Tuong Xi Muoi (Sweet and Sour Salted Plum Sauce), No Added Refined Sugar
Vietnamese dishesSauces and DipsNationwide15 minutes
Tuong xi muoi makes a thick dipping sauce, gently sour and fragrant with ginger, right for goi cuon or fried spring rolls. The sourness comes from salted plums rather than vinegar, which leaves a soft finish.
The hard part is the consistency, because an underdone pot stays runny and an overdone one sets like candy when cool. Blanch the ginger in boiling water first to take away its bitterness. Stir without stopping while it reduces, as a thick mixture catches on the base of the pot and picks up a burnt smell.
This batch weighs about 435g, at roughly 28 calories per 100g.
Method
Put 1 tablespoon finely minced ginger in a sieve, set a clean bowl underneath and pour boiling water through to take away the bitterness.
Pour 100g salted plum liquid and 100g water into a pot, add 180g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, the blanched ginger, 2 tablespoons pitted salted plums, 1 teaspoon minced fresh chili and 1 teaspoon minced garlic, and stir well.
Set over medium heat and stir constantly until the mixture thickens, then turn off the heat.
Let it cool completely, transfer to a glass jar, seal and keep in a cool place.
Tips
For a larger batch to store, slice the ginger, blanch it, drain it and mince it afterwards, which holds the aroma better and keeps the pieces intact.
Turn off the heat while the mixture is still a little thinner than wanted, since it thickens as it cools.
Stir constantly over medium heat, as a thick mixture catches on the base of the pot easily.
kOBE Monk Fruit Blend dissolves more slowly, so stir well at the start and stir again after 5 minutes.
kOBE Monk Fruit Blend does not caramelize, and the brown tone of the sauce comes from the salted plum liquid, so there is nothing to gain from cooking it longer for a darker color.
A glass jar rinsed with boiling water and dried completely keeps the sauce longer.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.