There’s a windfall of delicious plums to be gathered in gardens and pick-your-own farms up and down the country right now, but they’re often overlooked. Instead, it’s peaches, nectarines and apricots that get all the glory. Well, more for me! Plums that haven’t flown in from far-flung places are best: sweet, tart, fleshy and complex in flavour. It’s a no-brainer to earmark them for comforting cakes and puddings, but they are an equally worthy companion for meat, such as duck, pork or fried chicken, because their natural sharpness cuts through any fatty richness.
Sticky chicken wings with plum ketchup (pictured above)
This ketchup is fruity, sweet and sharp, and the perfect thing to swipe moreish chicken wings through.
Prep 20 min
Marinate 1 hr+
Cook 1 hr 15 min
Serves 6
For the chicken wings
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2cm piece ginger, peeled and grated
1 tsp sesame oil
60ml soy sauce
60ml Shaoxing rice wine, or mirin
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp chilli sauce, such as sambal oelek or sriracha
2kg chicken wings
6 spring onions, trimmed and sliced
1 long red chilli, sliced
30g toasted sesame seeds
For the ketchup
1kg plums, stoned and coarsely chopped
1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
4cm piece ginger, peeled and grated
100g soft brown sugar
100ml white-wine vinegar
60ml soy sauce
2 tsp Chinese five-spice
Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4, and line two baking trays with greaseproof paper. In a large bowl, stir the garlic, ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce, rice wine, maple syrup and chilli sauce until well combined. Add the chicken wings, toss to coat, then cover and refrigerate for at least an hour, or overnight.
Meanwhile, make the ketchup. Put the plums, onion, star anise, cinnamon, garlic, ginger, sugar, vinegar and soy sauce in a large saucepan on a medium-high heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, until soft. Add the five-spice and simmer, stirring frequently, for 20-25 minutes, until the mix thickens. Fish out and discard the star anise and cinnamon, then puree the sauce with a stick blender until smooth and transfer to a serving bowl (or decant into a sterilised jar or bottle, seal and store in the fridge, where it will keep for three months).
Transfer the wings to the lined trays and bake for 40-45 minutes, turning once halfway, until cooked through and nicely golden brown. Transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle over the spring onions, chilli and toasted sesame seeds, then serve with the ketchup.
Sweet and sour pork with plums
Plums bring just the right amount of sweetness and tartness to this Chinese-inspired dish that’s perfect for serving with noodles or sticky rice.
Prep 20 min
Marinate 4 hr+
Cook 45 min
Serves 4
1 tsp Chinese five-spice
2 tsp light soy sauce
2 tsp Shaoxing rice wine
30g ginger, peeled and grated
450g pork fillet or shoulder, trimmed and cut into 3cm chunks
600ml sunflower oil
1 egg, beaten
75g cornflour
1 large red onion, peeled and cut into 2cm chunks
1 red and 1 yellow pepper, stalks, seeds and pith discarded, flesh cut into 2cm chunks
1 large carrot, thinly sliced on the diagonal
600g plums, stoned and cut into bite-sized wedges
6 spring onions, greens from 3 finely sliced, the rest sliced into 4cm batons
2 red chillies, thinly sliced on the diagonal
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
Egg noodles or rice, to serve (optional)
For the sweet-and-sour sauce
150ml chicken stock
1 tbsp sriracha
50ml tomato ketchup
2 tbsp clear honey
1 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
½ tsp sesame oil
1 tsp cornflour
Start by marinating the pork. In a large bowl, combine the five-spice, light soy sauce, rice wine and ginger, then add the pork and toss to coat evenly. Cover and chill for at least four hours, or overnight.
For the sauce, put all the ingredients except the cornflour in a small saucepan, whisk to combine and bring to a boil. Take off the heat and set aside.
Line a plate with kitchen paper, then heat the oil in a wok (filling it by no more than half) to 180C (if you don’t have a digital probe thermometer, drop in a cube of bread– if it turns golden in 30 seconds, the oil is hot enough).
Take the pork out of the fridge and mix in the beaten egg. Put the cornflour in a large bowl, add the pork (discard the excess marinade) and toss to coat. Working in two or three batches, deep-fry the pork for three to four minutes, turning halfway, until browned and crisp, then use a slotted spoon carefully to transfer it to the paper-lined plate. Carefully pour all but a tablespoon of the oil in the wok into a heatproof container (leave it to cool, then discard).
Set the wok on a high heat, then stir-fry the red onion, peppers, carrot, plums and spring onion batons for five minutes, until just becoming tender but still with some bite. Add the chillies and garlic, stir-fry for a minute more, until fragrant, then pour in the sweet-and-sour sauce and leave it to come to a bubble. In a small bowl, mix a teaspoon of cornflour with a tablespoon of water, then gradually stir this into the wok to thicken the sauce. Add the drained fried pork, heat through for a minute or two, then scatter with the shredded spring onion greens and serve immediately with noodles or rice.
Chai milk creme caramel with tea-poached plums
These plums are just as wonderful eaten with thick yoghurt for a quick dessert or breakfast.
Prep 15 min
Cook 1 hr 15 min, plus cooling
Infuse 1 hr+
Makes 6
For the caramel
100ml water
150g caster sugar
For the set custard
5 green cardamom pods, bruised
1 tsp fennel seeds
3 cloves
1 stick cinnamon
1 tsp loose black tea leaves, or 1 teabag
200ml whole milk
350ml double cream
2 eggs, plus 4 yolks, beaten
75g caster sugar
For the plums
100g caster sugar
1 teabag
1 star anise
1 cinnamon quill
1 vanilla pod, split lengthways and the seeds scraped out
150g caster sugar
500g plums, halved and stoned
To make the caramel, put the water and sugar in a pan and heat gently until the sugar dissolves, swirling and titling the pan to help it along. Keep heating until the mix turns a deep brown, then pour into six ramekins, tilting to coat the bases and sides evenly. Set aside to cool and set.
Heat the oven to 140C (120C fan)/275F/gas 1. Put the spices, tea, milk and cream in a saucepan, bring to a simmer, then take off the heat and leave to cool and infuse for one to two hours.
In a bowl, whisk the whole eggs, egg yolks and sugar. Slowly whisk in the infused cream, pouring it in through a strainer, then discard the solids. Put the ramekins in a roasting pan and pour in the custard. Fill the roasting pan with enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins, bake for an hour, then remove and leave to cool. Once cold, refrigerate the creme caramels until needed.
Meanwhile, poach the plums. Tip the sugar into a pan with 200ml water, the tea and the spices, and heat gently until the sugar dissolves. Add the plums, bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook for five to 10 minutes, until the fruit is tender (this will depend on the plums’ ripeness). Take off the heat, leave to cool completely, then fish out and discard the spices and teabag.
When you are ready to serve, briefly dip the base of each ramekin into hot water to loosen the creme caramel, then invert each one on to individual plates. Serve with the poached plums.
