The ume plum in the tangy-sweet compote is delicious as its own, but even better with plum wine, plum juice, yogurt, ice cream, and shaved ice!
After making Japanese plum wine (umeshu) or plum syrup, you now end up with the used ume plums. What do you do with them?
Let’s Make Ume Plum Compote
We usually make Ume Plum Compote or what we call in Japanese Ume no Kanroni (梅の甘露煮). It’s much easier and quicker to reuse those plums to make compote than to make Plum Jam. I use this plum compote as a garnish to my plum recipes.
All you need is the used ume plums (from making plum wine or plum syrup) and sugar!
4 Tips to Remember
- Don’t be shy on sugar – Ume plums are tangy so you’ll need to add sugar to make it edible, and sugar is important for preserving.
- Handle the plums gently – As the plums have been cooked, their skin is extra tender and break easily. So handle them gently when making the compote.
- Sterilize and use clean utensils – Make sure to sterilize your jars. When you use the plums/syrup, use clean utensils to scoop up plums and syrup to avoid contamination.
- Enjoy it soon – Even though sugar/syrup will help preserve the plums, they are good for 2-4 weeks. To keep the compotes longer, you can freeze, in batches, in containers so you can defrost only as much as you need.
How We Can Use Ume Plum Compote
1. Enjoy As It Is
- Chilled, sweet, tangy ume is so delicious. On a hot day when you don’t feel much appetite, you will feel refreshed by eating a few of these.
2. Garnish + Flavoring
- Make an ume juice with carbonated water.
- Use as a garnish for Plum Wine, Plum Juice, and Ume Plum Shaved Ice.
- Addition to yogurt and ice cream (whole or chopped).
3. Enliven Everyday Dishes with Its Fruity Tart Complexity
- Make sweets like jelly or kanten.
- Make a salad dressing or sauce.
- Braise the pork with the compotes. Pork and ume go well together. Prefer seafood? Simmer the compote and mackerel together.
- Make miso. Chop ume plums and cook them with miso, sake, mirin, sugar. Use it in 2 weeks.
Wishing to learn more about Japanese ume plums? Don’t forget to check out our pantry page.
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
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The ume plum in the tangy-sweet compote is delicious as its own, but even better with plum wine, plum juice, yogurt, ice cream, and shaved ice!
- used ume plums from making plum wine/syrup
- sugar (equal weight as used ume plums)
- water (equal weight as used ume plums)
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Gather all the ingredients. Measure your used ume plums. You will need an equal amount of sugar and water. If you’re storing the compote, wash the jar, lid, and band in hot, soapy water. For 455 g of used ume plums (from making ume syrup with 1 kg ume lums), you would need one 1-QT mason jar.
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In a large pot, combine the ume plums and water. Cover and bring it to a boil on medium heat.
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Once boiling, reduce the heat to low/simmer and cook covered for 20-30 minutes (depending on size) until plums are tender. They will start to become plumped and less wrinkly, and then add sugar.
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Gently mix with chopsticks or shake the pot so that sugar is evenly distributed.
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Cover with a lid and simmer for 5 minutes or until the sugar is completely dissolved.
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About 10-15 minutes before the compote is done, sterilize the jar: Put the jar on a rack in a pot of water. Boil for at least 10 minutes and keep in simmering water until ready to fill. Carefully remove the jars from the water with a jar lifter or tongs, empty out the water and place the jar on a clean kitchen towel. Put the lid and band in a small saucepan of simmering water (do not boil) until ready to use.
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Fill the jar with the plums and syrup, leaving ½ inch from the top.
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Remove the lid and band from the simmering water with tongs and place them on top of the jar. Close the lid tightly and turn the jar upside down to seal. Let cool. Check the seal: The lid should not pop in the center (if they do, you can only keep the compote in the fridge for up to 1-2 weeks). Store unopened vacuum-sealed jar in a cool, dark place for 2-4 weeks. Refrigerate after opening. Enjoy the compotes and syrup (read my suggestions in the blog post).
Other Ume Plum Recipes
- Plum Wine (Umeshu)
- Ume Plum Syrup
- Plum Jam
Source: Just One Cookbook
