Georgian eggplant: rolls with nuts, ajapsandali, pucks and other ways to taste Georgia

Georgia is famous for its feasts. They like to cook and treat guests here. Not a single feast is complete without eggplant appetizers. In the “Georgian” version, the blue ones are especially delicious. An incredible aroma of spices, piquancy, unusual combinations of ingredients, a lot of greens - this is why Georgian dishes are loved throughout the world.

Eggplants are cooked differently in Georgia: baked, stewed, fried, boiled. The nutty sauce is served on blue ones, eggplant is poured with tomato sauce, seasoned with sharp dressings. Eggplant dishes are usually placed on the table cold. Spicy snacks warm up the appetite, preparing for a "meeting" with meat.

Choosing the “Right” Fruits

A delicious dish can only be obtained from quality ingredients. Ideally, to create culinary masterpieces, you need to buy organic vegetables from farmers or take eggplant grown yourself. But in life, everything is much more prosaic: for the little blue housewives go to the market or to the supermarket. It is important not to miscalculate and buy young fruits, because overripe ones are tasteless and even dangerous. They have a lot of corned beef that can be poisoned. Remember the four tips that make your choice easier.

1. Choose by size. It is better to buy medium-sized vegetables: they are tastier and healthier. Too large blue can be overripe or "stuffed" with nitrates.
2. Evaluate the appearance. Smooth, thin peel, no scratches - look for such eggplants on the market. Rate the color. If you come across brown or dark brown fruits - do not take it: they have been lying on the counter for too long.
3. Inspect the "tail". Eggplant stalk is required. By removing the “tail”, the seller usually disguises the “age” of vegetables. If the stalk is dry, brown - the eggplant was plucked for a long time.
4. Feel and crush. Do not hesitate to feel the eggplant and press on it when buying. If the vegetable has ripened and was plucked recently, then there should be no dents on it. On fresh blue ones from pressing there will be no trace: they are elastic.

How to achieve a "Transcaucasian" taste

Dishes of Georgian cuisine have a recognizable taste. Do you want to cook not just eggplant, but necessarily “Georgian”? Follow the four tips.

1. Learn classic combinations of ingredients. If you want to cook eggplant, as they are cooked in Georgia, learn how to combine the ingredients correctly. Most often, blue ones in Georgian cuisine are found in tandem with walnuts. This is the “calling card” of national cuisine. Eggplant is also combined with pomegranate seeds, suluguni cheese, garlic.
2. Do not forget about fresh herbs. Georgian housewives are not stingy with adding greens to food.Spicy greens are especially appreciated in local cuisine: cilantro, savory, tarragon, mint, basil, leek. You can add parsley, dill, spinach, celery. The main thing is not to spare “greenfinch”. So the dish will sparkle with colors, acquire the piquancy characteristic of Georgian cuisine and get fresh notes.
3. Make it sharp. Georgian snacks have a characteristic sharpness. Be sure to use chili peppers and garlic. But the severity still adjust "for yourself" - this is a matter of personal taste.
4. Add a lot of spices. Georgian dishes are a firework of aromas. The main seasoning is uzo-suneli. It is made from blue fenugreek seeds. If you see the spice in the store - take it without hesitation. Seasoning is revealed in a dish with a tart refreshing aroma, brings a slightly bitter nutty notes. The second most popular seasoning is Suneli hops. She is familiar to many housewives. The dizzying spicy flavor of seasoning cannot be confused with anything. The spices include dried dill, basil, saffron, marjoram, coriander, cilantro. Wine vinegar is often added to eggplant dishes, which balances the riot of tastes.

2 traditional Georgian eggplant recipes

The easiest way to feel the taste palette of Georgia, without leaving your home, to cook eggplant rolls in Georgian. The dish is familiar to many housewives. Blue rolls with various fillings are often served on holidays. The appetizer is cooked quickly, looks beautiful, does not require expensive ingredients. But not any eggplant rolls can be called Georgian. In Georgia, they are sure to add nuts, herbs, garlic and many seasonings, without which it is impossible to imagine local cuisine. Georgian chefs call this appetizer “Phali Badrigani”. A variant of the traditional nut filling is nut cheese.

Cooking with nut filling and ...

Features Georgian eggplant with nuts is a win-win snack option. The dish is prepared quickly, but it takes an additional half hour to soak the plates of eggplant - so they lose their bitterness. Greens and seasonings can be taken to your taste, but if you want to cook a snack like in Georgia, then suneli hops and cilantro are required. When serving an appetizer, you can sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.

A set of ingredients:

• eggplant - two pieces;
• walnut kernels - a full glass;
• cilantro - half a bunch;
• garlic - three cloves;
• grape vinegar - one and a half tablespoons;
• salt, ground pepper, coriander, hops-suneli - to taste;
• vegetable oil (refined) - for frying.

Cooking

1. Cut the little blue ones into the longitudinal plates. The ideal slice thickness is 0.5 cm.
2. Soak the plates in salted water. You need to wait 30 minutes - the bitterness will go away.
3. Dry the workpieces. Fry until golden. Oils are a minimum: eggplants absorb it well, and as a result, the snack can drain off with fat.
4. Put the fried plates on a napkin to remove excess oil.
5. Prepare the filling: chop the kernels of nuts and garlic in a blender, add finely chopped cilantro, seasonings, vinegar to the ingredients.
6. Put the filling on the cooled plates. Roll up the rolls. You can fix each skewer.

... add cheese

Features Blue with cheese in Georgian - a quick, tasty, affordable snack. In addition to cheese, nuts are put in the filling. It is they who cause associations with Georgia. You can just make a cheese filling, but then it will already be a "fantasy on the topic."

A set of ingredients:

• blue ones - three small vegetables;
• Suluguni cheese - 200 g;
• garlic - three cloves;
• peeled walnuts - 100 g;
• light mayonnaise - three tablespoons;
• seasonings - to choose from;
• cilantro, parsley - half the bunch;
• vegetable oil - for frying.

Cooking

1. Cut longitudinal thin strips of blue (thickness - 0.5 cm).
2. Put slices of vegetables on a plate, sprinkling each layer with coarse salt. Leave the vegetable plates for 15 minutes, then rinse. So the bitterness will go away.
3. Fry the dried pieces - literally a minute on each side. Leave to cool on a napkin: it will "take" excess fat.
4. Grind the kernels of nuts in a blender, grate the cheese, squeeze the garlic in a press, chop the greens finely. Combine the components of the filling, add seasonings, season with mayonnaise.
5. Spread a nut and cheese filling on a strip of eggplant. Wrap a roll.

Delicious palette of options

There are many ways to cook eggplant in Georgian. National cuisine is not famous for single rolls. Stuffed eggplants are served in Georgia, spicy stews are made from blue ones, and savory dishes are prepared from fried or baked vegetables. All dishes are necessarily flavored with a traditional set of spices (hops-suneli, coriander, garlic, black pepper) and herbs (cilantro, parsley). Try to cook a Georgian dish of blue ones according to a proven recipe - guests will be pleasantly surprised by the culinary talent!

Stuffed Satsivi

Features Stuffed little blue ones - an option for those who want to surprise guests. As a filling, traditional satsivi nut sauce is used. The dish is hearty. The appetizer is served cold.

A set of ingredients:

• eggplant - six medium-sized;
• onions - two medium vegetables;
• garlic - clove;
• celery - six stalks;
• walnuts - 120 g;
• wine vinegar (white) - 120 ml;
• corn oil - two tablespoons;
• sugar - a teaspoon with a slide;
• hops-suneli, coriander - on a teaspoon without a hill;
• cinnamon - on the tip of a knife;
• cloves - two buds;
• salt, pepper - to your taste.

Cooking

1. Cut off the blue stalk. Make a deep cut in each vegetable in length.
2. Fold the fruits in a saucepan, pour boiling water. Water should cover vegetables by a third. Simmer for about 30 minutes.
3. Two minutes before the end of cooking, add celery stalks to the pan.
4. Throw the little blue ones into a colander, cool. Do not throw celery stalks.
5. Chop the onion. Sauté until golden in corn oil.
6. Fill the nuts, garlic, coriander, sun-hops in a blender bowl. Mix the mixture, salt, pepper to your taste. In a mortar, grind cinnamon and cloves, add the powder to the filling.
7. Mix vinegar, sugar, cold water (200 ml). Pour the resulting liquid into a nut-garlic paste. Stir until smooth.
8. Pour the sauce into a pan with onions. Bring to a boil, boil the sauce for seven minutes.
9. Fill the "pockets" of boiled eggplant with sauce. Dress each stuffed vegetable with a celery stalk.
10. Fold the eggplant stuffed in a bowl, pour the rest of the sauce on top.
11. Send your appetizer in the fridge before guests arrive.

Sharp

Features Georgian fried eggplant with garlic is a simple appetizer, but this does not mean that it is not suitable for the holiday menu. The spicy taste and stunning aroma of the dish will be remembered by guests. Georgian eggplant recipes are easy to repeat. The appetizer is not served immediately: it must be saturated with dressing. After cooking, send the dish to the refrigerator for two hours, but do not forget to cover the plate with blue ones with something, otherwise other products will absorb the aroma of the snack.

A set of ingredients:

• eggplant - two pieces;
• chili pepper - the fourth part of the pod;
• garlic - three cloves;
• vinegar 9% - a tablespoon;
• parsley, cilantro - a pair of twigs;
• salt - a pinch;
• sunflower oil (refined) - three tablespoons.

Cooking

1. Cut the little blue “washers”. The thickness of one is about a centimeter.
2. Salt the preparations, rinse with water after 30 minutes - so you remove the characteristic bitterness.
3. Fry circles on both sides in a little oil.
4. Cut the garlic into strips, chilli into small cubes. Add to them sunflower oil and vinegar (each tablespoon of each ingredient), salt. While stirring, rub the pieces of vegetables with a spoon so that they give a sharpness and aroma to the dressing.
5. Put the fried blues on a plate in layers. Sprinkle each layer with chopped herbs and season with a sharp dressing with pieces of garlic and pepper.

Piquant with Tomatoes

Features Georgian-style eggplant with tomatoes will captivate gourmets with a rich taste and amazing aroma. Spicy blue ones in tomato sauce go well with meat dishes.

A set of ingredients:

• blue - two medium-sized vegetables;
• tomatoes - two large tomatoes;
• tomato paste - a tablespoon;
• onion - one onion;
• hot pepper - half the pod;
• garlic - four cloves;
• hops-suneli - half a teaspoon;
• cilantro, basil, parsley - three branches each;
• salt to taste;
• water - half a glass;
• vegetable oil (refined) - for frying.

Cooking

1. Cut the little blue “washers” (thickness - about a centimeter). Salt, rinse after 15 minutes. Fried dried washers until golden.
2. Dice the onion. Sauté.
3. Sprinkle tomatoes with boiling water, remove the skin, chop the pulp with a knife. Pour the pulp to the onion and simmer until the tomatoes become gruel.
4. Add finely chopped greens, hot pepper, garlic, seasonings, tomato paste and half a glass of water to the tomato gruel.
5. Put it out ten minutes together. Put the fried blue circles in the sauce. Cover the frying pan with a lid, then simmer for 3 minutes over low heat so that the aubergines soak in the sauce.

Stew

Features A colorful vegetable dish with an amazing aroma that provides greens and seasonings. The “first violin” in the stew should remain blue, so keep an eye on the proportions of vegetables. Stew must be extinguished in a large cauldron. You can not add water: vegetables should languish in their own juice - then the taste will be saturated. The next day the dish is even tastier than immediately after cooking, so cook a lot.

A set of ingredients:

• blue ones - 1 kg;
• large tomatoes - 0.5 kg;
• sweet pepper - six pieces;
• bitter pepper - one pod;
• onion - five onions;
• carrots - six pieces;
• garlic - a large head;
• cilantro, basil, parsley - in a bunch;
• saffron - half a teaspoon;
• hops-suneli - two teaspoons;
• salt, ground pepper - to taste;
• vegetable oil - for frying.

Cooking

1. Dice the little blue ones. Sprinkle with salt, rinse after 30 minutes. Fry the dried cubes until light golden.
2. Cut the onion into cubes, fry until golden, add the grated carrots, half rings of bell pepper. Fry the vegetables together for about seven minutes.
3. Dip the tomatoes in boiling water to make the peel easier to peel off. Remove the skin, chop the pulp.
4. Combine previously prepared vegetables, tomato pulp and garlic minced through a press. Simmer for about 15 minutes over low heat.
5. Add chopped greens, hot pepper, spices to the bowl. Continue to simmer another ten minutes. Turn off the stove. Leave the dish to cool under the lid - it will “reach”.

Georgian eggplants can be prepared in hundreds of ways. If you don’t know how to surprise households already, serve blue in the form of caviar, but not classical, but with Georgian notes. To prepare the dish, you need to bake the blue ones in the oven until tender, and then chop the pulp with a blender. Add crushed nuts, garlic, cilantro, spices to the eggplant puree - the caviar is ready. The traditional combination of eggplant and nuts sounds new chords, thanks to the consistency of the snack. To mentally travel to hospitable Georgia, spread caviar on hot khachapuri.

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