Plum Sauce

part of: Plum

Plum sauce is a smooth, glossy condiment with a balance of sweetness, tartness, and warm spice. It ranges in colour from deep amber to reddish-brown depending on the plum variety used.

In Australian kitchens, plum sauce is a staple alongside roast duck and Chinese-style barbecue dishes. It also works well as a dipping sauce for spring rolls, dumplings, and crispy wontons. Some versions lean sweeter while others carry more vinegar punch or chilli heat.

Commercially bottled plum sauce is widely available in supermarkets and Asian grocery stores, though homemade versions are straightforward to prepare when plums are in season during summer.

Farmed
photograph to come — from twenty years of markets, farms and kitchens

How it's made

Plums are cooked down with sugar, vinegar, and aromatic spices such as ginger, star anise, or garlic until the fruit breaks down into a thick, smooth sauce. The mixture is simmered until it reaches the desired consistency, then bottled. Commercial versions are pasteurised for shelf stability.

Nutrition (per 100g)

Energy 184kcal
Protein 0.9g
Carbs 42.1g
Fat 1g
Fibre 0.7g Sugar 0g
Mass Distribution

1 tbsp is about 19 g — roughly 30 kcal of this.

What it costs the planet (per kilo)

Carbon ≈1.34kg
Freshwater ≈277.19L
Land ≈1.5m²

≈ Estimated — worked out from a category-typical value further up its supply chain. Where this comes from →

Where it comes from

Made from
Plum, product

In the kitchen

Used as

sweet asian dipping sauce

Classic dishes
  • Peking Duck
  • Spring Rolls
  • Char Siu Pork

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Where this data comes from

Nutrition data from

USDA

How it was calculated

SR Legacy

Full credits, licences, and methods: the sources page →

Where to next

made fromPlum, product goes well withduck goes well withpork goes well withspring roll wrapper goes well withginger goes well withsesame shares a sourceBaby Food (Plum) shares a sourceCanned Plums shares a sourcePlum shares a sourcePlum Jam shares a sourcePrune (Dried Plum) shares a sourcePrune Juice
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