Ajapsandali with Pomegranate Seeds
⏳ Time
30 minutes
🥕 Ingredients
15
🍽️ Servings
3
Description
Neither a salad nor an appetizer, but… fried eggplants stewed with onions, fresh tomatoes, and herbs… the result is 'mind-blowing'. Lavash, cheese, fresh herbs, and a glass of white wine are the best complements to 'ajapsandali'!
Ingredients
- Cilantro - 3.5 oz
- Eggplants - 2 lbs
- Tomatoes - 4.2 oz
- Baku Tomatoes - 5.3 oz
- Onion - 5.3 oz
- Garlic - 0.7 oz
- Basil - 1.8 oz
- Mild Chili Spice - 0.4 oz
- Pomegranate Seeds - 2.1 oz
- Butter - 1.8 oz
- Salt - to taste
- Vegetable Oil - 2 fl oz
- Ground Black Pepper - to taste
- Ground coriander - to taste
- Uchiko Suneli - to taste
Step by Step guide
Step 1
Peel the eggplants. Then cut them lengthwise into strips about 5–7 mm thick.
Step 2
Place the eggplant slices on a perforated tray or any other item with enough holes for the liquid to drain. Generously sprinkle with coarse sea salt and refrigerate for 1.5–2 hours. This is necessary to remove the 'bitterness' contained in the eggplant.
Step 3
After the specified time, you need to literally squeeze the eggplants. The drier they are, the better.
Step 4
Fry the eggplants in vegetable oil over medium heat until a golden crust forms, but with a slight 'rawness' inside. To remove excess oil after frying, place them back on the perforated tray for about 15–20 minutes.
Step 5
Meanwhile, blanch all the tomatoes. Then remove the skin and dice them into approximately 1 cm cubes.
Step 6
Chop the onion into small cubes and fry in vegetable oil over medium heat. When the onion starts to turn 'golden', add the butter and cook until fully done. Then strain it through a sieve or colander to remove excess oil and cool.
Step 7
Finely chop the garlic and chili pepper, and grind them with coarse sea salt in a mortar until a paste forms. Heat a pot with a wide and thick bottom over medium heat. Add the butter and fry the diced tomatoes for 2–3 minutes. Then add the fried eggplants and onions, along with the garlic paste mixed with chili. Stir, evenly distributing the vegetables. Simmer the uniform vegetable mixture over low heat for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then season with salt and pepper, and add the previously diluted uchiko-suneli and ground coriander mixed in a small amount of water, and let cool.
Step 8
When the vegetable mixture cools down, add the chopped fresh herbs of red basil and cilantro, as well as the pomegranate seeds. Now you can confidently say: 'ajapsandali' is ready!
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