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Today few people have not heard about adjika. Many housewives prepare this seasoning in their kitchens and treat them to their family and guests. But not everyone knows the meaning of the word. It means salt. This versatile seasoning is widely used as a flavorful and spicy addition to many dishes. Moreover, this applies not only to meat or fish, but also to soups, dishes prepared from vegetables and pasta.
The most common type is adjika made from fresh vegetables. But there is also dry adjika, which Russians still know little about. This product is used in dry form and added to liquid dishes during cooking. And when diluted, it turns out to be a spicy seasoning in the form of a paste. We will try to tell you how to prepare dry spice, how to store and dilute it.
What's included
Residents of the Caucasus still consume a minimal amount of pure salt today. It enters the body along with herbs and spices that make up adjika.
This hot seasoning does not contain tomatoes. This is an “invention” of the Russians. Peppers gave the seasoning a rich red color and pungency (even, one might say, hotness). The composition of dry adjika is very different from the “raw” versions.
Traditionally, dry adjika consists of ground spices:
- hot pepper (most often used chilli) and coriander;
- fenugreek and bay leaf;
- marjoram and basil;
- dried parsley and dill leaves, dill seeds;
- turmeric and mustard seeds;
- dried garlic and fennel.
Features of dry adjika
The recipe for making dry hot seasoning is simple, accessible even to a novice housewife.
It contains only 4 dry ingredients:
- khmeli-suneli;
- ground red chili pepper;
- ground coriander;
- dry dill.
As an addition, fresh garlic, 3% vinegar (dilute adjika with it) and salt in a small amount.
What is khmeli-suneli? A mixture of various herbs consists of:
- fenugreek (also called fenugreek or unso-suneli);
- balisica and marjoram;
- parsley, celery, saffron and others.
Adjika classic - recipe
By spending an hour of your personal time, you will get a fragrant, spicy seasoning if you use the following recipe.
You need to acquire the following ingredients:
- hops-suneli – 30 grams;
- ground hot red pepper – 20 grams;
- ground coriander – 10 grams;
- dried dill – 10 grams;
- garlic – 1 head;
- rice vinegar 3% - 3-4 tablespoons;
- salt – 2 teaspoons.
As you can see, the set of ingredients is small, but the result will exceed all expectations.
Cooking method
- Pass the peeled garlic through a crusher or blender. Garlic is best used from a new harvest because it contains a lot of juice.
- In a deep porcelain bowl, mix suneli hops with ground coriander and hot pepper. Add spices one by one.
- Grind the dill with salt and add to the mixture.
- Mix thoroughly again.
Peeled and washed garlic must be thoroughly dried, because even a small amount of moisture will ruin the spicy seasoning. - Having squeezed out the garlic, put it in adjika. The most difficult part of the work begins. It is necessary to grind the ingredients so that a homogeneous mushy mass is obtained in the cup. As you grind the seasoning, add diluted rice vinegar.
In the old days, the housewives of the Caucasus did not use meat grinders, but ground the components of dry adjika on a special stone or in a mortar. This work is very hard and long. It was believed that ground pepper seeds release their flavoring and aromatic substances better.
During grinding, the adjika ingredients are dry, absorbing the juice of garlic and vinegar, and gradually swell. Even without adding oil, the seasoning takes on an oily appearance.
The finished adjika should be placed in dry jars, strongly compacting the contents. The seasoning is stored in any cool place. You can spread meat, bread, wrap spicy pasta in unleavened pita bread.
How to make real adjika the old-fashioned way:
Rules for using dry adjika
Adjika is the most popular seasoning not only among residents of the Caucasus. She has been confidently “walking” around the world for a long time. The sharp, bitter taste will make any dish delicious. Depending on the components included in its composition, it may be orange, red or green.
Many readers are interested in the question of how to prepare seasoning from dry adjika. It turns out that this is very easy to do. It is enough to dilute the dry mixture with warm water or 3-4% wine vinegar. If desired, you can add sugar and salt.
You can make any seasoning from dry adjika; just add fresh cilantro or basil, green or red pepper.
The spicy additive is used both in its natural form and as an additive to borscht, sauce, and greased with meat or poultry before baking.
Dry adjika in Abkhazian style:
Instead of a conclusion about the beneficial properties
Dry spicy adjika is not only a culinary masterpiece that has been around for many centuries. This is also a kind of medicine for people suffering from lack of appetite.
Moreover, the use of seasoning prevents stomach ulcers, many gastrointestinal diseases, improves metabolism and the functioning of the circulatory system.
It’s good to use hot seasoning when you have a cold: red pepper and garlic kill germs, and herbs help restore immunity.
There are also contraindications. Hot seasoning is not recommended for pregnant women and children under 10 years of age, as well as people with chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, liver and kidneys.
