Chakapuli: a recipe with a step-by-step description, features and reviews

Chakapuli is one of the most popular dishes of Georgian national cuisine. Four main ingredients are usually required to make it: meat, herbs, wine and green plums. All these products are abundant, usually in late spring or at the very beginning of summer. This period coincides with many religious holidays, when in any Georgian family the famous chakapuli is always served. Each housewife has a recipe for its preparation. From the whole variety, several most interesting options can be distinguished.

Beef Chakapuli

For the preparation of chakapuli using different types of meat (beef or lamb). There are no strict restrictions. According to reviews, the main thing is that all other ingredients are available. For example, you can consider the most common chakapuli recipe. For it you will need: 700 grams of beef, 200 milliliters of white wine, 150 grams of green plums and fresh coriander, 30 grams of garlic, 200 grams of tarragon and green onions, a little salt, a liter of water and 2 green peppers.

Cooking begins with the processing of products:

1. The meat must be cut into large cubes and put in a deep saucepan.
2. Pour it with wine, put on the stove and cook for 20 minutes until all the liquid has boiled away. Stir meat periodically.
3. At this time, you can do greenery. It is necessary to tear off the leaves of tarragon and rinse them thoroughly. Stalks are not needed for work, so you can simply throw them away.
4. Chop the coriander, tarragon, onion and pepper, and chop the garlic with a knife or crush.
5. Add prepared foods along with plums to boiling meat, pour them with water and cook under the lid for 60 minutes.
6. At the very end of the dish you need to salt to taste.

This is the simplest and most popular chakapuli recipe, which even a novice hostess can master. The dish is usually served hot with fresh aromatic pita bread to the table. According to experts, this method of cooking beef can be considered one of the best. The meat is well cooked and turns out to be very tender.

Chakapuli with mushrooms

For those who do not eat meat at all, you can recommend trying the original lean chakapuli recipe. Believers use it during religious fasting, when fast food is prohibited by the rules. In this case, you will need: 300 grams of fresh champignons, 100 grams of green onions, 60 grams of cilantro, 10 grams of chili pepper and garlic, salt, 30 grams of green tarragon, 3 plums, 50 milliliters of wine (white), vegetable oil and 80 grams of spinach .

The dish is prepared in several stages:

1. First, all the greens must be arbitrarily chopped, collected in one container and mix well.
2. Cut the mushrooms into slices (or slices) and then lightly fry them in oil.
3. Transfer the hot mushrooms into the pan, sprinkle with herbs, add salt, pepper, plums and garlic.
4. Pour food into the wine.
5. Boil an hour over low heat, covering the pan with a lid or wrapping its surface with foil.

Decorate the finished dish in a plate with the remnants of chopped greens. Such an unusual chakapuli is very popular with vegetarians. With its help, they can enjoy all the delights of Georgian cuisine without any problems.

Veal Chakapuli

There are several important points to consider in order to make real chakapuli in Georgian. The recipe essentially remains the same. True, it is customary to take calf meat on ribs as the main ingredient. In the east of Georgia, the following components are used for such a dish: one and a half kilograms of veal, 4 onions, 1 hot red pepper, 300 grams of green cherry plum, garlic head, 100 grams of cilantro greens, celery and parsley stalks, 40 grams of butter, salt, 30 grams tarragon (tarragon), 150 grams of leek, half a liter of water, a tablespoon of Uzbek spices, ground pepper and several sprigs of mint or thyme.

In this case, cooking takes a lot more time. To work, you need a cauldron. Further it is necessary:

1. Cut the meat into large pieces and lay half of the total amount on the bottom of the cauldron.
2. Top with chopped onion half-rings.
3. Randomly crumble all the greens. Place part of it on top of meat with onions.
4. Pepper and add a little salt.
5. Spread the leftovers evenly over the surface.
6. Throw cherry plum.
7. Pepper and salt again.
8. Cover everything with greens.
9. Place spices and sliced ​​pepper on top.
10. Pour food into the water.
11. Add chopped garlic and celery.
12. Put the cauldron on the stove and bring its contents to a boil.
13. Put a piece of butter on top. So the meat will turn out much softer.
14. Make the fire smaller and simmer under the lid for at least three hours.

Chakapuli is served at the table in portions. The hostess should distribute the dish so that in each plate, in addition to meat, all other components are present. And without that, tender veal in such an original neighborhood turns out even softer and more fragrant. Any professional will agree with this opinion.

Quick and tasty

Some still prefer to cook lamb chakapuli. You can use any recipe. But there is one option when the dish is not only quickly prepared, but also requires a minimum set of products. You only need: 1 kilogram of fresh mutton, salt, 100 grams of dry white wine, 2 kilograms of herbs (cilantro, green plums, parsley and tarragon), ground pepper and tkemali sauce.

Everything is done very simply:

1. Cut the lamb into small pieces.
2. Put them in a pan.
3. Stew meat for about 10-15 minutes without adding water. Due to the large amount of its own fat, the meat will not burn.
4. Add wine and continue heat treatment for another 10 minutes.
5. Finely chop the greens and add it to the pan along with the rest of the ingredients.
6. Stir well and simmer for 25 minutes.

As a result, the meat is soft, tender and very tasty. True, reviews recommend eating such a dish with extreme caution so as not to break teeth on small plum bones. In this way, beef is often cooked in many Georgian restaurants. For visitors, as a rule, it is in great demand. Many of them believe that it is with the help of this dish that you can appreciate the charm of the Georgian national cuisine.

National soup

How else can I make lamb chakapuli in Georgian? The recipe for this dish essentially resembles a thick soup. At home, it can be made from the following products: 1 kilogram of lamb ham and the same amount of plums, a bottle of dry wine, a head of garlic, 3 pods of hot pepper, water, 200 grams of tarragon, salt, mint, 1 bunch of green onion, cilantro and basil .

The process takes place in several stages:

1. Cut the lamb into medium pieces.
2. Put them in a saucepan, add water and bring to a boil.
3. Add wine, salt and simmer over low heat. In this case, the meat should always be under a layer of liquid.
4. At this time, rinse the plums, put them in a saucepan, pour water and cook a little over low heat.
5. Wipe the resulting puree through a sieve.
6. Crush greens.
7. Chop pepper and garlic finely.
8. Add them together with herbs to almost finished meat. Cook foods in this composition for about 30 minutes.
9. Add mashed plums and simmer for another 10 minutes.

Now the finished soup will only be poured into deep plates and enjoy its amazing taste and aroma. This dish is prepared at least once a year in almost every Georgian family. So the locals pay tribute to the ancient traditions of their ancestors. And some people think that chakapuli is the best use for lamb meat.

Lamb chakapuli

Traditionally, lamb meat is used in Georgia for making chakapuli. The classic recipe requires the following ingredients: 1 kilogram of lamb, 300-400 milliliters of white wine, half a pod of green hot pepper, 2 bunches of tarragon, 500 grams of green onion, a teaspoon of sunflower hop seasoning, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 cups plums, salt, a bunch of cilantro and ground pepper.

The cooking method is similar to the previous options:

1. Cut the meat with a knife into pieces and put them in a saucepan.
2. Chop the onion, garlic and greens and divide into two. Add one of them to the meat immediately.
3. Pour it all over with wine.
4. Put half the sink in the stewpan and put it on fire.
5. As soon as the mass boils, make the flame smaller and simmer for about 45-50 minutes.
6. Add all remaining ingredients and simmer products under the lid for 15 minutes.

After this, the finished dish should stand for another quarter hour. Only then can it be laid on plates and served. Old people say that this is what the real Georgian chakapuli should look like. This is a tender meat with an original aroma that almost crumbles in your hands, seasoned with a lot of greens.