One of the most delicious and healthy dishes of Caucasian cuisine is Georgian ajapsandali, which is prepared from vegetables with the addition of aromatic spices and herbs. It's more like a thick soup than a stew. There are many recipe options that use different vegetables, thanks to which the dish has a special taste and looks beautiful in the photo.

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.

How to cook ajapsandal

Before studying recipes that explain how to cook stew in Georgian, familiarize yourself with the basic rules that do not depend on the version of the dish. The technology for preparing Georgian ajapsandali has its own characteristics. Here Recommendations from experienced chefs:

1. You are allowed to take any vegetables and experiment with proportions, but the main ingredients must be eggplants, tomatoes, peppers and a large amount of herbs.
2. If you prepare a dish with minimal addition of oil, it will turn out to be dietary.
3. Before preparing the remaining vegetables, you should soak the eggplants in a weak salt solution for 10-15 minutes so that the dish does not become bitter.
4. Ajapsandal will look more festive if you use bell peppers of different colors.
5. If potatoes are added, the cooking time increases.
6. It is better to take a pan with a thick bottom and high walls to get more liquid.

Recipe for ajapsandali in Georgian

This food is used as an independent dish, but is also perfect as a side dish for meat. Thanks to the successful combination of different vegetables, this stew has a rich taste. Regardless of the added ingredients, Georgian ajapsandali can be included in the diet, because The calorie content of the dish, depending on the components, is only 65-85 kcal per 100 g.

Classical

• Time: 45 minutes.
• Number of servings: 5 persons.
• Calorie content of the dish: 65 kcal/100 g.
• Purpose: for dinner.
• Cuisine: Georgian.
• Difficulty: medium.

The recipe for a classic, unique ajapsandali, cooked in Georgian style, necessarily includes vegetables such as bell peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants. In a traditional dish, all ingredients are first baked on the grill and then cut into large pieces of 1.5 by 1.5 cm. If it is not possible to make ajapsandali over an open fire, a simple oven will do.

Ingredients:

• sunflower oil – 100 g;
• eggplants – 500 g;
• carrots – 2 pcs.;
• tomatoes – 4-5 pcs.;
• onions – 3 pcs.;
• fresh herbs – 1 bunch;
• water – 400 ml;
• bell pepper – 3 pcs.;
• salt – 3 g;
• garlic – 2 cloves;
• black pepper – 2 g.

Cooking method:

1. Cut the eggplants into large rings, place in a deep bowl, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, mix everything thoroughly and leave for 10 minutes.
2. Place the peppers and tomatoes tightly on a baking sheet, put in the oven for 10 minutes, turning on the mode at 250 degrees.
3. Remove the baking sheet, cool the contents and remove the skins from the vegetables.
4. Cut the pepper into strips.
5. Place the tomatoes in a cup and blend with a blender.
6. Cut the carrots into large pieces.
7. Chop the onion into half rings and fry in a frying pan with carrots.
8. Chop the garlic as finely as possible.
9. Place the eggplants in a container.
10. Add the rest of the ajapsandali ingredients to the pan and mix well.
11. Add water, cover with a lid and simmer the vegetables for 20-25 minutes.
12. Chop the greens and decorate the finished dish.

With potato

• Time: 50 minutes.
• Number of servings: 6 persons.
• Calorie content of the dish: 75 kcal/100 g.
• Purpose: for dinner.
• Cuisine: Georgian.
• Difficulty: medium.

Ajapsandal prepared according to this recipe has a rich taste, but it will be more filling and nutritious, so people on a diet should limit their consumption of this dish to 200-250 g per day. To ensure that the ingredients of Georgian ajapsandali have the same consistency and do not boil over, you can add pre-cooked potatoes or start cooking with them.

Ingredients:

• onions – 2 pcs.;
• potatoes – 500 g;
• eggplants – 6 pcs.;
• cilantro, dill – 1 bunch;
• ground pepper – 2 g;
• broth – 300 ml;
• sweet pepper – 3 pcs.;
• vegetable oil – 150 g;
• tomatoes – 4 pcs.;
• garlic – 2 cloves;
• salt - 3 g.

Cooking method:

1. Place the tomatoes and peppers in the microwave for 30 seconds, remove them and remove the skins.
2. Peel the eggplants from the purple peel, cut crosswise and pour over salted boiling water.
3. Cut the prepared vegetables into cubes.
4. Heat the oil in a frying pan and add all the ingredients.
5. Fry until golden brown, pour in broth.
6. Simmer for 35 minutes, sprinkle with chopped herbs.

• Time: 60 minutes.
• Number of servings: 6 persons.
• Calorie content of the dish: 85 kcal/100 g.
• Purpose: for dinner.
• Cuisine: Georgian.
• Difficulty: above average.

If you can’t imagine your diet without meat products, pay attention to how to cook ajapsandal in Georgian style with meat. The dish is combined with lamb, beef, and chicken. Pork, turkey, and veal are also suitable for it. You need to choose a high-quality product without veins or carefully beat the meat before starting to prepare ajapsandali, then it will be much softer and juicier.

Ingredients:

• pork – 500 g;
• onion – 200 g;
• carrots – 5 pcs.;
• tomatoes – 6 pcs.;
• bell pepper – 3 pcs.;
• parsley, cilantro, basil – 100 g;
• eggplants – 5 pcs.;
• garlic – 2 cloves;
• butter – 200 g;
• ground coriander, black pepper – 4 g.

Cooking method:

1. Cut the pork into medium cubes and dry on a napkin.
2. Put the oil in a container, fry the meat, add onions, carrots, peppers, cut into half rings.
3. Chop the remaining vegetables and herbs.
4. Remove the skins from the tomatoes, grind in a blender or crush with a fork, add 0.5 liters of water, boil to 250 ml.
5. Mix everything together, pour in tomato sauce, simmer for 30-35 minutes.

For the winter

• Time: 65 minutes.
• Number of servings: 15 persons.
• Calorie content of the dish: 70 kcal/100 g.
• Purpose: for dinner.
• Cuisine: Caucasian.
• Difficulty: medium.

If you want to eat this delicious dish regardless of the time of year, it is recommended to prepare ajapsandal for the winter. Such an appetizer will differ from the national Georgian one, because vinegar is not used in the traditional recipe, but its main components and unique taste will be preserved. You are allowed to experiment by adding zucchini or cucumbers.

Ingredients:

• eggplants – 0.8 kg;
• vegetable oil – 500 ml;
• sweet bell pepper – 6 pcs.;
• onion – 0.5 kg;
• sugar – 0.5 tbsp. l.;
• tomato paste – 200 g;
• salt – 1 tbsp. l.;
• garlic – 1 head;
• hot peppercorns – 5 g;
• coriander seeds – 3 g;
• vinegar 6% – 100 ml;
• young zucchini – 300 g;
• carrots – 5 pcs.

Cooking method:

1. Prepare the eggplants by cutting them into 1 x 1 cm cubes and soaking them in salted water for 20 minutes.
2. Chop or grate carrots and zucchini.
3. Chop the onion and garlic.
4. Place all ingredients in a deep saucepan, add oil, pepper and salt.
5. Add 100 g of water to the tomato paste and pour into the pan.
6. Simmer for 35 minutes.
7. Pour into pre-treated jars and roll up the lids.
8. Place the jars in the oven on a baking sheet with the lids facing up.
9. Sterilize for another half hour.
10. Store at 3-6 degrees above zero.

Video

Caucasian, Balkan, and Middle Eastern peoples have many dishes that are prepared from a whole range of vegetables and herbs: eggplant, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, beans, basil, rosemary, etc. Sometimes potatoes and green beans are added to dishes. This vegetable dish is called differently everywhere: ajapsandal, imambayadi, etc. We are used to calling such dishes the simple word “stew.”

In southern countries, any housewife knows how to prepare ajapsandal. This dish becomes the main meal in the summer and allows the body to accumulate a supply of vitamins for the coming winter. In addition, it is easily digestible and low in calories. In this article we will tell you how to properly prepare ajapsandal.

Vitaminized thick soup

With the arrival of summer, when fresh vegetables appear in vegetable markets, you want to give up all meat and eat exclusively plant foods. It is our body, hungry for fresh vegetables, that demands its own. And so, having bought eggplants, peppers, tomatoes and herbs at the market, we go home to cook something tasty and light. Despite the fact that in our latitudes it is not customary to cook eastern ajapsandal, Russian housewives, having once tasted this tasty dish, begin to ask how to cook ajapsandal. Having learned about the simplicity of the recipe, they immediately begin preparing this thick soup full of vitamins.

Classic recipe (Georgian)

Today there are many options for preparing this southern dish. Each of the peoples made their own adjustments to the original recipe. Some people prepare it thin, others, on the contrary, very thick. Some people add potatoes, and many add green beans or carrots and even cabbage. The classic recipe for this dish consists of the following ingredients:

• eggplants - 4 pieces;
• tomatoes - 1 kilogram;
• red and green bell peppers - half a kilogram;
• large onion - 2-3 heads;
• garlic - 3-4 cloves;
• 1 bunch of greens, consisting of basil, parsley, cilantro, rosemary, etc.;
• spices;
• vegetable or butter.

Now you will learn how to prepare ajapsandal.

Step by step recipe

1. Peel the eggplants, cut into cubes with a sharp knife, add salt and set aside.
2. Remove seeds and stems from the pepper and cut into strips.
3. Place the tomatoes in boiling water and then in cold water to make it easier to remove the skin. Cut into rings.
4. Peel the onions and garlic. Cut the onion into thin half rings, and finely chop the garlic.
5. Rinse the greens thoroughly in water. Then dry and finely chop.
6. Squeeze the eggplants a handful at a time to release the bitterness.
7. Take a large saucepan with a thick bottom and place vegetables in it in layers: eggplants, peppers, onions, garlic and tomatoes, herbs, etc. Leave some greens for serving.
8. Season the vegetables with black and red pepper.
9. Pour in half a glass of vegetable (sunflower or corn) oil. Place ajapsandal on low heat. Cook until it turns out
10. At the end, taste the dish and add salt if necessary.

So you know how to cook ajapsandal according to the classic recipe. It is served in deep ceramic bowls, generously sprinkled with herbs.

Meat ajapsandal

In Armenia, this dish is prepared according to two recipes. One of them is classic vegetarian, the second is meat. Surely, you are interested in how to cook ajapsandal with meat according to the Armenian recipe. After all, some men cannot be forced to eat dishes that do not contain this product. According to it, it turns out not as thick as in the previous recipe, but more satisfying and tasty. We present to your attention a list of ingredients, as well as instructions on how to prepare ajapsandal in Armenian.

Products you need

In order to prepare a dish according to this recipe, you need to have:

• Fatty meat with bones: either beef or lamb - about 1 kg.
• Eggplants - 3 pcs.
• Tomatoes - 4-5 pcs.
• Red, yellow and green bell peppers - two of each color.
• 1 capsicum hot pepper.
• Large potatoes - 4-5 tubers.
• Red onions - 2-3 pieces.
• Basil and rosemary - half a bunch (dried herbs can be used).
• Bay leaf - 2-3 pcs.
• A pinch of black pepper.
• Ghee - 1-2 tablespoons.

Cooking method

And now we will tell you how to cook ajapsandal in Armenian.

• The meat should be cut into medium-sized pieces and rinsed thoroughly under water.
• Place two spoons on the bottom of the pan and put it on the fire.
• Peel the onion, chop finely, put in a pan and fry in oil until golden.
• Add pieces of meat to the onion, mix, pepper and cover with a lid. Reduce heat and leave the meat to simmer with onions.
• After 5-7 minutes, pour boiled water to the middle of the walls of the pan. Let the broth simmer for another 10 minutes.
• While the broth is cooking, peel the eggplants and cut into cubes.
• Also prepare the pepper by chopping it into half rings.
• Peel the tomatoes using the method described in the previous recipe and cut into slices.
• Chop the peeled potatoes into the same cubes as the eggplants.
• Finely chop the greens.
• Gradually add eggplants to the broth, then peppers, potatoes - and at the very end, tomatoes. Ten minutes before it’s ready, add the bay leaf and herbs, leaving a little for sprinkling before serving.

As you noticed, potatoes are added in the Armenian version. Therefore, our men will like this recipe more, since it contains both meat and our favorite. Thus, you have learned how to cook ajapsandal with potatoes. By the way, Armenian housewives sometimes add green beans to this dish, which gives it an original taste.

Conclusion

Adjapsandal, regardless of whether it was cooked with meat or not, is a very tasty and healthy dish. Anyone who has tried it at least once in their life will not refuse to taste oriental food again. The recipes we have given, as you noticed, are quite simple, everyone can easily prepare them.

What could be better than a vegetable dish in summer? What if it’s aromatic and Georgian? :) I live in Georgia and tried a lot of Ajapsandali recipes (that’s what it’s called in Georgian) until I came to this one. It has become an integral dish in our family. A mixture of herbs gives the dish a unique aroma and bright taste.

Required ingredients.

First you need to peel the eggplants and cut them into large circles, about a centimeter wide.

Pour cold salted water over the eggplants and place a weight on top for 20-30 minutes so that all the bitterness comes out of them.

Peel the potatoes, cut them into small pieces and cook over medium heat.

Meanwhile, the eggplants have already soaked, pour out the juice and squeeze them well. Heat a frying pan very hot, pour a lot of sunflower oil onto it, since eggplants tend to absorb a lot of oil. Wait until the oil heats up and place the eggplant slices tightly next to each other.

While the potatoes are boiling and the eggplants are frying, peel the onions, bell peppers and hot capsicums.

Cut the onion into cubes, bell pepper into half rings, and capsicum into slices.

Place the eggplants in batches, as many as fit in the pan at a time. After they are fried, place them in a colander to drain off all excess oil.

Meanwhile, the potatoes are almost cooked (you need to undercook them a little), take them out with a slotted spoon and leave to cool.

We cut the washed tomatoes in half, cutting off the remaining tails, and grate them until they peel.

Usually in these cases they say to scald the tomatoes with boiling water, peel them and cut them into cubes or then grate them, but in my opinion my method is simpler, isn’t it? :)

When all the eggplants are fried, add potatoes, cut into 1-1.5 cm cubes, into the same frying pan in which they were fried. Fry until golden brown.

Place the fried potatoes temporarily in a bowl and add peppers and onions to the pan. Fry until the onion is golden. Then add back the potatoes and eggplants. Pour in grated tomatoes. If your tomatoes are not juicy enough, you can add a tablespoon of tomato paste and a little boiling water. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring gently.

Chop the greens and garlic. I prefer finely chopped garlic, but you can put it through a press. I have dried thyme, it is usually used in Georgian cuisine when preparing Lobio. Pour the greens and garlic into the pan and simmer for another 5 minutes, stirring carefully.

Ajapsandali is ready, you can serve it to the table, bon appetit!

In Georgia, it is the main dish and is eaten without a side dish, as it is quite filling, but pasta and even mashed potatoes go perfectly with it, despite the fact that Adjapsandali itself contains potatoes. They usually eat it cold, but I prefer it warm.

- a divinely delicious vegetable dish from the cuisine of the Caucasus. Adjapsandali is a very popular dish in the Caucasus and, probably, just as in our country borscht or vinaigrette is prepared differently in each family, ajapsandali is also prepared differently in different places and families.

There is already a very tasty recipe on my website, but it is completely different, more like a vegetable stew, which in no way detracts from its taste and characteristics - there is almost no oil in it and the vegetables are stewed in their own juice.

In Georgian-style ajapsandali, all vegetables are first fried separately until soft, and then they are all stewed together, soaking in each other’s juices and dressing.

I’ll say right away that I was a little worried that the dish would turn out greasy, but I decided to stick to the recipe and the result exceeded my expectations! Adjapsandali turned out to be very tasty and aromatic, there is absolutely no oil in it, both hot and cold, the vegetables retained their appearance and did not spread into the puree.

Perhaps the only nuance that I will change the next time I cook it is to add a little more spicy spices, herbs and garlic, reduce the amount of carrots a little and use a little more tomato. I will write my proportions in parentheses so as not to spoil the original recipe.

Yes, by the way, the author of this ajapsandali recipe, Tinatin Mzhevadze, is a famous Georgian writer.

• eggplants - about 1 kg
• tomatoes - 700 grams (1 kg)
• bell pepper - 500 grams
• onion - 500 grams
• carrots - 500 grams (300 grams)
• garlic - 5 cloves (7−8)
• purple basil, parsley and cilantro - 50 grams each (I love greens and next time I will take 1.5 or 2 times more)
• ground coriander - 0.5 tsp. (2/3 tsp)
• salt and freshly ground pepper - to taste
• utskho - suneli - 0.5 tsp. (1 tsp)
• vegetable oil for frying

I’ll immediately write one important nuance - all vegetables must first be fried until tender and be soft. The order of frying the vegetables and placing them in the pan can be any order, since then we will mix them.

It is better to use 2 pans at once. First, fry the eggplants in two, and then the pepper in one, and the onion and carrot in the other. According to experience, the pepper will cook faster, and in this frying pan we will simmer the greens.

1. First of all, let's deal with the eggplants. They need to be washed, cut off the stalk and cut into circles 5-7 millimeters thick. I like the slight bitterness in eggplants, but if it bothers you, you can put the eggplants in a bowl, or even better, in a colander, add salt well, stir so that the salt is evenly distributed and leave for 30-40 minutes. Drain the released juice and rinse the eggplants from salt.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan; eggplants love oil, so don’t skimp on it, and we’ll remove the excess oil later. So, fry the eggplants until cooked, transfer them to a paper towel folded in 2-3 layers, cover with a towel on top and press down with your hands so that the excess oil is absorbed into the paper towel. Place the eggplants in the pan in which we will cook the ajapsandali.
3. Next in line is pepper. We process it as usual - wash it, remove the seeds and cut it into strips about 1 centimeter thick. Fry until soft and transfer to the pan with the eggplants.
4. Next, wash and peel the onions and carrots. We cut the onion into half rings, and cut the carrots into circles or thin slices. We transfer the vegetables to a separate frying pan and simmer, just simmer, and do not fry in a sufficiently large amount of oil. It is important that both the onions and carrots are soft. We transfer them to a saucepan, and then drain off the excess oil.
5. Wash parsley and basil under running water and chop finely. Sauté the greens in a frying pan for about 5 minutes and transfer to the pan.
6. All the vegetables are ready, all that remains is to make the dressing. Cut the washed tomatoes into several parts and transfer them to a blender, add chopped cilantro, chopped garlic, spices (utskho-suneli, ground pepper and coriander) and salt. The dressing should be quite spicy and salty, because we did not salt the rest of the vegetables and all the spice and salt will be distributed.
7. Beat the dressing in a blender until pureed and pour it into the pan.
8. Mix everything carefully, put the pan on the fire a little more than medium and simmer for about 10-15 minutes under the lid. This time will be enough for the vegetables to soak in the dressing and each other’s juices and retain their shape without turning into a puree.

Ready in Georgian. It’s better to let the dish brew a little more and taste the divine taste of vegetables when the ajapsandali cools down to room temperature.

31.08.2015

Adjapsandal or Anjapsandali is a Caucasian vegetable dish that has its own unique taste and aroma due to the selection of the right spices and fresh herbs. This is a hot or cold appetizer, which can be served in any way you like. I advise you to pay attention to other or , which will also undoubtedly appeal to you 😉

I decided to prepare the Adjapsandal dish when summer had just begun and delicious vegetables began to appear on market stalls. Today, to be honest, is already the last day of the hottest season, so while eggplants are still tasty, cheap and very accessible, I decided to post a series of recipes with this delicious vegetable at the forefront. It opens with an appetizer or Ajapsandal salad.

In the title of the recipe, I indicated that Adzhapsandali is a Caucasian dish, and for a reason. The fact is that many eastern peoples consider it national, especially the Adjapsandal dish is popular in Georgia and Armenia. But there are so many varieties of this snack that it’s impossible to count them all! Adjapsandali can be cooked in a frying pan by frying or stewing, baked Adjapsandali in the oven, grilled, combine several processes, or leave some ingredients fresh. You can even roll Adjapsandal into jars for the winter!

In addition, Adzhapsandali in Georgian and Adzhapsandali in Armenian do not differ in strict rules or ingredients. They may or may not contain carrots, potatoes, and even (which is extremely rare) meat, which is surprising, since this has been a vegetarian dish for centuries. However, there is a certain set of ingredients and spices that cannot be excluded, and I’ll tell you about them today!

I won’t say that my Adjapsandali is classic, because, as we have already figured out, each nation has its own classics, or attribute it to a specific cuisine, I will simply tell you how to cook Adjapsandali, and you decide for yourself in Georgian or Armenian it will work out.

So, Ajapsandal, a step-by-step recipe with photos.

Ingredients

• - 3 pcs
• - onion - 2 pcs.
• - 1 PC
• - 2 pcs
• - 2 cloves
• - 1 piece (optional)
• - dill, cilantro, parsley, purple basil - all 0.3 bunches
• - 1 tsp

Cooking method

First of all, I suggest you watch the video recipe from my YouTube channel , which contains a lot of other recipes and interesting videos on food and travel topics. Subscribe, it will be cool!

Ajapsandal or Ajapsandali: video recipe

Step-by-step recipe with photos

Now more details. Cooking Georgian or Armenian Adjapsandal is a completely simple process. First of all, as always, we prepare the ingredients: wash the vegetables and herbs, clean the necessary products. If your eggplants are young and fresh, then there will be no bitterness in them and you don’t need to carry out additional manipulations. If now is not the height of the season, then cut the eggplants into medium-sized cubes, put them in a colander and salt them thoroughly. Leave for half an hour, then wash with cold tap water, thoroughly washing off the salt, which has absorbed all the bitterness.

Now place a deep frying pan on medium heat. A wok pan is perfect for preparing this vegetable dish. Pour a little vegetable oil and leave to warm up. At this time, cut the onion into thin half rings, throw it into heated oil, fry, stirring occasionally until light golden brown. After this, add the eggplants, mix and fry the ingredients for 5 minutes.

At this time, remove the seeds and cut the bell pepper into medium-sized pieces. For this case, one life hack is perfect, which I once spotted from Jamie Oliver, and it made my life much easier, after which I wrote a step-by-step guide . I'm sure you'll like it too! Throw the peppers into the pan, stir, leave to fry for 5 minutes, stirring.

Now it's time to peel the tomatoes. I already told you how to do this in the manual. , read there, and I’ll return to the Anjapsandali recipe. Cut the skinned tomatoes into quarters and then into thin slices. Chop the garlic and chili pepper very finely. It is not necessary to add the second ingredient or you can reduce the amount, but I like it spicy.

Throw tomatoes, garlic and chili peppers into the frying pan with Adjapsandal, salt to taste, pepper, add thyme and mix. Let the vegetable stew simmer for 5 minutes. At this time, finely chop all the greens.

After the required time, add all the greens to Ajapsandali, mix and simmer for another 5 minutes.

That's it, the vegetarian dish Adjapsandal is ready! Very summery and fresh!

Place the hot “vegetable stew” Adjapsandal on plates or let it cool and eat as a cold snack. Both options are very tasty!

Let's sum it up!

Adzhapsandal or Adzhapsandali: Caucasian vegetable dish. The recipe is short

1. We prepare the ingredients: wash and peel the vegetables and herbs, eggplants, if they were bought outside the high season and are bitter, cut into medium cubes, put in a colander, add a lot of salt, mix, leave for half an hour, then rinse well with cold running water.
2. Place a frying pan with a small amount of vegetable oil on medium heat and leave to heat.
3. Cut the onions into quarters and thin strips, put them in a frying pan and fry, stirring, until lightly browned.
4. Add the eggplants to the onion, stir and fry for another 5 minutes, stirring.
5. At this time, quickly clean and cut the medium-sized bell pepper into pieces stuffed eggplants And long-awaited Greek Moussaka . In order not to miss it, be sure to , it's free! In addition, when you subscribe, you will receive as a gift a whole collection of complete recipes of 20 dishes, prepared very quickly, from 5 to 30 minutes!

   

   Try to cook delicious Armenian or Georgian Adjapsandali, leave comments with ratings and remember that cooking delicious is quite simple, and that you are more talented than you can imagine! Enjoy your meal!

   

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