Ajapsandali Is A Georgian Vegetable Stew. Step-by-step Recipe With Photo

Ajapsandali - vegetable stew, vegetable saute, imambayaldi, ratatouille and many more names that people in different countries have invented for this simple and ordinary dish of stewed vegetables. The secrets of cooking are countless, they can be measured by the number of housewives who invent their own recipes on the topic of vegetable stew. In Georgian cuisine, ajapsandali is prepared from an obligatory set of products, which includes eggplants, onions, red tomatoes, hot and sweet peppers, garlic, spicy herbs and, if you want to cook a hearty and nutritious dish, potatoes. It is also imperative to add spices to the herbs, without which Eastern cuisine is inconceivable - coriander, hops-suneli, bay leaf.

• Cooking time: 45 minutes
• Servings: 4

Ingredients for ajapsandali Georgian vegetable stew

• 500 g eggplant;
• 500 g potatoes;
• 60 g onions;
• 50 g carrots;
• 120 g sweet pepper;
• 120 g of tomatoes;
• 30 g green basil;
• 30 g fresh cilantro;
• 35 ml olive oil;
• ground red pepper, suneli hops, bay leaf.

Method of cooking Georgian vegetable stew ajapsandali

Cut the ajapsandali potatoes into small cubes, heat about 1/3 of the extracted amount of olive oil in a frying pan, fry the potatoes until half cooked. You don't need to salt. We transfer the potatoes to a stewing container (deep frying pan or roasting pan).

Separately heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan, add finely chopped onions and carrots, chopped into strips.

Pass the vegetables for about 5 minutes.

Add bell pepper cut into thin strips to the sautéed carrots with onions. For this ajapsandali recipe, it is better to choose red, yellow or orange peppers - they are juicy, ripe, sweet and aromatic.

Put the tomatoes in boiling water for 1 minute. Then we immediately transfer it to a bowl of cold water, and easily remove the skin. Chop tomatoes, add to onions, carrots and peppers, fry everything together for 6-7 minutes. We shift the stewed vegetables to the fried potatoes.

Cut the eggplants into round slices or strips, sprinkle with salt, leave for 10-15 minutes, then rinse, squeeze to release the moisture, fry in the remaining olive oil for 7 minutes.

Add the fried eggplants to the rest of the ingredients, salt everything together to taste, put the bay leaf, add a teaspoon of hop-suneli and, if you like food with peppercorns, finely chopped chili peppers. Cooking the dish over moderate heat for 15-20 minutes.

5 minutes before the ajapsandali is ready, add spicy herbs - a finely chopped bunch of fresh cilantro and green basil, sprinkle the stew with ground red pepper.

We leave the finished dish in the pan for 20 minutes. I do not recommend serving it right away, it should be infused.

Sprinkle with fresh herbs before serving the ajapsandali. I advise you to pour the vegetables with sour cream or Greek yogurt, it turns out very tasty! Bon Appetit!

Ajapsandali is a delicious vegetable dish suitable for a lean table, as it does not contain animal products. For the same reason, ajapsandali can be included in vegetarian meals.