Adjapsandali in Georgian - how to cook deliciously at home from vegetables with photos

The spicy aroma of Georgian cuisine is difficult not to recognize. It reminds of Georgia even to those who have never been there and cannot imagine all the beauty of the mountainous country.

Adjapsandal - the word itself sounds like a mysterious oriental fairy tale. This simple and incredibly tasty dish has been around for hundreds of years. It is prepared by Georgians, Armenians, Azerbaijanis, and Ossetians.

Amazing. Every Georgian woman has her own recipe, inherited from her mother and grandmother. But this dish can be made even by an inexperienced housewife who is not familiar with Georgian cuisine.
Universal. They can be cooked on the stove, in the oven, in a slow cooker, on the grill, on the grill or simply over a fire. There are a lot of variations - from a light vegetable stew to a hearty dish with potatoes and meat. They eat it hot, cold, or put it in jars for the winter.
Useful. Ajapsandal perfectly combines fresh summer vegetables, herbs and spices. They are prepared in such a way as to preserve vitamins and beneficial properties.

Classic recipe

For ajapsandali you need only fresh and young vegetables.

2 medium eggplants
4 multi-colored bell peppers
3-4 small tomatoes
2 medium onions
1 bunch of fragrant cilantro
4 cloves garlic
1 hot pepper
1 tbsp. l. table salt
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp khmeli-suneli
180 ml vegetable oil

To prepare a dish without any skill, 1 hour is enough.

Let's do the vegetables

Fresh, washed, they are ready to give us a unique taste.

Cut the “little blue” ones into circles 1 cm thick. Cut the circles in half. No need to clean. Add salt and leave in a bowl for a quarter of an hour. During this time, the bitterness and excess liquid will go away.
Peeled onions are cut into half rings.
Multi-colored paprika - in thin strips.
Wash the eggplants and squeeze lightly. At this stage, the main thing is not to overdo it. If you squeeze too hard, they will become soft and tasteless.

Making frying

Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan and fry the eggplant pieces. As soon as they turn golden, remove from heat. You can’t overcook it, the taste will be hopelessly ruined. The remaining oil will drain in a colander.

Fry onions and peppers in hot oil. After adding paprika, keep on fire for no more than 5 minutes.
Peel the skins of the tomatoes, previously doused with boiling water. Mash with a fork or blend with a blender.
Chop the delicious smelling cilantro.
Add coriander and suneli hops to the frying. Send tomato puree there too. Place chopped garlic and herbs on top.

Collecting ajapsandals

In a deep bowl, alternate 2 layers:

eggplant
frying

There should be a roast on top, thickly sprinkled with herbs. In addition to cilantro, basil is often used.

Next you need to be patient. To enjoy the wonderful taste, you need to wait at least half an hour. During this time, the products will be soaked in oil and spices and will enrich each other’s flavors.

There is never too much ajapsandal. Usually a large portion is prepared at once, then reheated as needed or used as a cold appetizer.

The vegetable miracle of Georgia goes well with any type of meat.

How to cook “Adjapsandal in Georgian style”

1. Prepare all the ingredients. Wash and dry the vegetables.

2. Cut the vegetables into pieces, first fry the peppers, onions and carrots, as well as the eggplants (until golden brown) in vegetable oil.

3. Now in a saucepan, separately sauté the chopped herbs with spices. Add to vegetable mixture.

4. Scald the tomatoes to remove the skin. Grind the resulting pulp with salt and add to the vegetables. Let's reduce the heat and continue to simmer. Separately, grind the garlic with cilantro and nuts and add to the dish.

5. Stir, simmer everything together over low heat for 15 minutes under the lid. Spices - to taste.

Adjapsandali with meat

Adjapsandali is prepared with various types of meat: from pork to lamb. Processing options vary from recipe to recipe. It is pre-boiled, fried or stewed. Then the vegetables are prepared according to the basic recipe. If you decide to cook sandalwood with beef, it is better to marinate it first so that it does not turn out tough.

If you do not like stewed meat, but prefer the option with a fried crust, it is better to drain the juice that will be released when frying the marinated meat.

It is not customary to put a lot of meat in ajapsandali. If it dominates, the taste of vegetables will not be revealed. Not a bad ratio of 1:3.

What are ajapsandali

For many centuries, food such as ajapsandali has been one of the traditional dishes of Georgian cuisine. Every housewife in Georgia should know how to cook this stew, because it forms the basis of the national menu. You can find similar variations in other regions of the Caucasus - Armenia, Dagestan, Azerbaijan, Abkhazia. Georgian vegetables are suitable for both the everyday diet and for celebrations.

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Adjapsandal on the grill

The original version of the legendary Georgian snack is prepared on the grill, grill and even campfire.

Roast vegetables on skewers or on the grill. Peel them, chop them, mix with oil, spices, herbs, garlic. A little trick: in order not to spend a lot of time peeling baked eggplants, peppers and tomatoes, you need to briefly put them in cold water.

Mushrooms are sometimes added to spicy stews.

Very tasty, smoky-smelling ajapsandal is cooked on the grill in a thick-walled cauldron.

Shish kebab with aromatic appetizer and wine is the perfect combination. And outdoors in the company of friends and family is a real holiday.

Stewed ajapsandali

Ingredients:

Eggplants – 1 kg.
Potatoes - 0.5 kg.
Ripe tomatoes – 0.5 kg.
Bell pepper – 0.5 kg.
Garlic - half a head.
Chili pod - to taste.
Onions – 300 g.
Greens - to taste.
Vegetable oil – 2-3 tablespoons.
Salt and favorite seasonings - to taste.

Preparation:

Cut the eggplants into circles 7-10 millimeters thick or into large cubes, cover with salt.
Fry the onion and garlic in a stewing vessel, then add finely chopped or crushed tomatoes to it and sauté for several minutes.
Place thoroughly washed eggplants, potatoes, and bell peppers in layers or alternately in a bowl. Sprinkle the layers with a mixture of spices, salt and chopped herbs.
Add water and simmer until the potatoes are ready.
This version of Georgian ajapsandali with potatoes can be prepared in a slow cooker.

Adjapsandal in a slow cooker and oven

Spicy warm vegetable salad is great in a slow cooker. Well, it’s not every day that you get to cook outdoors.

The multicooker saves time. Cook Georgian stew on the stove a little longer. Therefore, if guests, as they say, are on the doorstep, feel free to start washing and peeling fresh vegetables. You'll have time!

In order for ajapsandali to acquire a unique taste, it is better to pre-fry them in a slow cooker or in a frying pan.

The Georgian appetizer is also made in the oven. The fried foods are placed in a cauldron and sent to the oven to simmer and tease everyone with mind-blowing smells.

The main trick is not to overcook the vegetables. Otherwise, you won’t get an appetizing look or amazing taste. After frying, cooking time in a slow cooker is no more than 20-30 minutes. By leaving the dish to heat for half an hour, you give it the opportunity to brew. The taste will be richer and spicy.

Fried ajapsandali

Compound:

Eggplants – 1 kg.
Potatoes - 0.5 kg.
Tomatoes – 0.5 kg.
Chili – 2 pods.
Bell peppers – 0.5 kg.
Tomato paste - 2 tablespoons.
Garlic – 5-6 cloves.
Onions – 300 g.
Greens - as much as you like.
Oil – 2-3 tablespoons.
Salt and favorite seasonings - to taste.

Preparation:

Cut the eggplants, add salt, and leave for half an hour.
In a frying pan, successively fry the onion, garlic, chopped peeled tomatoes, pasta and bell peppers.
In the same or at the same time in another frying pan, fry the potatoes until golden brown and add the washed eggplants to it, fry for 5-7 minutes.
Combine all the vegetables in a deep bowl, add spices, salt, herbs, hot peppers, herbs and water, if necessary. Leave to simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Adjapsandali for the winter

In winter, seasonal products are expensive. Moreover, they are entirely imported, and the attitude towards them is ambiguous. They do not have the same taste as the usual fresh eggplants and peppers. If you don’t want to part with your favorite dish for a long time, you need to urgently put the aroma and colors of summer into jars.

When preparing ajapsandal for the winter, add 50 ml of vinegar for every half kilogram of eggplant.

This amazing bright and aromatic dish will never get boring. The variety of recipes and cooking methods allows you to add new notes to the harmonious taste every time.

Gemrielad miirtwit! Bon appetit everyone!

Other possible preparation and filling options

Since this national Georgian dish is considered a part of any Caucasian kitchen, there are an incredible variety of options for its preparation. Some of them differ slightly in the ratio of required spices and vegetables, while others, on the contrary, have significant differences in ingredients. The piquant taste of this snack directly depends on the recipe itself and the method of its preparation, but the general requirements remain unchanged.

The recipe for ajapsandal with meat is very popular today, but many fans of traditional Georgian cuisine believe that its main essence is lost, as is the case with the addition of potatoes and other ingredients. But when prepared from oven-baked vegetables, it has a special unique taste, like any original and aromatic vegetable stew from the oven. The option of cooking it on the grill is good both as a self-sufficient dish and as an ideal addition to barbecue.

We have presented you with a traditional recipe for Georgian cuisine with the unfamiliar name ajapsandali or ajapsandal, which perfectly combines the taste of fresh vegetables and spices. In fact, many housewives have repeatedly prepared variations of this dish, without even suspecting it, because this is the name of a vegetable stew in which the main role is played by eggplants. And for those who are aware of all the nuances of preparing this amazing snack, we invite you to evaluate the recipe we have proposed and share your most interesting and satisfying interpretations.

In the oven

Adjapsandali in Georgian (its classic recipe is taken as the basis for other variations of the dish) can also be prepared in the oven. In this case, the most labor-intensive process will be cleaning and chopping vegetables. But you don't need to fry them.

What ingredients will you need?

For the dish you need to take:

eggplant, red pepper, onion - 1 pc.;
tomatoes – 2 pcs.;
chili pepper – 1/5 part;
garlic – 1-2 cloves;
apple cider vinegar – 20-25 ml;
red basil and cilantro - 1 bunch each;
salt.

The seeds of the chili pepper are first removed so that the dish does not turn out too spicy.

Step-by-step cooking process

The cooking process includes several stages:

The oven must be turned on immediately and preheated to 220-230°.
The stem of an eggplant should be cut off, and the inner part with seeds should be removed from a sweet pepper. Cut each one in half (including onions and tomatoes).
Next, you need to place all the peeled, prepared vegetables on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and bake for approximately 20 minutes.
The finished fruits are transferred to a plastic bag (still hot), tied tightly and left in this form for a quarter of an hour.

Next, remove the skin from the vegetables, cut them into small pieces, add miniature chili cubes, mix and add salt in a common plate.

Rules for serving dishes, decoration

Before serving, sprinkle the treat with apple cider vinegar. You can eat it either warm or cold. The dish becomes especially tender and aromatic after a night in the refrigerator.

Useful tips and tricks

To ensure that ajapsandali always turns out delicious, you need to:

Be sure to soak the eggplants in salt or salt water, otherwise they will taste bitter in the finished treat;
Do not skimp on spices; ground coriander, different types of pepper and suneli hops are especially good for the treat;
choose dishes with a thick bottom and walls, in which the vegetables will quickly soften and become saturated with the aromas of each other, as well as other ingredients.

When preparing ajapsandali in Georgian style (no matter whether the classic recipe is chosen or any other), you need to stir the dish with caution. Otherwise, the consistency of the mass will become more like vegetable caviar, and not like a real Georgian treat.

Variant of stew with potatoes in a slow cooker

For a family of 4 people you will need:

Ingredients	Quantity/weight
Eggplants are medium	3 or 4 pcs.
Potato
Large bell pepper
Very ripe tomatoes
Onion	2 pcs.
Garlic	5 cloves
Hot pepper	1 PC.
Cilantro, fresh regan, parsley	20 g
Any vegetable oil
Salt, hops-suneli pepper, coriander

Cooking time - 90 minutes.

Calorie content (100 g) - 67 kcal.

How to cook ajapsandali in Georgian style with potatoes in a slow cooker:

Cut the vegetables into medium-sized pieces of arbitrary shape;
Fry the eggplants and peppers separately in the “Fry” mode in a small amount of oil. Transfer to a bowl;
Sauté the onion in the same oil without changing the multicooker mode, add chopped tomatoes, and lightly salt. Stirring until half cooked. Place the onion-tomato sauce in a deep plate;
Combine all vegetables in a multicooker bowl. Add spices, some chopped herbs with garlic, hot pepper. Stir gently and pour in the tomato and onion sauce. Sprinkle with remaining herbs and garlic. Close the lid. Set the “Extinguishing” mode for 15 minutes;
After cooking, be sure to open the lid and cool so that the ajapsandali does not overcook.

Bon appetit!

With minced meat

Adjapsandali in Georgian (the classic recipe in this variation is supplemented with meat) is delicious to cook with any minced meat.

What ingredients will you need?

For the dish you need to take:

tomatoes, eggplants, carrots and sweet peppers - 5-6 pcs.;
white onion – 3 heads;
minced meat – 470-500 g;
salt, oil, spices.

Mixed minced pork and beef go well with the treat.

Step-by-step cooking process

The cooking process includes several stages:

To begin with, you need to fry the minced meat with onions until cooked. Add salt.
Peel, wash and cut all vegetables into small pieces. Carrots - grate.
Place in the mold in layers: eggplants, minced meat with onions, carrots, tomatoes, peppers. Sprinkle each one to taste with salt, spices, and sprinkle with oil.

The contents of the mold will cook over low heat for just under an hour.

Rules for serving dishes, decoration

The treat is served hot in portions. It is delicious to complement it with assorted breads.

In the cauldron

To understand the taste of real Georgian ajapsandali, you should cook it at least once over a fire in a cauldron.

Adjapsandali in Georgian is best made in a cauldron over a fire.

The recipe is simple.

What ingredients will you need?

For the dish you need to take:

eggplants, sweet peppers, onions, young zucchini - 2 pcs.;
tomatoes and potatoes - 4-5 pcs.;
garlic - a whole head;
chili – 1 pod;
water, oil, salt, fresh herbs, suneli hops.

The amount of water is determined by the cook himself, depending on how much gravy he wants to get.

Step-by-step cooking process

The cooking process includes several stages:

Eggplants need to be cut into large cubes, add 20-25 g of salt, mix, add 1-1.5 liters of water. After 20-25 minutes, drain the liquid and rinse the vegetables.
You need to chop the zucchini into the same cubes.
Peppers must be cut into quarter rings, chili and onions into thin rings, potatoes and tomatoes into small slices, garlic into slices.
You will need to place a cauldron over a hot fire and let it warm up. Next, pour in the oil, add the onion, wait until it softens and browns.
Then add the potatoes. After 5-6 minutes of frying, you need to add two types of pepper, salt and suneli hops. After the same time, add the remaining ingredients, except garlic and herbs. And also - pour in 1-1.5 tbsp. water.
The mixture should boil under the lid. Immediately after this, you can put out the fire.

You need to cook the treat until the potatoes soften. All that remains is to add chopped herbs, garlic, mix everything and let the dish brew for about a quarter of an hour.