Satsebeli is a traditional sauce that is served in Georgia with most poultry and meat dishes. Today, satsebeli sauce does not have to be prepared on your own, as you can buy it in the store. However, the homemade sauce is considered a true classic.
Of course, every family has its own secrets of how to cook satsebeli. Often, the hostess changes the classic version in order to more fully emphasize the taste of the dish with the help of the sauce.
How to cook satsebeli
The traditional sauce recipe includes ingredients such as a mixture of pomegranate, grape and blackberry juice, walnuts, saffron, ground red pepper, chicken broth, and fresh cilantro.
However, due to the lack of the necessary components on sale, the recipe for satsebeli has changed significantly. For example, instead of cilantro, add parsley, replace saffron with basil, add suneli hops, coriander and tomato paste. Of course, the sauces are delicious, pungent and perfectly complementing meat dishes. However, they have nothing to do with the real satsebel.
Classic satsebeli sauce
Having decided to cook a classic version of satsebeli, it is worth considering that, depending on the culinary tastes, the volume of ingredients can vary significantly.
You need to take 200 grams of peeled walnuts and rub them through a fine sieve. If you wish, you can add a couple of cloves of pureed garlic. 200 grams of onions are finely chopped and added to the grated nuts.
Chopped cilantro, some saffron and ground red pepper are added to taste. Usually, 1 gram of hot pepper and 30-40 grams of fresh herbs are enough. All ingredients are ground in a mortar, achieving a homogeneous paste consistency. Gradually, 200 ml of a mixture of blackberry, pomegranate and grape juice, taken in approximately equal proportions, is introduced into the sauce. If necessary, you can replace the juice mixture with grape vinegar.
At the end of cooking, 200 ml of meat or chicken broth is introduced into satsebeli. Salt is added to taste. Satsebeli prepared according to this recipe is considered the best sauce for the famous tobacco chicken.
Modern version of satsebeli sauce
To prepare the sauce according to this recipe, you will need 200 grams of thick tomato paste with a rich red color, 200 ml of water or broth, a bunch of cilantro, 5 cloves of garlic, a teaspoon of vinegar, a teaspoon of adjika, 0.5 teaspoon of ground black pepper, a tablespoon hops-suneli, salt to taste.
Chopped greens, chopped garlic, suneli hops, adjika, black pepper and sauce are placed in a mortar and ground until they are almost homogeneous. Further, vinegar and tomato paste are added to the mass and the components are continued to grind. Water is introduced gradually. For a thicker sauce? it is recommended to reduce the amount of liquid.
Before use, the satsebeli sauce should be infused so that its pungency and incomparable aroma are fully manifested.
