A fiery Georgian paste flavored with garlic, cilantro, and fenugreek, perfect for waking up grilled meats, potatoes, eggs, or hot bread. It is dense, red, salty, and highly aromatic, with no tomatoes or cooking required.
Ingredients
- 250 g fresh red chilies
- 1 piece red bell pepper
- 6 cloves garlic
- 40 g walnut halves
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp ground fenugreek
- 1 tsp khmeli-suneli
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
Method
- Wash the chilies and bell pepper, dry them thoroughly, then remove the stems; keep some of the seeds if you want a fiercer adjika.
- Open the bell pepper and chilies, remove the overly thick membranes, then leave them on paper towels until the surface is no longer wet to the touch.
- Heat a small dry skillet, add the coriander seeds, and stir until they distinctly smell of lemon, pepper, and toasted herbs.
- Crush or blend the coriander seeds with the fenugreek, khmeli-suneli, and salt until you get a highly fragrant, even powder.
- Pulse the chilies, bell pepper, and garlic in a food processor, without aiming for a liquid puree; the texture should remain thick, coarse, and glossy.
- Add the walnuts and ground spices, then blend briefly again until the paste becomes dense, dark red, and slightly oily.
- Stir in the vinegar and oil with a spoon, then taste: the adjika should be very salty, spicy, garlicky, and more intense than a sauce meant to be eaten on its own.
- Pack into a bowl or a small clean jar, and let rest in the fridge before serving so the garlic mellows and the spices flavor the entire paste.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 148 kcal
- Protein
- 3.97 g
- Carbohydrate
- 10.68 g
- Fat
- 10.8 g
- Fibre
- 3.11 g
- Calcium
- 31.08 mg
- Iron
- 1.64 mg
- Magnesium
- 29.41 mg
