Ajapsandal on the grill: recipe for cooking

Eggplant is one of the common ingredients in Caucasian dishes. These include ajapsandal. Georgians, Armenians and Azerbaijanis have their secrets of cooking the famous dish. But, despite the different methods of heat treatment of vegetables (baking in the oven, frying in a pan), the most delicious is ajapsandal on the grill. Recipes for making such a dish are presented in our article. We offer step-by-step recommendations for each of them.

How to cook ajapsandal on the grill?

Every housewife knows how to cook this dish in the Caucasus. Ajapsandal is made from vegetables baked on well-heated charcoal, seasoned with vegetable oil, garlic and spicy herbs. The dish is served with pita bread as a side dish or a snack to the meat cooked on the grill.

A step-by-step recipe for ajapsandal on the grill is as follows:

1. Tomatoes, eggplant, sweet bell pepper and onions (4 each) are strung on skewers and baked on the grill. In eggplant, the peduncle is pre-cut.
2. The baking time of vegetables on hot coals is different. As soon as the peel turns black and the vegetables become soft, this means that they can be removed from the heat. Eggplant is cooked longer.
3. Vegetables are removed from skewers, and after cooling, they are peeled and diced.
4. Finely chopped garlic (2 cloves), cilantro, basil or parsley is added to a bowl with baked eggplant, pepper, onion and tomatoes.
5. Ajapsandal is seasoned with vegetable oil and mixed. It can be served to the table, previously wrapped in pita bread, or as an independent dish.

Ajapsandal of baked vegetables for the winter

Since not everyone has the opportunity to cook vegetables for this traditional Caucasian dish on the grill, an ordinary oven can replace it. The result is a very tasty home-made baked vegetable preparation that can be used to make ajapsandal. In the recipe, on the grill, eggplant, tomatoes and pepper are baked on hot coals, and in our version, on a baking sheet at 200 ° C.

Step-by-step preparation of ajapsandal for the winter:

1. Washed tomatoes (3 kg) are laid out on a baking sheet and baked on the upper tier of the oven for 50 minutes.
2. While the baked tomatoes are cooling, eggplant (3 kg) is sent to the oven for 1 hour. They need to be slightly pricked with a fork so that the vegetables do not burst during cooking.
3. Hot eggplant dipped in cold salted water.
4. Last of all, pepper (2 kg) is baked. After cooking, it is also dipped in cold water for several minutes.
5. All vegetables are peeled, stalk and seed part (in pepper). It is important to try to preserve the juice that will be formed at the same time.
6. At the bottom of a liter can, an incomplete tablespoon of salt is poured, after which eggplant, pepper, tomatoes are laid out in layers. Juice from vegetables is poured on top.
7. Banks are sterilized in a pan for 1 hour, after which they are rolled up with a can opener and wrapped up for 12 hours.

Ajapsandal with mushrooms on the grill

An appetizer prepared according to this recipe can be served both hot and cold. In the first case, baked, peeled and chopped vegetables are laid out in a pan and warmed up over low heat for about 10 minutes.

To prepare ajapsandal, vegetables on the grill are fried on all sides on hot coals. To do this, eggplant, pepper (3 pcs.), Tomatoes (4 pcs.), Champignons (10 pcs.) And 2 onions are previously strung on skewers. After baking, the vegetables are transferred to cold water for several minutes. This will make it easier to peel them.

Baked and peeled vegetables are chopped and mixed in a bowl with garlic, herbs, vegetable oil and spices.

Ajapsandal: Armenian recipe

In addition to the main ingredients, other vegetables and even meat can be added to this traditional Caucasian dish. In the ajapsandal recipe on the grill, eggplant, bell pepper, tomatoes, onions and garlic are always used. If desired, you can add zucchini, potatoes and meat sliced ​​in small pieces to the dish.

The Armenian Ajapsandal according to the recipe involves serving the dishes hot. Vegetables can either be pre-baked on the grill, or immediately fry in a pan. To do this, 3 eggplant, 2 bell peppers, 4 tomatoes, zucchini and onions are cut into large cubes and laid out in a frying pan with heated vegetable oil. Vegetables are fried until cooked for about 40 minutes, after which garlic, herbs and salt are added to the dish.

Cooking secrets

The following recommendations for ajapsandal recipes on the grill will help to prepare a really delicious Caucasian dish:

1. For baking, you should choose fresh and elastic vegetables without spoiled areas and other flaws.
2. When cooking vegetables on hot coals, it must be borne in mind that pepper is cooked very quickly, unlike eggplants, which will take at least an hour to bake.
3. Ready vegetables are recommended to be dipped for several minutes in cold water, then the peel can be cleaned much easier.