The aroma of oriental spices, tender meat, roasted vegetables, thin pita bread and incredibly tasty flowing gravy - all this about him, about sage. This delicacy as if carries away into the world of ancient oriental tales, intricate patterned carpets, sonorous Transcaucasian songs ... But not only in the historical homeland you can taste saj - its recipe has scattered throughout the world.
What it is?
The word "Saj" came to us from Central Asia. So in Azerbaijan they call a special cast-iron pan with a sloping bottom, which is heated over a small brazier with coals. The same word refers to the dish itself. They cook it in different ways. Every self-respecting Azerbaijani mistress is sure that she knows the best recipe. And culinary experts from all over the world are adapting ways of preparing this dish for themselves, introducing new ingredients, experimenting with seasonings. Most often, a dish consists of meat, eggplant, bell pepper, small tomatoes, pita bread. It is customary to serve chopped greens: basil, cilantro, dill, young onions. We will also try to prepare a delicious saj, the recipe of which has come to us from the depths of centuries.
How to cook a sage?
The principle of preparation is as follows: the ingredients are very quickly fried over high heat in fat tail fat. Lavash rolled up or triangulated, placed on the bottom of the dishes, and the remaining fried components are placed on it. The dish is served on the table most often with a roasting pan. All this time the coals smolder, not allowing the food to cool. The process of extinguishing components together is very lengthy. Juice flowing from them impregnates pita bread, and many consider this part of the dish to be the most delicious.
Pork saj
Initially, this dish was prepared only from a young lamb, putting meat from different parts of the carcass into a pan. But tender pork is just as good. The food is very juicy and aromatic. The recipe "Pork Saj" suggests using the scapular and pelvic parts, moderately fat and fairly soft. In this dish, you can add mushrooms, cauliflower. As you cook, foods need to be salted and sprinkled with spices.
Beef Saj
Beef or veal are suitable for this dish. The meat is cut in long pieces, a little more than a finger thick. Fat tail fat is chopped and laid out in a heated sage. Beef recipe can be complemented with white asparagus.
Chicken Sage
Tender fillet or fat thighs are a wonderful ingredient for a dish. Chicken saj, the recipe of which is as popular in Asia as a lamb dish, is easy to cook. In Azerbaijan, meat is cut from all chicken carcasses, cut into pieces and put into dishes. Homemade chickens are much more flavorful, but broilers can also be used.
How to Make Sage: A Beginner's Recipe
If you have a special dish with a roasting pan, preparing a treat is not a problem even at home. But the process can be somewhat simplified. To do this, all the ingredients are alternately fried in a regular pan or wok. And only when served on the table are transferred to the saj. The recipe allows you to replace fat tail fat with lard or chicken fat.
How to eat sage?
This dish is just for a small pleasant company! Saj will gather his friends at the table, give the evening a magical atmosphere and everyone will love it. There are no strict rules; you can eat a saj as you like. It is permissible to take pieces with your hands directly from a common dish, dipping pita bread into the flowing gravy. You can arrange the dishes on plates, equally dividing the meat and vegetables. The use of spoons and forks is not essential. In a word, in order to enjoy this wonderful dish, it is not at all necessary to follow strict etiquette.
Wonderware
You can cook in an unusual pan not only the dish of the same name. Many oriental restaurants have a real show made from saj cooking. Visitors can enjoy not only the taste, but also the sight. First, the cook puts the roasting pan upside down and allows it to warm up well over the coals. At this time, begins to conjure over the test, rolling it into a thin layer. Then he lays the round cakes right on the convex bottom of the saj! Pita breads are quickly fried, exuding a magical aroma. When there are enough of them, the cook turns over the sage and proceeds to prepare the main dish. As a result, the performance smoothly flows into a festive feast.