How to Make Vietnamese Plum Jam to Serve with Bread

Prepare the Plums

Remove the stems from the plums, wash them thoroughly, and soak them in diluted salt water for about 10 minutes. Rinse again with clean water and drain.

Once the plums are dry, score them with vertical or horizontal cuts as desired. Unlike making dried salted plums, there is no need to be meticulous with the scoring for plum jam. This is because the plums will be mashed and simmered until they become smooth and thick, so they don’t need to remain whole as they do for dried plums.

For making plum jam, you can choose to leave the skins on or peel them to reduce bitterness. However, if you select ripe plums, keeping the skins won’t significantly affect the flavor. Additionally, the skin contains more nutrients than the flesh.

To save time, some people cut the plums into small pieces and remove the pits beforehand. However, since the plums will become soft and mushy during cooking, there’s no need to cut them small beforehand. Moreover, plum pits contain pectin, which, when combined with sugar and lime, helps thicken the jam. Therefore, it’s best to remove the pits near the end of cooking.

Marinate the Plums with Sugar

After scoring the plums, place them in a large bowl to marinate with sugar. For every 1kg of plums, use 0.5kg of sugar if you prefer a sweeter jam. For a milder sweetness, use about 0.25kg of sugar, or reduce to 0.15kg if you want a tart flavor.

You can start cooking the plums right after marinating them, but it’s better to let them sit for a while. This allows the plums to lose some of their bitterness and absorb the sweetness of the sugar, resulting in a more fragrant and balanced jam.

Cook the Plum Jam

After marinating with sugar for about 2 hours, transfer the plum and sugar mixture to a pan or pot.

Add 1/2 teaspoon of coarse salt to enhance the flavor of the plum syrup.

When the plum syrup begins to boil, turn off the heat and pour out some of the syrup into a separate bowl, leaving enough to just cover the plums for continued cooking. Allow the syrup to cool, then store it in a jar with a tight-fitting lid in a cool, dry place or in the refrigerator for later use. Plum syrup is refreshing and has numerous health benefits.

Return the pot to the stove and continue cooking the plums over low heat. Unlike making dried plums, for plum jam, you should stir frequently or use a wooden spoon to mash the plums.

Cook the jam until the plums are broken down and the liquid is nearly evaporated, then squeeze in the juice of half a lime and stir well. The lime juice enhances the aroma of the jam, adds a pleasant tartness, and helps prevent crystallization.

Continue cooking until the plum jam becomes glossy, thick, and sticky, with a deep reddish-brown color. The syrup should be reduced and have a syrupy consistency.

The plum jam should be smooth, fragrant, with a balanced sweet and tart flavor. It’s perfect for spreading on bread or mixing with a bit of plum syrup for a refreshing drink.

In addition to plum jam, you can also make mulberry jam or pineapple jam using a similar method.