Our Plum Salad makes an exotic addition to your dessert menu. Luscious plums are perfumed in exotic cardamom rose syrup, transforming them into morsels of sublime flavour.
Our gorgeously perfumed Plum Salad makes a wonderfully refreshing dessert option that I like to serve after dinner with a spicy curry.
However, this salad is just so sublime that whenever I see a wide variety of plums on offer, I like to make a huge batch of it to snack on during the week.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Plums – with over twenty different plum varieties to choose from, all with varying hues, it is just a case of choosing your favourites or whatever you can find. We have used a combination of dark purple plums, red plums and oh sooo cute sugar plums.
- Blackberries – added here for a contrast in colour and texture, which can easily be replaced with blueberries or left out completely; it is up to you.
- Cardamom Syrup – for some lush flavour and an out of this world aroma. If you don’t have the time to make the syrup, use a quarter of a cup of lime juice, 1-2 tablespoons of honey or maple syrup and two teaspoons of cardamom seeds or powder instead.
You Will Need
How to Make Plum Salad
1MAKE SYRUP
Split the cardamom pods in half with some small kitchen scissors.
Add the sugar, water, split cardamom pods and rose petals in a small pan.
Bring to the boil and then lower the heat and simmer until the sugar has dissolved.
Remove from the heat and cool for five minutes, then add the lime juice and rose water.
Strain the syrup and discard the cardamom pods and rose petals. allow the syrup to cool.
ADD INGREDIENTS TO PAN PLACE ON HIGH HEAT BRING TO BOIL SIMMER UNTIL SUGAR DISSOLVES COOL, ADD LIME & ROSE WATER STRAIN SYRUP & COOL
2PREPARE FRUIT
In the meantime, wash blackberries under gently running cold water let them stand to drain.
Wash, then dry all the plums.
Then starting at the fruit’s stem end, cut to the pit, and follow the indentation and cut around the pit.
Twist both “halves” of the fruit in opposite directions, separate and pull them apart.
Use a small sharp knife to prise the pit from the plums; for stubborn pits, you may need to cut around the pit to dislodge it.
For super, duper stubborn pits, just slice around the pit in sections until you can wiggle the pit free.
Then slice your plums into wedges.
LET STAND TO DRAIN RINSE BLACKBERRIES CUT AROUND PLUM TWIST PLUM PULL APART PLUM HALVES SLICE PLUMS
3ASSEMBLE SALAD
Place all the plums and cardamom seeds in a mixing bowl, pour over the cooled syrup and toss well to combine.
Arrange in a salad bowl, garnish with the washed blackberries.
Keep it chilled in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
ADD PLUMS & CARDAMOM TO BOWL POUR OVER SYRUP MIX WELL TO COMBINE GARNISH WITH BLACKBERRIES
What To Serve With It
Great on its own, or serve it with some whipped cream, yoghurt, or ice cream.
For a fancy dinner party, try it with some cardamom saffron panna cotta; just leave out the syrup in the recipe.
Tips & Questions
Choosing Your Plums
- Look for plums that give slightly to the touch and avoid hard or green ones as they will be immature and won’t develop a good flavour.
- Choose ones that are free of punctures, bruises or any signs of decay.
- Good quality plums will have a rich colour and a whitish bloom, which means they have not been handled too much.
What is that white powder on my plums?
The waxy coating on plums is epicuticular wax but is commonly known as the “bloom”. It is meant to protect your plums from moisture loss and insects.
Can I Make It Ahead?
Plum Salad can be made several hours in advance and kept chilled in the fridge until ready to serve.
What Can I Do With The Leftovers?
- This salad is still great if kept in the fridge even after a few days.
- It makes a great topping for pancakes or oatmeal.
- Makes a wonderful alternative to the berries in this summer berry pudding.
- Sensational on top of lime cheesecake.
More Fruit Salad Recipes
PINEAPPLE & MINT FRUIT SALAD DRAGON FRUIT SALAD
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 tbsp rose petals
- 1 tbsp cardamom pods
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 2 tbsps rose water
- 500 grams plums (approximatel 18oz)*
- 500 grams red plums (approximately 18oz)*
- 500 grams sugar plums (approximately 18oz)*
- ½ tsp cardamom seeds
Instructions
- Split the cardamom pods in half, small kitchen scissors are perfect for this.
- Add the sugar, water, split cardamom pods and rose petals in a small pan.
- Bring to the boil and then lower the heat and simmer until the sugar has dissolved.
- Remove from the heat and cool for five minutes, then add the lime juice and rose water.
- Strain the syrup and discard the cardamom pods and rose petals.
- Place in a clean airtight glass bottle and store in a cool dark place for a month or so.
- In the meantime wash blackberries under gently running cold water let them stand to drain.
- Wash then dry all the plums.
- Then starting at the fruit’s stem end, cut to the pit, and follow the indentation and cut around the pit.
- Twist both “halves” of the fruit in opposite directions, separate and pull them apart.
- Use a small sharp knife to prise the pit from the plums, for stubborn pits you may need to cut around the pit to dislodge it.
- For super, duper stubborn pits just slice around the pit in sections until you are able to wiggle the pit free.
- Then slice your plums into wedges.
- Place all the plums and cardamom seeds in a mixing bowl, pour over the cooled syrup and toss well to combine.
- Arrange in a salad bowl, garnish with the washed blackberries.
- Keep it chilled in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

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