Satsivi - general principles and methods of preparation
Georgian cuisine is famous for its delicious and hearty dishes. But not the dishes themselves make it so attractive, but the original spicy sauces, various spicy additives, herbs and herbs. Thanks to them, meat and vegetables acquire a very special taste. Satsivi is a dish that is prepared just in this way. On the one hand, it is a sauce that can be served with meat and fish dishes, on the other - a real national dish, which is called “Satsivi”. Eat it cold, this is a dish of poultry - chicken or turkey. In rare cases, it is made from other meat or even fish.
Satsivi - food preparation
A dish is prepared on the basis of walnuts popular in Georgia, they are well ground and wiped through a metal sieve. Without nuts, it would be just a delicious chicken, but not Satsivi. Georgian cuisine is different in that the same dishes are prepared differently in different parts of the country. The debate about what to choose for Satsivi - chicken or turkey - has not subsided to this day. They will probably last forever, so each housewife chooses the main product on her own.
Of the herbs, the main component is saffron, which has a neutral taste and a yellowish color, as well as pepper, garlic, cinnamon. From greens, cilantro and other spicy herbs are mandatory. Natural fruit juices give sourness, it can be pomegranate. Pieces of the bird are laid out in a layer, poured with sauce and left to infuse and solidify. The sauce soaks the meat for several hours. Satsivi is always cooked in Georgia on holidays, a juicy flavorful dish requires respect primarily because it takes so long to prepare.
Satsivi - the best recipes
Recipe 1: Traditional Chicken Satsivi
Let’s try for a while to become wizards and get from ordinary walnuts a fragrant spicy sauce with a consistency similar to sour cream. The color will depend on the amount of greenery. The softest chicken easily breaks across even with a simple spoon.
Ingredients: chicken (1 kg), peeled walnut kernels (400 grams), onion (1 large), garlic (2 cloves), cilantro or parsley, egg, suneli hops (1 spoon), Imereti saffron (1 teaspoon), black pepper, ground coriander, vinegar (1 tbsp. spoon), chicken broth (400-600 ml.).
Cooking method
It is very difficult to make walnut sauce with a meat grinder - if you turn the nuts several times, a thick nutty sticky mass clogs the inside. Pound nuts and in a mortar - this will require even more effort. The easiest way to beat the sauce with a blender. While the chicken is boiled in salted water (cut it into pieces), prepare the sauce. Grind nuts in any way. Fry the onion over low heat, cool to room temperature. We break the raw egg, add parsley, garlic, toasted onions and mix with the nuts that have been passed through the meat grinder several times. Pour the chicken stock and beat. Add salt, seasonings, vinegar (you can limit or not put at all). The sauce is a whitish color, similar to liquid sour cream. If a blender is used to make the sauce, then the broth should be poured in parts. Put the chicken in a pan and pour the sauce. Bring to a boil over medium heat and remove. We insist at least 3 hours. Serve without warming.
Recipe 2: Chicken Sazivi in Baja (with adjika)
Bage is a type of satsivi. Nuts are not brewed here. Usually in Georgian restaurants outside of Georgia they cook this particular version of the dish. The main thing is to choose the right nuts. They should be lighter, poured juice. You can take not a whole chicken, but, for example, wings - they are beautiful and the same in size.
Ingredients: turkey or chicken (2 kg), peeled walnuts (0. 5 kg), garlic (half a head), spicy adjika (without tomatoes) (3 teaspoons full with top), satsivi seasoning (2 teaspoons), saffron ( powder, 1 teaspoon), salt.
Cooking method
Place the wings in a pan and pour water so that they only cover them. Cook for a short time - 15 minutes after boiling. Drain the broth into a separate bowl, strain. In a frying pan, fry finely chopped onions in butter, then put the wings there and fry for another 15 minutes, constantly turning and stirring. Cooking baja sauce with adjika. Carefully inspect the peeled nuts so as not to leave parts of the shell and partitions. My cilantro, peel the garlic. Put everything in a blender and grind. Add salt, suneli hops, adjika, cinnamon, pomegranate juice and seasonings (saffron, coriander, black and red pepper). Ideally, the nuts should be separately ground in a mortar, and then mixed with the rest of the ingredients. The bazhe sauce is ready - it does not need to be boiled or stewed. Fill them with wings and leave to insist for 3-4 hours. Serve satsivi with hot pita bread. Cold Satsivi is a hot side dish. If you really want a side dish - you can serve rice without salt, it perfectly sets off the whole gamut of spices.
Recipe 3: Eggplant Satsivi
Another option for making satsivi is eggplant in peanut sauce.
Ingredients: eggplant (5 pieces), pomegranate juice (0.5 cups), vegetable oil (3 tbsp. tablespoons), onions (3 pcs.), garlic (4 cloves), peeled nuts (200 grams), hot pepper without seeds ( 1 small), cilantro, salt, basil.
Cooking method
Grind nuts, crush in a mortar and mix with saffron, garlic, hot pepper, 2 tsp. salt. Pour 2 cups of water and pomegranate juice. We clean and chop the onion, fry in a pan, in oil, about 4-5 minutes. Add peanut sauce, bring to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes. Cut eggplant into circles, salt and leave for 30 minutes. Rinse, squeeze slightly and fry in oil, about 3 minutes on each side. Grind greens and pour boiling sauce. Let cool. Before serving, sprinkle with pomegranate seeds - very beautiful and appetizing.
Satsivi - Useful tips from experienced chefs
- Properly cooked Satsivi should be white. Much attention should be paid to nuts - if you pour nuts exclusively with boiling water, then the sauce will come out much lighter.
- The onion is stewed on the smallest fire until it dissolves, becomes jelly-like. In no case should it burn, otherwise the dish may be spoiled.
- The broth is added to the nut mass, and not vice versa. So the desired density is achieved.
- To make the dish as light as possible, without losing taste, we take the chicken breast and remove the skin from it, simmer in a closed pan. We prepare the sauce on the water, put half the nuts, and fill up their deficiency with herbs.
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