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Condiments have a special place in the culinary arts of different countries. A favorite dish ceases to belong to one region, spreads around the world and becomes very famous. Among them is the famous Abkhaz adjika.
The aroma of the seasoning will be recognized by everyone who has tried it at least once. The recipe for a real Abkhaz adjika has one feature. The base for the seasoning was prepared by hand rubbing the ingredients on a flat stone with another stone. This is how an amazing dish with a spicy taste appeared. At the time of preparation, the dried hot pepper pieces were thoroughly ground with garlic and coriander seeds, gradually adding salt and blue fenugreek. There are many names for this herb, it gives a nutty flavor to any dish to which it is added. Therefore, it can be replaced by ordinary hazelnuts, pre-fried and chopped or walnuts. Sometimes it is allowed to replace fenugreek with hay or shambhala.
By the way, blue fenugreek seeds are the main component of the hop-suneli seasoning. And one more nuance. Pepper in Abkhaz villages was not just dried, but smoked, hanging over the hearth. A dry base was obtained from it for the preparation of Abkhazian acute adjika.
Then various transformations could be made with this base or blank. Greens passed through a meat grinder, even more chopped garlic and hops-suneli were added to it. There are as many variations as there are housewives. But the result was a spicy, amazingly smelling Abkhazian snack.
Cooking a classic seasoning from Abkhazia
How to cook a modern version of adjika from Abkhazia at home? After all, this seasoning is so widely used that there is not a single dish that would not benefit from a duet with adjika. Let's turn to the cooks for help. Adjika in Abkhazian traditional recipe includes all the basic principles of creating a seasoning, although each chef may have a slightly different taste:
- Grind the ingredients. Currently, this function is performed by a blender, meat grinder or kitchen mortar. It should be said that pounding in a mortar is used even in fashionable restaurants. This technique results in the release of essential oils and makes adjiku Abkhazian is very fragrant.
- Traditional adjika is not processed and is served raw.
- The Abkhaz adjika recipe does not imply the addition of tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms and other vegetables.
However, in order for Abkhaz adjika to have a long shelf life for the winter, modern interpretations also allow such components and cooking vegetables.
Proportions of ingredients for classic adjika recipe:
- take dry bitter pepper 0.5 kg;
- seeds of coriander (cilantro), dill, parsley;
- peeled garlic - 1 kg;
- hops-suneli - 500 g;
- salt is suitable for coarse grinding in the amount of 1.5 cups.
When choosing ingredients for an Abkhaz seasoning, pay attention to the aroma.
Herbs, spices, everything must smell breathtaking, otherwise the seasoning will turn into a regular spread. Real adjika from Abkhazia has a special taste and smell.
We start the cooking process by preparing hot peppers. It needs to be doused with boiling water, and then cleaned. To peel means to remove the seeds. If this is not done, then it will be difficult for a city dweller to eat Abkhaz adjika. Dry pepper is subjected to this processing, and the drier it is, the better.
If you purchased fresh, then it is washed with water and laid out in one layer on a wide dish so that the fruits do not touch each other.The pepper is left in this position for 3 days.
- After the allotted time, the peppers are peeled from the stalks, cut and seeds are removed. All these operations are done with gloves.
- Grind the garlic, after removing the husk.
- Seeds of coriander (cilantro) and other plants are supposed to be ground in a mortar. The released essential oils will give the seasoning a special aroma.
- All components are once again passed through a meat grinder together to achieve a homogeneous mass.
- Salt is added last and mixed.
Now the mass is left for 24 hours, then laid out in small containers for convenient use. Such a recipe for making fresh pepper is not suitable for canning Abkhaz adjika for the winter. The seasoning can only be stored for a few days.
Abkhazian green seasoning
It turns out that a fragrant snack from Abkhazia can also be green.
This is one of the varieties of Abkhaz adjika with fresh spicy herbs. The rest of the ingredients (pepper, garlic and salt) are always present, only hot peppers are taken green. Abkhazian green adjika turns out to be very tasty, goes well with cheeses, fried chicken and fish.
How many ingredients do we need to prepare:
- green hot peppers - 3 pods;
- young garlic - 3 large heads;
- you need a lot of greens - 3-4 bunches of each type (celery, coriander or cilantro, parsley, dill);
- nut butter and salt - 2 tablespoons each.
Green Abkhazian is often prepared adjika with walnutsto highlight the original flavor of the dish. Therefore, we need walnut oil for our recipe. Original additives for seasoning at will - fresh mint and thyme.
We start with pepper. The best option when prepared in advance. Green peppercorns are dried on a string for a month. Then it is washed or soaked in boiling water, the stalks are cut off. The next stage depends on how sharp the adjika should be at the exit. If you need to make a very burning option, then the seeds are not removed. If you want a sparing pungency, then the seeds must be cleaned.
Be sure to rinse the herbs with clean water, peel the garlic cloves.
Add these ingredients to the peppers and grind everything together in a meat grinder. To avoid lumps, repeat this procedure a couple of times. Put the mixture in a bowl and add coarse salt and nut butter.
Prepare banks in advance. They must be as clean and dry as the lids.
Arrange the green adjika in jars, seal and transfer to a cool room.
Your winter warming Abkhazian adjika is ready for the winter.
Useful tips for housewives
Abkhazian adjika, the recipe of which you choose, will become a real decoration of the dining table. Try to follow simple recommendations to please guests and household with a wonderful seasoning:
- You should not add other vegetables to the seasoning, this will completely change the taste and aroma of the national dish.
- If you need to process peppers, but do not have gloves, then periodically generously lubricate your hands with vegetable oil - sunflower, olive.
- Do not use a coffee grinder to grind grass seeds. So, you will lose an important component of the Abkhaz adjika - the aroma of essential oils. Pound them with a pestle and mortar.
- Finely ground salt, like iodized salt, is not suitable for making adjika from Abkhazia.
- Add a little adjika when cooking soups. They will acquire a spicy rich aroma.
It is not necessary to cook adjika in large quantities. If you have not made a preparation for the winter, then the ingredients are available at any time of the year. Make the right amount when needed.
