Ingredients
- 500 g ripe plums, pitted and chopped
- 120 ml rice vinegar
- 120 ml Québec maple syrup
- 60 ml water
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 tsp five-spice powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Method
- Combine plums, vinegar, maple syrup, water, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, five-spice, and salt.
- Simmer uncovered for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the plums collapse.
- Blend until smooth and strain for a refined sauce.
- Return to the pan for 2 minutes if needed to reach a spoon-coating consistency; serve with roast pork, duck, or spring rolls.
Conversion and rationale
Original sweetener (classic version): 150 g granulated sugar
Conversion used: Replace the sugar with 120 ml maple syrup and reduce the water by 60 ml; simmer longer if the fruit is especially juicy, with no oven adjustment.
Why Quebec maple syrup: Maple rounds the tart plum and warm spices without masking the fruit. The sauce gains a distinctly Québec accent while retaining the sweet-sour character of the traditional condiment.
General rule: 1 cup (250 ml) sugar ≈ 3/4 cup (180 ml) maple syrup; reduce liquids by 45–60 ml per cup of syrup and lower oven by 15 °C. Substitution calculator →