Ajapsandali (Georgian Stewed Vegetables)

Gamarjoba, gourmets! We are going back to the delicious dishes of mountain Georgia. We are preparing ajapsandali on a budget and quickly today.

Ajapsandali in Georgian.

Ajapsandali or ajapsandal is a dish of Caucasian cuisine. It is prepared in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, and can also be found in Turkey. Ajapsandali is an incredibly delicious dish with a small amount of calories in addition. The basis of the dish is eggplant. We fry them in a frying pan, but initially the shepherds fried them on an open fire, made eggplant paste and added spices. This paste was called ajap. In the modern version of the dish, onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, and sometimes potatoes are added.

Spices for ajapsandali.

The spice set is very simple:

• garlic
• parsley
• cilantro leaves
• red hot pepper
• salt

To give an even more authentic taste, we added ground coriander and suneli hops. So slightly enhanced the aroma and taste of ajapsandali.

How to cook ajapsandali?

Cooking this dish is very simple. It is advisable to use fresh products. Cut into large pieces the main vegetables: eggplant and bell pepper. Finely chop the onion, garlic, herbs. Tomatoes are finely chopped or ground into puree. Fry all the ingredients in olive oil with spices.

Other georgian recipes:

• Chakhokhbili (Georgian Chicken Stew)
• Lobio Georgian Bean Stew
• Georgian Chicken Satsivi
• Khachapuri (Georgian Cheese Bread)
• Georgian salad

Recipe type: Stew

Recipe type: Georgian

Yield: 8

Prep time: 50 mins

Cook time: 1 hour 20 mins

Total time: 2 hrs 10 mins

Ingredients:

Sweet Bulgarian red pepper — 2 pieces

White onion — 1 piece

Garlic — 5 cloves

Eggplant — 800 grams

Salt — 3 teaspoons

Ground black pepper — 1 teaspoon

Red pepper flakes — 1 teaspoon

Tomatoes (canned) — 400 grams

Parsley — 50 grams

Cilantro — 50 grams

Olive oil — 8 tablespoons

Hops-suneli — ½ teaspoon

Ground coriander — ½ teaspoon

Directions:

1. Bulgarian pepper is cut into medium-sized cubes.

2. Peel and finely chop the onion.

3. Finely chop or grate the garlic.

4. Cut eggplants into cubes of large size.

5. Put the eggplants in a deep cup, add 1 teaspoon of salt, mix and pour cold water for 30 minutes.

6. Finely chop the coriander and parsley leaves.

7. Tomatoes, pour boiling water and cool in ice water. Cut and peel. Finely chop the tomatoes. You can use canned tomatoes or ground tomatoes.

8. Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.

9. Fry the onion in a frying pan for 5-6 minutes.

10. Add Bulgarian sweet pepper to the frying pan to the onion. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove to a separate cup when ready.

11. Heat another 4 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.

12. Fry the eggplants for 20 minutes or until they become slightly soft.

13. Return the bell pepper and onion to the eggplant in a frying pan. Mix it up.

14. Add 2 teaspoons of salt, ground black pepper, hot (flakes) red pepper, hops-suneli, ground coriander to the vegetable mixture in a frying pan.

15. Add tomatoes to the pan. Mix it up. Cook for 5 minutes.

16. Add chopped herbs and garlic to the pan. Mix it up. Cook for another 5 minutes.