Caucasian cuisine is known all over the world. A special place in it belongs to the use of a variety of spices and seasonings. Green adjika occupies an honorable place among them, the recipes of which we will consider below. This burning-spicy mixture, which consists of pepper and herbs, perfectly reveals the taste of any dish, giving it a piquancy. Caucasians always put a piece of their soul into national dishes, so the delicacies prepared by them differ in their incomparable taste.
The history of green adjika
According to legend, in the old days, salt was a luxury for shepherds, it was given out solely to be mixed with sheep's feed. After such a meal, livestock consumed water with double power, thus increasing their weight to slaughter. But since the shepherds also wanted a tasty meal, they stole salt and mixed it with hot pepper, and then added hops-suneli and greens to this mixture. So there was a new seasoning - adjikstatstsa. Nowadays, it is known by another name - green adjika. The recipe for cooking has not changed much since then.
Cooking secrets
In order for the seasoning to be spicy and original, you must adhere to some rules:
- To get a rich green color and a thick consistency, it is recommended to choose bright and juicy vegetables.
- Stone salt is used, since it is such a product that is a strong preservative. Iodized salt can provoke fermentation.
- For the severity of the dish, use hot pepper along with seeds. If you remove them, the taste will be softer. It is recommended to use gloves when preparing this dish, as pepper can cause burns.
What should be the classic Caucasian adjika
The classic recipe for this seasoning is simple, but at the same time requires some effort from the cook. It is prepared using a solid stone pestle, and it is used to grind salt, herbs and other ingredients. Pepper must be smoked, with a special flavor. Highlanders usually dried it over the hearth in the house, so it absorbed the smell of smoke. The real Caucasian adjika from green pepper is used in limited quantities, since it turns out to be very sharp.
Classic recipe
Ingredients:
- 150 g of basil;
- 170 g of parsley and dill;
- 100 g mint;
- 170 g of cilantro;
- tarragon and thyme at will;
- 4 heads of young garlic;
- 4 pods of green hot pepper;
- 2.5 tablespoons of salt;
- 3 tablespoons of walnut or olive oil.
Preparing this green adjika without cooking. First, all herbs are well washed, garlic is peeled, ponytails are cut off from the pepper, leaving the seeds in place. Further, all components are thoroughly crushed using a blender. Then salt and oil are added to the greens. The mass is transferred to a sterile container and put in a cold place. This green adjika in Abkhazian can be consumed the very next day. It is also often added to chakhokhbili, first, second courses and salads, eaten with meat and fish.
A simple recipe for winter adjika
Ingredients:
- 260 g of parsley;
- 110 g of dill;
- 400 g of green sweet pepper ;
- 5 hot green peppers;
- 210 g of garlic;
- 45 g vinegar;
- 10 g of salt;
- 25 g of sugar.
This green adjika for the winter is preparing quickly. According to the recipe and the specified proportion of components, the output should be about 800 g of seasoning. First you need to purchase freshly picked greens and garlic, this also applies to peppers. Herbs are washed and cut into centimeter strips. They are crushed in a blender for one minute. It is recommended that you select medium speed mode. Paprika is broken into pieces and sent to greens, again grinding the contents at the same speed for one minute. All this is done so that adjika acquires a uniform consistency. If you grind everything at once, the vegetables drain quickly and the dish turns out to be watery. Hot peppers are used together with seeds, peeled garlic, sent to the bulk and continue to grind. Salt and sugar, vinegar are added to the mixture and kneaded for about one minute. Next, green adjika, made for the winter, is poured into prepared banks and rolled up. Store the product in a cool place.
Adjika with nuts
Ingredients:
- 6 green bell peppers;
- 3 hot green peppers;
- 70 g of garlic;
- 4 leaves of basil;
- 120 g walnuts;
- 5 g of salt;
- 25 g vinegar;
- 0.5 teaspoon suneli hop;
- 65 g of parsley.
This spicy green adjika in Abkhazian style will complement any meat dish. Instead of parsley, you can take cilantro, dill. Sweet peppers get rid of seeds and cut into plates, washed greens, peeled garlic. All this is grinded in a meat grinder or crushed in a food processor (if available). Salt and spices, vinegar, chopped nuts and vegetable oil are added to the mixture as desired. All mix well and transfer to storage containers. You can store the seasoning in the cold for two weeks.
Green Tomato Adjika Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 kg of green tomatoes;
- 2.5 kg of Bulgarian green pepper;
- 540 g of hot pepper;
- 45 g of green onions;
- 5 cloves of garlic;
- 400 g of vegetable oil;
- 400 g of vinegar;
- 180 g of sugar;
- 170 g of salt.
This recipe for adjika from green tomato is one of the most popular. All components are crushed in a meat grinder and cook for one hour. Then add salt, vinegar, butter and sugar, continue to cook for twenty minutes over medium heat. Ready adjika is poured into banks that have previously been sterilized and rolled up.
Spicy adjika made from green tomatoes
Ingredients:
- 3 kg of green tomatoes;
- 1 kg of bell pepper green;
- 9 teeth of garlic;
- 5 hot peppers;
- 1 cup vinegar;
- 370 ml of vegetable oil;
- half a glass of salt.
This adjika made from green tomato and garlic has an incomparable aroma and aftertaste. To prepare seasoning for this recipe, first wash the vegetables and grind them in a meat grinder. The resulting mass is boiled for about an hour on low heat. Then add chopped garlic, oil, salt and vinegar and boil again for twenty minutes. The hot mixture is poured into sterile jars and rolled up, cooled and cleaned for storage.
Green adjika with apples
Ingredients:
- 4.5 kg of green tomatoes;
- 1 kg of sweet green pepper;
- 0.5 kg of carrots;
- 3 heads of garlic;
- 2 large bitter green peppers;
- 1 cup chopped green onion;
- 1 cup chopped parsley and dill;
- 1 cup of sugar;
- 1 cup vegetable oil;
- half a glass of salt;
- 0.5 kg of apples;
- 2 zucchini;
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar.
Preparing green adjika, the recipe of which we are considering, is easy, but it will take time. To begin with, the tomatoes are cut into slices, salted and set aside for five hours so that the bitterness is gone. Grind apples, zucchini, carrots, peppers and onions in a blender. Prepared tomatoes are added to this and all is boiled for about one hour over medium heat. Then add chopped garlic and herbs, as well as hot pepper and continue to cook for another half hour. Then pour vinegar, oil, put sugar and salt, and boil for about ten minutes. After this, adjika is placed in sterile jars and rolled up.
Georgian adjika
Ingredients:
- 160 g of cilantro;
- 50 g of parsley;
- 60 g celery;
- 3 chili peppers;
- 1 tablespoon with a hill of dill seeds;
- 2.5 tablespoons of whole coriander;
- 2 heads of garlic;
- 4 tablespoons of salt.
Wash greens and pass twice through the meat grinder together with other components. All spices are added, mixed, laid out in jars and put in a cold place. This seasoning is suitable for meat and fish dishes. Some housewives rub chicken with this seasoning before baking.
Georgian dry adjika
Today you can buy such seasoning as dry adjika from green pepper. It contains a variety of components, including flakes of green pepper, ground coriander, oregano and basil, garlic and sun hops, as well as uchi-sunel. This original mixture is harmoniously combined with any dishes, many consider it universal. There is no ground paprika in it, but only greens and uchi-suneli, which gives it a unique nutty flavor. It can be used in dry form, or can be used as a sauce. To do this, the mixture is diluted with vinegar to a thick consistency, then salt is added and mixed well. Store adjika in a glass container, which is well corked.
You can also add half a glass of dry red wine, chopped head of garlic, 200 g of tomato paste and two bunches of chopped cilantro to the seasoning. All this must be mixed, add dried red pepper and leave to infuse for several hours. Hot seasoning is quite useful because it stimulates the secretion of gastric juice.
Thus, green adjika, whose recipes are many, is currently a popular seasoning not only in Georgian and Abkhazian cuisines, but is also widely used in our country. Its unique taste appeals to many gourmets. Adjika is recommended to be used fresh, since this way it retains all its useful properties.