Behind every culinary recipe is the desire not only to diversify the usual dishes, but also to preserve the nutritional value of the products as much as possible. Some options are striking in the combination of component availability, ease of preparation and amazing results. One of the unique, everyone's favorite dishes can be safely called Armenian adjika. Certain spices and herbs give the dish a special piquancy. Therefore, not everyone can cook real spicy adjika with tomato flavor.
Greens in Armenian cuisine are of great importance, not a single dish can do without it. The “green” basis for Armenian adjika is cilantro. If you have other favorite plants for such blanks, then their number should be much less.
Usually the phrase Armenian adjika brings to mind a very spicy dish. But modern housewives have learned how to cook this appetizer with varying degrees of pungency, so that all households can enjoy the excellent taste of a tomato dish. It should be clarified here that the classic adjika is really hot and is cooked without tomatoes. For its preparation, use rubber gloves to protect the skin and eyes from the action of hot peppers. The basis of the dish is hot peppers. Additionally, you will need garlic, salt, a mixture of herbs - hops-suneli, coriander, dill seeds. To slightly reduce the severity of the dish, it is permissible to replace part of the hot pepper with paprika. All components are thoroughly ground in a blender. If a meat grinder is used, then the mixture is passed through it 2-3 times. Salt can only be added at the end of cooking.
Nuances for home cooks
What affects the taste and appearance of adjika? First of all, it is a method of grinding ingredients. A meat grinder and a blender are considered the best options. If you want to try a new recipe in small quantities, then a grater will work as well.
The second characteristic is the variety of pepper and a set of spices.
It is best to take for the preparation of adjika according to the classic recipe those varieties of pepper that are familiar to you or grow in your region. Usually, the bitter varieties are chosen from Habanero, Jalapeno, Poblano or Anaheim. The last variety of pepper will suit those who do not really like very spicy adjika.
Among the types of garlic for adjika, purple should be chosen.
And let's dwell on another important part - spices. The classic recipe involves the addition of coriander seeds, but other variations are already modern creativity. It is important to stay on a logical approach and moderation here. A small amount of hops-suneli and shambhala goes well with the main ingredients.
The next ingredient is salt. There are not too many options here, but experienced chefs advise taking a seafood.
Opinions vary about vinegar. It is appropriate for home-made adjika with sweet peppers or fresh herbs. In this case, it will increase the shelf life of the adjika. By the way, sweet pepper can be called the only adjika additive that is recognized in the Caucasus. It is considered a product that enhances the taste of traditional adjika.
Armenian version of adjika
The recipe for Armenian adjika does not fundamentally differ from the classic one. To get a fragrant snack, you will need 5 kg of tomatoes (whole), a pound of hot pepper, 1 kg of garlic, 50 g is enough salt, but it is better to salt it to your liking.
It's easy to prepare an Armenian appetizer:
Wash the tomatoes, cut into pieces, twist in a meat grinder. Salt.
Wash hot peppers and cut off the stalks.Twist the rest of the seeds too. At the same time, you can add peeled garlic to the meat grinder.
Place all ingredients in an enamel bowl and stir. Now you need to leave the Armenian spicy adjika in the same fermentation vessel. The process takes 10-14 days. The main thing is not to forget to stir the mass every day. After the end of fermentation, the dish is ready for tasting.
But what does the recipe for Armenian adjika with herbs look like?
Indeed, in the previous version, even cilantro is absent. Let's prepare a spicy snack with herbs. To do this, take 2 kg of hot pepper, add 300 g of tomato paste, a bunch of cilantro and 3 g of coriander (seeds). The variant according to which Armenian adjika is prepared for the winter. The recipe also includes bell pepper (3 kg) to reduce the spiciness, onions for a vegetable flavor, a glass of peeled garlic and vegetable oil. Take salt for the mixture to taste, optimally 1 tablespoon.
Let's start the culinary magic:
- We will prepare the dishes for rolling - we will sterilize the lids and jars in the oven or in a water bath.
- Wash and clean the peppers - hot and sweet. We get rid of both types of seeds and stalks. Use gloves for hot peppers. Twist in a meat grinder first.
- After peeling, we pass the onion and garlic through a meat grinder, but separately.
- Cut the cilantro into smaller pieces, grind the coriander seeds in a kitchen mill.
- Heat a frying pan with oil, put onion and heat for 5 minutes. Now add the garlic to the pan.
- After 5 minutes it is the turn of the peppers. Now extinguish the whole mass until golden brown.
- The next step is to add tomato paste, ground coriander, salt and cilantro. The whole mass remains on fire for 20 minutes.
Now we will put the Armenian adjika in jars, wait until the product has completely cooled down and put it in a cool room for storage.
Cooking a sharper dish
We prepare the main ingredients in the same composition and quantity as in the previous recipe. The only difference is that you need less hot pepper, only 300 grams.
We will list additional components separately:
- 30 grams of hops-suneli;
- 3 kg of fresh tomatoes;
- 0.5 cups of sugar;
- 2 tablespoons of salt;
- 100 ml vinegar.
Step-by-step preparation of Armenian adjika at home:
Grind the tomatoes to a puree consistency. Put it on the stove to boil.
At this time, we prepare both types of pepper - wash, clean from the stalks and seeds, grind, put in a bowl with a tomato.
Cook the mixture, stirring regularly for 10 minutes.
Now pour in vegetable oil and continue simmering Armenian adjika for 1 hour.
At this time, we are preparing a gas station. It includes chopped herbs, garlic, salt, sugar, suneli hops. Cilantro can be varied with basil, parsley and dill.
When the Armenian adjika is ready, add the dressing and vinegar, and leave the mixture to cool.
Then put it in jars (sterilized!) And send it to a cool place.
Spicy Armenian adjika is ideal for various uses - as an appetizer, sauce, as a component of sandwiches. Ease of preparation and versatility are considered an important advantage of the dish. Having tasted the dish once, your family cannot refuse it.
