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There are few people who have not heard about adjika today. Many housewives prepare this seasoning in their kitchens and treat home and guests alike. But the meaning of the word is not known to everyone. It means salt. This versatile condiment is widely used as a flavorful and savory addition to many dishes. Moreover, this applies not only to meat or fish, but also to soups, dishes made from vegetables and pasta.
The most common thing is adjika, made from fresh vegetables. But there is also dry adjika, which Russians still know little about. This product is used in dry form, added to liquid dishes during cooking. And when diluted, a spicy seasoning in the form of a gruel is obtained. We will try to tell you about how to prepare dry spices, how to store and dilute them.
What is included
Residents of the Caucasus still consume the minimum amount of pure salt. It enters the body along with the herbs and spices that make up adjika.
Real hot seasoning does not contain tomatoes. This is the "invention" of the Russians. Peppers gave the seasoning a rich red color and pungency (even, one might say, pungency). The composition of dry adjika is very different from the "raw" versions.
Traditionally, dry adjika consists of ground spices:
- hot pepper (most often used chilli) and coriander;
- fenugreek and bay leaf;
- marjoram and basil;
- dried parsley and dill leaves, dill seeds;
- turmeric and mustard seeds;
- dried garlic and fennel.
Features of dry adjika
The recipe for making dry hot seasoning is simple, available even for a novice hostess.
It contains only 4 dry ingredients:
- hops-suneli;
- ground red chili pepper;
- ground coriander;
- dry dill.
As an addition, fresh garlic, 3% vinegar (dilute adjika with them) and a small amount of salt.
What is khmeli-suneli? A mixture of various herbs consists of:
- fenugreek (also called fenugreek or unzo-suneli);
- balizik and marjoram;
- parsley, celery, saffron and others.
Adjika classic - recipe
In an hour of personal time, you will get a fragrant hot seasoning if you use the following recipe.
You need to acquire the following ingredients:
- hops-suneli - 30 grams;
- hot red pepper - 20 grams;
- ground coriander - 10 grams;
- dried dill - 10 grams;
- garlic - 1 head;
- rice vinegar 3% - 3-4 tablespoons;
- salt - 2 teaspoons.
As you can see, the set of ingredients is small, but the result will exceed all expectations.
Cooking method
- Pass the peeled garlic through a crusher or blender. It is best to use garlic from a new crop because it contains a lot of juice.
- In a deep porcelain bowl, mix the suneli hops with ground coriander and hot pepper. Add spices in turn.
- Rub the dill with salt and add to the mixture.
- Mix thoroughly again.
Peeled and washed garlic must be dried thoroughly, because even a small amount of moisture will destroy the hot seasoning. - After squeezing out the garlic, put it in adjika. The hardest part of the job begins. It is necessary to grind the ingredients in such a way that a homogeneous mushy mass is obtained in the cup.As you grind the seasoning, add diluted rice vinegar.
In the old days, the hostesses of the Caucasus did not use meat grinders, but ground the components of dry adjika on a special stone or in a mortar. This work is very hard and lengthy. It was believed that ground pepper seeds better give off their flavoring and aromatic substances.
During grinding, the ingredients of adjika dry, absorbing the juice of garlic and vinegar, gradually swell. Even without the addition of oil, the seasoning becomes oily.
The finished adjika should be laid out in dry jars, strongly condensing the contents. Seasoning is stored in any cool place. You can spread meat, bread, wrap spicy pasta in unleavened pita bread.
How to make a real adjika in the old way:
Rules for using dry adjika
Adjika is the most popular seasoning not only among the people of the Caucasus. She has been walking with confidence all over the world for a long time. Spicy taste with bitterness will make any dish delicious. Depending on the components that make up it, it can be orange, red or green.
Many readers are interested in the question of how to prepare seasoning from dry adjika. It turns out that this is very easy to do. It is enough to dilute the dry mixture with warm water or 3-4% wine vinegar. You can add sugar and salt if desired.
Any seasoning can be prepared from dry adjika, just add fresh cilantro or basil, green or red pepper to it.
A spicy additive is used both in its natural form and as an additive in borscht, sauce, grease meat or poultry before baking.
Instead of a conclusion about the beneficial properties
Dry spicy adjika is not only a culinary masterpiece that has lived for many centuries. This is also a kind of medicine for people suffering from lack of appetite.
Moreover, the use of the seasoning prevents stomach ulcers, many diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, improves metabolism and the functioning of the circulatory system.
It is good to use hot seasoning for colds: red pepper and garlic kill germs, and herbs help restore immunity.
There are also contraindications. Spicy seasoning is not recommended for pregnant women and children under 10 years of age, as well as for people with chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, liver and kidneys.
