce for roast duck, spring rolls and fried wontons.
Chinese plum sauce is a Cantonese sauce from China, ready in about 1 hour 15 minutes and made with plum, brown sugar and rice vinegar. It serves 20 and is rated easy to cook.
No licensed photograph of this dish yet.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Rest
- 20 min
- Total
- 1 h 15 min
- Serves
- 20
- Level
- Easy
- Calories
- 40
Method
Step 1
Halve and stone the plums (opens in a new tab) and chop roughly; grate the ginger and garlic (opens in a new tab); chop the chilli.
How it looks · Photo: RDNE Stock project on Pexels Step 2
Put the plums (opens in a new tab), sugar, vinegar, water, ginger, garlic (opens in a new tab), star anise (opens in a new tab), chilli, soy sauce (opens in a new tab) and salt in a heavy saucepan (opens in a new tab). Bring to the boil over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
- 5 min
- medium heat
- Saucepan (opens in a new tab)
- Wooden spoon (opens in a new tab)
Step 3
Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 25–30 minutes, stirring more often towards the end, until the plums (opens in a new tab) have completely collapsed and the sauce is thick and jammy.
- 30 min
- medium-low heat
- Wooden spoon (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: Thick fruit sauces spit as they reduce; stir with a long spoon.
How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels Step 4
Fish out the star anise (opens in a new tab). Blend with a stick blender until smooth; for a very fine sauce, push it through a sieve to remove skin fragments.
Step 5
Check the consistency on a cold plate: it should run slowly, like runny honey. Simmer a few minutes more if thin, or loosen with water if too thick. Cool and jar.
- 4 min
- low heat
- Glass jar with lid (opens in a new tab)
About this dish
- Origin
- Guangdong, China · Commonly attributedCantonese suan mei jiang is traditionally made from salted, preserved sour plums, often with apricot, sugar, vinegar and chilli. Fresh plums are the common home method outside China, so this version is labelled a regional/home variation.Also popular in Hong Kong, United Kingdom, United StatesMore food from China
- Dish
- Lunch · Dinner · Snack · Sauces · Dips & spreads · Condiments, chutneys & relishes
- Cooking method
- Simmered, Blended
- Taste
- sweet & sour, fruity, aromatic / warmly spiced, spicy (chilli heat)
- Diet
- Vegan · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carbWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-fat · DASH-style - Good for
- Make-ahead · Festive & celebration
- Cook more with
- Plum · Brown sugar · Rice vinegar · Fresh ginger · Garlic · Star anise / anise
- Techniques
- Boiling · Simmering · Wet grinding · Emulsification
Allergens
- Contains: Wheatfrom soy sauce
- Contains: Glutenfrom soy sauce
- Contains: Soyfrom soy sauce
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
40 kcal per serving
Estimated1 serving ≈ 28 g · recipe makes 20
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 4%
- Carbohydrate 94%
- Fat 2%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 40 kcal | 142 kcal |
| Protein | 0.4 g | 1.3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 9.7 g | 34.7 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 9.2 g | 33 g |
| Sugars | 8.8 g | 31.5 g |
| Added sugars | 5.8 g | 20.8 g |
| Fibre | 0.5 g | 1.7 g |
| Fat | 0.1 g | 0.4 g |
| Saturated fat | 0 g | 0 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 88 mg | 315 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 0.2 g | 0.8 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 65 mg
- Calcium
- 9 mg
- Iron
- 0.2 mg
- Magnesium
- 4 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 5 µg
- Vitamin C
- 3 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 2 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- Optional ingredients are not included: fresh red chilli.
- Rice vinegar: Distilled vinegar (FDC 172237) used as a stand-in for unseasoned rice vinegar.
- Star anise / anise: Anise seed (FDC 171316) used as a stand-in for star anise.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- Sharp, slightly under-ripe plums give the best sweet-sour balance; very sweet plums need an extra splash of vinegar.
Common mistakes
- Over-reducing: plum pectin sets the sauce firmer as it cools.
Serve with
- Roast duck or crispy aromatic duck pancakes.
- Spring rolls, fried wontons and prawn toast.
- Glaze for pork ribs or chicken wings.
Food safety
- Use scrupulously clean jars (wash in hot soapy water, then dry in a 120 °C oven for 15 minutes or boil for 10 minutes) and always serve with a clean, dry spoon.
Storage
- Refrigerate in a clean jar for up to 4 weeks; freeze for 6 months.
Variations
- Preserved-plum sauce (China): Salted sour plums (suan mei) mashed with sugar, vinegar and apricot, the bottled Cantonese style.
- Duck sauce (American Chinese) (United States): A thinner, sweeter, translucent sauce often based on apricots or peaches, sold in packets with takeaway.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
What the dish is built around
Main ingredient
- Plum, ripe red or dark plums, halved, stoned and roughly chopped (about 540 g prepared)600 g
- Fresh red chilli, 1 small chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)6 g
Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.
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