Adjika: the most delicious recipe

An aromatic sauce of a paste-like consistency, usually red in color, distinguished by its sharpness and piquancy, is usually called adjika. Today at home adjika is prepared from tomatoes and sweet bell peppersby adding ingredients such as apples, carrots, garlic, hot peppers, herbs. In fact, there are many varieties of adjika; you can even make it from zucchini.

From this article you can learn how to prepare delicious adjika, as well as choose the most interesting recipe for a spicy sauce.

History of adjika

This sauce first appeared in Abkhazia, its name translates as “salt”. Initially, adjika was prepared from only three ingredients: ground black pepper, salt and garlic. All ingredients were thoroughly ground in a mortar until the consistency of adjika resembled butter.

Warriors and sailors took this spice with them on campaigns; hunters and shepherds feasted on it, that is, those who left their home for a long time.

Over the years, the recipe for traditional adjika was transformed; hot pepper and various herbs such as dill, cilantro, and parsley became an obligatory ingredient in its composition. Still, this sauce is too hot, not everyone can eat it, and for this you need to have good health.Therefore, domestic housewives have made significant adjustments to the traditional recipe; modern adjika largely consists of bell peppers and tomatoes, and the spicy ingredients only add piquancy to the sauce.

Adjika is also good as a separate dish; it is spread on bread, eaten with meat and shish kebab, and used as a sauce for pasta and porridge. Delicious adjika can be prepared from almost any vegetable; there are recipes with eggplant, zucchini, walnuts, horseradish, and carrots.

Adjika from tomatoes for the winter

Classic recipe for delicious adjika prepared on the basis tomato juice, therefore, both fresh tomatoes and ready-made tomato juice can be used as the main ingredient.

So, To prepare a classic sauce for the winter you will need:

• 2.5 kilograms of tomatoes or three liters of tomato juice;
• 1 kg bell pepper;
• 1 kg sweet and sour apples;
• 1 kg carrots;
• three hot peppers;
• 200 grams of garlic;
• half a glass of sugar;
• half a glass of vegetable oil;
• an incomplete stack of salt;
• 150 ml vinegar (9 percent);

It is necessary to prepare winter vitamin preparations by following these recommendations:

1. All vegetables and fruits are washed thoroughly under running water, after which they are peeled, stalks are cut off, and seeds are removed.
2. Now these components need to be passed through a meat grinder. To make the adjika more tender, it is recommended to do this three times. Unlike a blender, a meat grinder, even after grinding three times, leaves grains in the sauce, which provides it with a unique structure.
3. Place the sauce on low heat and, stirring occasionally, cook for at least an hour.
4. Now you can add all the spices and mix everything thoroughly again.Be sure to bring the adjika to a boil and only then turn off the burner.
5. The finished sauce is poured into sterile jars and sealed with clean lids.

This recipe for homemade adjika is probably the most delicious, because homemade adjika turns out tender, beautiful and very healthy. A those who do not like spicy food at all can independently reduce the amount of garlic and hot pepper, then the sauce will become even softer and sweeter.

How to prepare “stray adjika”

Not all recipes require adjika to be boiled first and then sealed in jars; there is a more interesting alternative. The recipe for this sauce is based on the fermentation process. For preparation you will need the following ingredients:

• 2 kg of tomatoes;
• 1 kg garlic;
• 0.5 kg bell pepper;
• 0.3 kg of hot pepper in pods;
• 2 tablespoons salt.

Preparing adjika according to this recipe is very simple, you just need to perform a number of manipulations with the products:

1. Wash everything thoroughly, remove seeds and stalks.
2. Grind all ingredients using a meat grinder.
3. Add salt, stir and place in the kitchen for fermentation. This will take several days - 3-5 (it all depends on the air temperature in the room).
4. The mixture must be stirred several times a day.
5. When gases stop being produced (there are no bubbles in the sauce), adjika will be ready for use.
6. The sauce is placed in jars, which are stored under nylon lids in the refrigerator.

The sauce, which does not undergo heat treatment, contains almost the same beneficial substances and vitamins as fresh vegetables. Hot pepper helps strengthen the immune system, so eating “stray” adjika is not only tasty, but also healthy.

Colored adjika for the winter

Another sauce recipe that does not require seaming - ready-made adjika is simply stored in the refrigerator, where it can easily sit all winter. The taste and aroma of the sauce are completely preserved for several months.

The sauce should be prepared from the following products:

• from three to ten hot peppers (depending on how much the family likes spicy dishes);
• a glass of peeled garlic cloves;
• a large bunch of greens, you can take a mixture of seasonings such as cilantro, dill and parsley;
• 5 large sweet peppers;
• 5 pieces of tomatoes;
• a glass of granulated sugar;
• spoon of salt;
• vinegar essence in the amount of 1 tbsp. l. (the proportion is indicated for 70 percent vinegar).

All ingredients for green adjika are ground in a food processor. You can also use a meat grinder or blender, but it is worth considering that the consistency of the sauce can vary greatly depending on the grinding method.

Add vinegar, sugar and salt to the ground vegetables and herbs, mix everything well, put it in sterile jars and put it in the refrigerator.

Caucasian spicy adjika

The recipe for this adjika is most similar to the national Abkhaz dish, a sauce that is not used to being seen in Russia. It must be said that Adjika turns out to be very, very spicy, because it contains more hot pepper than tomato or any other ingredients.

To prepare the sauce you need to take:

• 1.3 kg of ripe tomatoes;
• 2.3 kg of hot pepper (red or green - it doesn’t matter);
• 3.3 kg garlic.

Prepare adjika according to a Caucasian recipe you need to take your time, do everything step by step:

1. Cut off only the stems of the peppers; do not remove the seeds. Wash and dry each peppercorn.
2. Peel the garlic too. To prepare adjika, it must be dry.
3. Pass all components through a meat grinder.
4. Place the preparations in a bowl or pan (use only enamel or glassware), cover with gauze folded in several layers. Leave the sauce in this form for several days to ferment (about seven days).
5. After the specified time, remove the pasta that has risen with a slotted spoon and place it in a separate clean bowl.
6. The liquid remaining in the pan can be poured out.
7. Season the reserved “cap” with salt to taste, pour in a few tablespoons of sunflower oil, and stir.
8. Now adjika can be put into jars and hidden in the refrigerator.

You can eat this sauce immediately after preparation, or after a couple of months - adjika can be stored for a long time in a sterile jar at a constant temperature of +5 degrees.

Zucchini adjika

The sauce can be prepared not only on the basis of traditional tomatoes; zucchini can also be used as the main ingredient. You can make a delicious preparation for the winter from the following products:

• 2 kg of young zucchini;
• 0.4 kg of tomato paste (can be replaced with a large amount of thick tomato juice);
• 2 tablespoons of coarse salt;
• a glass of granulated sugar;
• a glass of vinegar;
• 10-12 cloves of garlic;
• Hot pepper in this recipe is added to taste;
• a glass of sunflower oil;
• any fresh herbs.

The winter sauce should be prepared in the following order:

1. Peel all the ingredients and remove the skin from the zucchini.
2. Grind the zucchini using a meat grinder and place in a separate bowl.
3. Pour the herbs, garlic and hot pepper chopped in a meat grinder into another bowl.
4. Pour tomato paste or juice into the squash mass, add all the spices specified in the recipe (except vinegar), stir and put on low heat. Adjika should be cooked for about 20-25 minutes.
5. Without removing from the heat, add the ground garlic, pepper and herbs to the adjika, pour in the vinegar, stir and cook for another five minutes over low heat.
6. Adjika is poured into sterile jars, rolled up with lids, then turned upside down and wrapped in warm clothes or blankets.

This recipe makes the sauce tender and very satisfying. Adjika can be used as a side dish or a separate dish, like caviar.

Very tasty Armenian adjika

Adjika prepared according to this recipe turns out to be quite spicy, in principle, like all dishes of Armenian cuisine. That's why those who prefer a more delicate taste should reduce the amount of hot pepper while increasing the mass of bell pepper.

The range of products is, in principle, standard, but there are some deviations. So, you will need:

• 3 kg bell pepper;
• 2 kg of hot red or green pepper;
• 0.25 kg of onions;
• 0.2 l vegetable oil;
• 0.25 liters of fresh tomato paste;
• a large bunch of parsley;
• salt should be added to taste.

The method for preparing the sauce is very similar to the previous recipe:

1. First of all, all products should be washed, cleaned and dried.
2. Both sweet and hot peppers are ground using a meat grinder.
3. Onions, garlic and herbs are also chopped with a meat grinder, but each product is placed in a separate bowl.
4. Pour vegetable oil into a saucepan and add onions. Stirring, fry it for five minutes.
5. Then add garlic, mix and add chopped pepper.
6. Cook adjika in oil until the pepper changes color.
7. Then pour in the tomato paste, add chopped parsley, add salt to taste and boil the adjika for another 15-20 minutes.
8. This sauce can be rolled into jars, or stored on the refrigerator shelf.

Let's sum it up

Everyone will definitely like this spicy sauce; you just need to choose the most suitable recipe. Cooking adjika is simple; even novice housewives or men who, in principle, rarely go near the stove can do it. For beginners, it is better not to choose adjika recipes that involve fermentation; it is better to still cook the sauce - this way you can be one hundred percent sure of its readiness and safety for health and digestion.

Recipes with photos from this article will definitely help you decide on the adjika option for the winter. When preparing this sauce for the first time, you need to take into account its spiciness - such dishes can only be eaten by absolutely healthy adults. For a children's or diet table, it is better to choose softer sauces, for example, the same adjika, but with apples.

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