The best recipes for making Abkhazian adjika for the winter in the traditional way, spicy and with tomatoes

Lovers of spicy, piquant, and unusual dishes are recommended to expand their knowledge with the recipe for Abkhazian adjika for the winter. This unique preparation is incredibly delicious both cold and hot. It can be enjoyed with a side dish, meat products, and even added to certain types of soups. It is sure to delight family and guests.

Features of preparing Abkhazian adjika

Preparing adjika is a delicate and demanding process that requires adherence to certain rules:

• Traditionally, blue fenugreek is an essential ingredient in adjika. However, it's quite difficult to find in grocery stores. Therefore, a similar product, khmeli-suneli, can be substituted.
• It's recommended to choose the freshest herbs possible. Only then will the preparation be delicious and have a pleasant aroma. Don't be shy; be sure to ask the seller about the expiration date.
• Hot peppers are used to make adjika. They contain two components that give the dish its spiciness: the membranes and the seeds. Therefore, it's up to you to decide whether to remove them or not.
• When preparing the mixture, you'll need to handle garlic and hot peppers. To avoid burning your hands, it's recommended to wear gloves.

If you need to store adjika for a long time, you need to add a small amount of vegetable oil to it, and then transfer it to an airtight jar for storage.

Selecting and preparing the main ingredients

Another important condition is the proper preparation of all ingredients, which will have a positive effect not only on the appearance, but also on the taste:

• You can use greens for the preparation. It's important that they are soft, so it's recommended to remove any sharp stems.
• It is recommended to use only the pepper flesh. Each pepper should be peeled, seeded, and membrane-free beforehand.
• It's unacceptable to have hard pieces of garlic or nuts in the dish. Therefore, these ingredients should be minced or gratered.
• Particular attention should be paid to the selection of khmeli-suneli seasoning. It should contain celery, red pepper, saffron, mint, and basil.

Choose the ripest and softest vegetables. Hard varieties are unsuitable for making adjika.

Cooking methods

Every housewife has her own secrets for making Abkhazian adjika. There are only a few standard recipes.

Traditional recipe

To prepare classic Abkhazian adjika, you will need the following ingredients:

• fresh pepper - 1 kg;
• coriander seeds - 100 grams;
• garlic - 1 medium-sized head;
• fenugreek - 100 grams;
• fresh cilantro - 1 small bunch;

You'll also need to add salt to taste. A typical adjika recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of salt.

To prepare one of the most delicious and aromatic seasonings you will need:

1. Melt a small amount of butter or vegetable oil in a frying pan. Place the coriander seeds in the hot pan and toast them until they change color. If a pleasant aroma spreads throughout the kitchen, the spice is of good quality.
2. The second spice, fenugreek, needs to be prepared in a similar manner. Then, both roasted ingredients need to be combined and ground in a coffee grinder.
3. All remaining ingredients should be passed through a meat grinder: peeled and seeded pepper, garlic and cilantro.
4. The final step is to combine all the ingredients, add salt and mix everything using a blender.

If everything is done correctly, you should get a uniform consistency with a pleasant aroma.

With walnuts

Another favorite recipe for adjika with walnuts differs slightly from the traditional method. It contains only one additional ingredient: walnuts. For every 500 grams of pepper, you'll need six walnuts. The dish is prepared in a similar way, but along with the garlic, cilantro, and pepper, you'll also need to grind the peeled walnuts.

Spicy appetizer

If classic adjika doesn't seem spicy or piquant enough, then the recipe needs to be slightly modified.

To prepare a spicy preparation, you will need similar ingredients, but in different proportions:

• red hot pepper - 1 kg, if desired, you can combine them with tomatoes, 500 grams of each product;
• garlic - 3 medium heads;
• fresh cilantro - 1 medium bunch;
• dill and basil seeds - 20 grams of each product.

The spicy preparation requires more salt; you'll need 3 tablespoons. It's prepared the same way as a classic dressing.

Green with nuts

Everyone imagines adjika as a red, aromatic paste. However, there's another unique recipe for making it.

To turn the familiar seasoning green, you will need the following ingredients:

• hot green pepper - 15 pieces;
• fresh cilantro - 10 medium bunches;
• fresh dill and parsley - 10 medium bunches;
• peeled walnuts - 1 cup;
• basil - 1 small bunch.

Add salt to the dressing to taste. In addition to salt, you'll also need to add 1 teaspoon of sugar. The dish is prepared in a similar manner.

With tomato paste

The most delicious and nutritious adjika is made with tomato paste. Its preparation method differs in the need to create a sauce, which requires:

• tomato paste - 1 liter;
• vinegar - 5 teaspoons;
• any vegetable oil - ½ liter.

To prepare the sauce, simply mix all the ingredients and add a little salt. Add the resulting sauce to the traditionally prepared adjika.

With parsley and chili pepper

Optionally, you can add two more ingredients to the finished adjika: parsley and chili pepper. To prepare the dish, you'll need 100 grams of washed and dried parsley. Grind it in a coffee grinder along with the other spices.

The chili peppers should be minced along with the bell peppers. The more chili peppers you use, the spicier the dressing will be. It's recommended to use 3-5 chili peppers per 1 kg of bell peppers.

Sweet and spicy adjika with bell pepper

Adjika is generally considered a spicy condiment. But you can also make it sweet by using sweet bell peppers instead of hot ones. This dressing is ideal for side dishes and meat dishes.

Dry Abkhazian adjika

The easiest and fastest way to prepare a winter snack is to make dry adjika. To do this, you'll need:

• dry spices: basil, coriander seeds, dill, blue fenugreek and savory - 50 grams of each product;
• dry red ground pepper - 30 grams;
• salt to taste.

To make dry adjika you only need to follow three steps:

• grind all the spices with a stone mortar;
• stir the resulting mixture;
• add some salt to it.

This preparation can be added to any dish all year round to make it more piquant and aromatic.

Expiry date of the workpiece

It is recommended to store the mixture in a glass jar with a tightly sealed lid. The maximum shelf life is 24 months. But if the jar has been opened, its contents should be consumed within 30 days.

Storage rules

Store in the refrigerator or another cool, dry place. Abkhazian adjika is easy to prepare. It adds a spicier, richer, and more flavorful touch to any home-cooked dish. Your family and guests will definitely be impressed.