Because this is a traditional Georgian dishcuisine has become an integral part of the home menu of representatives of completely different nationalities, we owe it to the blessed times of the USSR. There was no more or less large city in this legendary country that did not have a restaurant serving Georgian cuisine. And such a restaurant would definitely serve Khvanchara, Kindzmarauli, Satsivi and Chakhokhbili. So, chakhokhbili... Initially, this was the way feathered game was cooked in Georgia, namely pheasant. And in the original, chakhokhbili is nothing more than a way of cooking pheasant, and in literal translation it means "cooked like a pheasant" (pheasant in Georgian is "khokhobi"). Later, this word began to be used to refer to a ready-made dish, which today is mainly prepared from poultry (mainly chicken). Therefore, the recipe for chakhokhbili is a recipe for chicken "cooked like a pheasant." Tempting? Then let's try to cook it.
Chahokhbili from chicken
What is remarkable is that neither oil (fat) nor water are needed forchakhokhbili does not require any preparation. Therefore, a chicken with fat is chosen for it. This version of chakhokhbili is the most common. The basic set of products is chicken and onion, everything else is at the discretion of the cook. In the most famous version, the cook also included tomatoes with spices. Ingredients:
- Chicken (1 whole bird)
- Onion (4 large onions)
- Fresh tomatoes (3-4 pcs.)
- Table white wine (half glass)
- Salt and spices (red pepper, basil, bay leaf, coriander, garlic)
Preparation:Wash the chicken, dry it and chop it into portions. Then fry them in a dry frying pan (without fat) until golden brown. To do this, put the chicken pieces in a hot frying pan: under the influence of heat, the fat will begin to melt and the meat will fry. Therefore, do not remove either the chicken skin or the fat from the meat before frying. Transfer the fried chicken from the frying pan to another dish. Place the onion, cut into half rings or strips, in the frying pan and fry in the fat left over from the chicken. Determine the degree of readiness of the onion by its color: it should be a light golden-brown fry. Turn off the heat, leave the onion in the frying pan, add the meat to it and start on the tomatoes. Pour boiling water over them and remove the skin. Then cut the tomatoes into cubes, pour them into the frying pan with the meat and mix everything well. Simmer under a closed lid for about fifteen minutes. After fifteen minutes, carefully (so as not to burn yourself with steam) remove the lid from the brazier, add salt, spices and wine. Of the spices required for chakhokhbili, you need to take coriander, basil and hot red pepper. It is advisable to also add a specific mixture of utskho-suneli (blue fenugreek). But if it is difficult to get, then you can use a more accessible spice khmeli-suneli, which includes fenugreek. After adding spices and salt, leave the meat to stew on low heat for about half an hour. At the very end of cooking, add finely chopped or grated garlic. Serve with fresh herbs and a side dish of rice, potatoes or pasta.
Chahokhbili from mutton
And why not? Lamb can also be "cooked like pheasant". So let's try this version of chakhokhbili: a recipe for a lamb dish with red wine and tomatoes. Ingredients:
- Meat (half a kilo)
- Onions (2 pcs.)
- Tomatoes (2 pcs.)
- Red dry wine (2 tbsp.)
- Vegetable oil (half a glass)
- Spices and salt
Preparation:Lamb takes longer to cook than chicken. So here's what we do. Trim off all the fat from the lamb and melt it in a frying pan. Put a pot of water on the fire and, while the water is boiling, cut the meat into medium-sized pieces. Throw the meat into the boiling water (for just a few seconds). As soon as the meat "sets", throw it into a colander, let it dry and fry in the already prepared fat. While the meat is frying, chop the onion and add it to the meat. Fry until the onion is fried. Then add chopped tomatoes, wine, bay leaf, garlic and other spices to the meat, add salt, pepper, cover with a lid and simmer for about an hour and a half. Cook rice or potatoes as a side dish.
Chahokhbili "in a hurry"
Packaged ones are perfect for these purposes.chicken wings or thighs (we'll buy some on the way home at any supermarket). Instead of tomatoes, we'll use tomato paste, and instead of wine, lemon. In fact, we'll get a free interpretation of the theme of meat "cooked like a pheasant." Ingredients:
- Chicken set (packing)
- 2 onions;
- Tomato paste (2 tbsp.)
- Lemon
- Oil (for frying)
- Spices and salt
Preparation:Peel and chop the onion and fry it in hot oil. Remove the onion from the frying pan and fry the chicken pieces in the same oil (which we have already taken out of the package, washed and dried). Dilute the tomato paste with water and pour it over the chicken and onion mixture. Squeeze some lemon juice, add salt and a little sugar and simmer for twenty to thirty minutes. At the very end of cooking, add a couple of bay leaves and a couple of cloves of garlic to the chakhokhbili. Serve with any side dish.
Chakhokhbili "in Soviet way"
This recipe was published in the book "Secretshome cooking", published in Minsk in the late eighties of the last century. How close this recipe is to the original, one can only argue. But, as they say, what is written with a pen cannot be cut out with an axe. And the following is written there: "Chakhokhbili from chickens" Ingredients:
- 1 chicken
- 2 onion heads
- 2 tbsp. tablespoons tomato puree
- 1 tbsp. spoonful of vinegar
- 2 tbsp. spoons of wine
- 3 tbsp. tablespoons oil
Preparation:Chop the prepared chicken into small pieces and fry. Add finely chopped onion, tomato puree, vinegar, wine, half a glass of meat broth, salt, pepper. Cover and simmer for an hour and a half. At the end of stewing, add chopped tomatoes. Before serving, put a slice of lemon on each piece of chicken and sprinkle with herbs. As you can see, the different recipes for chakhokhbili are similar in one thing. Fried meat is stewed with onion and tomato (tomatoes) with the addition of something sour: wine, vinegar, lemon. Apparently, this is how they cooked the Georgian pheasant "khokhobi", which went down in culinary history, giving the name to the popular dish chakhokhbili - meat cooked like a pheasant.
