Plum Sauce

This is a thick, preserved, jamlike sauce made of plums, preserved ginger, chili, spices, vinegar, and sugar. Although in this country it is served as a table condiment, in China it is used only as a cooking ingredient. When serving it as a dip for spring rolls, meat balls, fried wontons, or other appetizers, dilute it with a lighter preserve—orange marmalade or red currant jelly, for example. It is delicious used in place of black beans and garlic to make Braised Spareribs.