Behind every culinary recipe is the desire not only to diversify the usual dishes, but also to preserve the nutritional value of the products as much as possible. Some options amaze with a combination of availability of ingredients, ease of preparation and amazing results. One of the unique, everyone’s favorite dishes can safely be called Armenian adjika. Certain spices and herbs give a special piquancy to the dish. Therefore, not everyone can cook real spicy adjika with tomato flavor.
Greens in Armenian cuisine are of great importance, not a single dish can do without it. The “green” basis for Armenian adjika is cilantro. If you have other favorite plants for similar blanks, then their number should be much less.
Usually the phrase Armenian adjika evokes a very spicy dish. But modern housewives have learned how to cook this appetizer with varying degrees of spiciness so that all households can enjoy the excellent taste of a tomato dish. Here it should be clarified that the classic adjika is really hot and cooked without tomatoes. For its preparation, rubber gloves are used to protect the skin and eyes from the action of hot peppers. The basis of the dish is hot capsicum. Additionally, you will need garlic, salt, a mixture of herbs – suneli hops, coriander, dill seeds. To slightly reduce the spiciness of the dish, it is permissible to replace part of the hot pepper with paprika. All components are thoroughly ground in a blender. If a meat grinder is used, then the mixture is passed through it 2-3 times. Salt can only be added at the end of cooking.
Nuances for home cooks
What affects the taste and appearance of adjika? First of all, this is a method of grinding ingredients. The best options are a meat grinder and a blender. If you want to try a new recipe in small quantities, then a grater will do.
The second characteristic is the variety of pepper and a set of spices.
It is best to take for the preparation of adjika according to the classic recipe those varieties of pepper that are familiar to you or grow in your region. Habanero, Jalapeno, Poblano or Anaheim are usually chosen from bitter varieties. The last variety of pepper will suit those who do not really like very spicy adjika.
Among the types of garlic for adjika, you should choose purple.
And let’s focus on another important part – spices. The classic recipe involves the addition of coriander seeds, but other variations are already modern creativity. Here it is important to stay on a logical approach and moderation. A small amount of hops-suneli and shamballa goes well with the main ingredients.
The next ingredient is salt. There are not too many options here, but experienced chefs advise taking the sea.
Opinions vary about vinegar. It is appropriate for home-made adjika with sweet peppers or fresh herbs. In this case, it will increase the shelf life of adjika. By the way, the only additive to adjika that is recognized in the Caucasus can be called sweet pepper. It is considered a product that improves the taste of traditional adjika.
Armenian version of adjika
The recipe for Armenian adjika is not fundamentally different from the classic one. To get a fragrant snack, you will need 5 kg of tomatoes (whole), a pound of hot pepper, 1 kg of garlic, 50 g of salt is enough. But it is better to salt to your liking.
Preparing an Armenian appetizer is easy:
Wash the tomatoes, cut into pieces, twist in a meat grinder. Salt.
Wash the hot pepper and cut off the stalks. Twist the rest of the seeds too. At the same time, you can add peeled garlic to the meat grinder.
Put all the ingredients in an enameled bowl and mix. Now you need to leave the Armenian spicy adjika in the same container for fermentation. The process takes 10-14 days. The main thing is not to forget to mix the mass every day. After the end of fermentation, the dish is ready for tasting.
But what does the recipe for Armenian adjika with herbs look like?
Indeed, in the previous version, even cilantro is absent. Let’s prepare a spicy snack with herbs. To do this, take 2 kg of hot pepper, add 300 g of tomato paste, a bunch of cilantro and 3 g of coriander (seeds). An option according to which Armenian adjika is being prepared for the winter. The recipe also includes Bulgarian pepper (3 kg) to reduce spiciness, onions for vegetable taste, a glass of peeled garlic and vegetable oil. Salt for the mixture is taken to taste, optimally 1 tablespoon.
Let’s start the culinary magic:
- Prepare the dishes for rolling – sterilize the lids and jars in the oven or in a water bath.
- Wash and clean peppers – hot and sweet. Both species get rid of seeds and stalks. Use gloves for hot peppers. Twist in a meat grinder first.
- Onion and garlic after cleaning, pass through a meat grinder, but separately.
- We cut the cilantro smaller, grind the coriander seeds in a kitchen mill.
- Heat oil in a frying pan, add onion and heat for 5 minutes. Now add garlic to the pan.
- After 5 minutes, it’s the turn of the peppers. Now we will extinguish the whole mass until a golden hue.
- The next step is to add the tomato paste, ground coriander, salt and cilantro. The whole mass remains on fire for 20 minutes.
Now we will decompose the Armenian adjika into jars, wait for the product to cool completely and place it in storage in a cool room.
The finished dish is more spicy
We will prepare the main ingredients in the same composition and quantity as in the previous recipe. The only difference is that you will need less hot pepper, only 300 grams.
Additional components are listed separately:
- 30 grams of suneli hops;
- 3 kg of fresh tomatoes;
- 0,5 cup of sugar;
- 2 tablespoons of salt;
- 100 ml of vinegar.
Step-by-step preparation of Armenian adjika at home:
Grind tomatoes to a puree consistency. Put it on the stove to boil.
At this time, we prepare both types of pepper – mine, clean from the stalks and seeds, chop, put in a bowl with a tomato.
Cook the mixture, stirring regularly for 10 minutes.
Now pour in vegetable oil and continue to simmer the Armenian adjika for 1 hour.
At this time, we are preparing refueling. It includes chopped greens, garlic, salt, sugar, suneli hops. Cilantro can be varied with basil, parsley and dill.
When the Armenian adjika is ready, add dressing and vinegar, leave the mixture to cool.
Then we put it in jars (sterilized!) And send it to a cool place.
Spicy Armenian adjika is ideal for various uses – as an appetizer, sauce, as a component of sandwiches. An important advantage of the dish is the ease of preparation and versatility. Having tried the dish once, your family cannot refuse it.
