How to cook the same satsebeli, as well as recipes from classic to grape sauce

Today we will give you a recipe for satsebeli sauce and not just one, but eight. All recipes are step-by-step and easy to prepare at home.

Classic recipe

There are many variants of the sauce – with different spices, with additional ingredients, with different cooking technologies. But the classic Georgian recipe for satsebeli is always the same. Its taste is dominated by tomatoes and spices.

Composition:

• tomato sauce – 250 g;
• hot red pepper – 1 pc.;
• cilantro (hereinafter – fresh herbs) – from 100 to 120 g;
• garlic – 10 cloves;
• suneli hops – from 50 to 60 g;
• vinegar (hereinafter – 9%) – 15 g;
• water – 200 ml;
• black pepper (ground) – from 5 to 8 g;
• salt – 4 g;
• sugar – from 3 to 4 g.

How to cook:

1. Peel the garlic. Grind in any convenient way (knife, garlic press, etc.).
2. Finely chop the cilantro and red pepper.
3. Pour into a mortar suneli hops, peppers, adjika, garlic and cilantro. Grind until smooth.
4. Add vinegar and tomato sauce.
5. Pour in cold water and mix well.
6. Add salt and sugar.

In order not to change the classics, the recipe for satsebeli sauce should be refrigerated overnight. It should brew under a tight lid for the most intense taste.

With bell pepper

Many people prefer satsebeli sauce with bell pepper. This option is also considered one of the classics.

Ingredients:

• tomatoes – 500 g;
• bell pepper – 2 pcs.;
• hot red pepper – 1 pc.;
• garlic – 5 cloves;
• cilantro – 1 bunch (or parsley – 1 bunch);
• ground coriander – 0.5 tsp;
• sol – 0.5 h. l.;
• sugar – 0.5 h. l.

How to do:

1. According to the satsebeli sauce recipe, immerse the tomatoes in boiling water for 2 minutes. If they are very soft, 1 minute is enough.
2. Transfer the tomatoes to cold water. To peel.
3. Remove seeds from peppers.
4. Grind the tomatoes and peppers in a blender, turning them into puree.
5. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring regularly.
6. Grind cilantro and garlic. Add to tomato sauce along with coriander, salt and sugar.
7. Boil for another 10 minutes.

This version of satsebeli can be safely rolled into jars for the winter. And in an open container it can be stored for more than 2 weeks when placed in the refrigerator.

From adjika

The composition of satsebeli sauce from adjika is very close to the classic recipe. The main difference is that Georgian adjika is used instead of fresh pepper. This version of the sauce is very popular in Georgia and other countries.

Composition:

• tomato sauce – 300 ml;
• Georgian adjika (made from hot peppers, without adding tomatoes) – from 40 to 45 g;
• cilantro – 120 g;
• onions (preferably salad) – 1 pc.;
• suneli hops – 30 g;
• vinegar – 10 ml;
• salt – 5 g;
• sugar – to taste.

Preparation:

1. Mix tomato sauce and adjika.
2. Peel and chop the garlic.
3. Slice the onion into half rings as thin as possible. Then chop it very finely.
4. Combine all ingredients and mix well.
5. To taste. Add more salt or sugar if necessary.

This sauce can be prepared without onions. The recipe in this case will not be different. For lovers of spicy foods, we have several delicious sauces made from adjika.

Spicy satsebeli

The recipe for satsebeli with herbs differs from others in that it contains, in addition to cilantro, many other greens. Usually this is parsley, dill and basil. But sometimes tarragon or any mint is added instead of basil.

We will need:

• tomato sauce – 150 ml;
• garlic – from 8 to 10 cloves;
• khmeli-suneli (can be replaced utskho-suneli) – 25 g;
• cilantro – 1 bunch;
• parsley – 1 bunch;
• dill – 1 bunch;
• basil – 1 bunch;
• vinegar – 10 ml;
• water – 40 ml;
• salt – from 5 to 8 g;
• sugar – from 5 to 7 g.

Cooking process:

1. Finely chop the garlic and all the herbs.
2. Pour the chopped ingredients into a mortar. Add suneli hops and grind thoroughly.
3. Add tomato sauce, water and vinegar.
4. Mix until smooth.
5. Balance the taste with salt and sugar.

Due to the large amount of greenery, this type of satsebeli spoils quite quickly. Ideally, it is prepared for one day. But the sauce can last for 3 days in the refrigerator.

From tomato paste

To make delicious satsebeli, you don’t have to use fresh tomatoes or tomato sauce. Tomato paste will also work. But since it has the consistency of a thick puree, the paste is diluted with water before adding it to satsebel.

Composition:

• tomato paste – 100 g;
• Georgian adjika – 35 g;
• cilantro – 120 g;
• garlic – 5 cloves;
• vinegar – 10 ml;
• water – 100 ml;
• ground coriander – 25 g;
• salt – 10 g;
• sugar – to taste.

Preparation:

1. Heat the water. It should be hot (but not boiling water).
2. Mix tomato paste and adjika. Add water and mix thoroughly until smooth.
3. Cool the mixture.
4. Grind garlic and cilantro. Add to the mixture along with coriander, salt and sugar.
5. Stir and refrigerate overnight.

It is better to eat satsebeli with tomato paste 10-12 hours after cooking. As the sauce sits, the ingredients will blend and the flavor will be more uniform. It will be almost impossible to determine that it is made from paste and not from fresh tomatoes.

Satsebeli with grapes

This unusual recipe for satsebeli sauce is quite popular among gourmets. There is no vinegar in the list of ingredients, but the grapes provide a characteristic sourness.

Composition:

• tomatoes – 500 g;
• bell pepper – 150 g;
• hot pepper – 1 pc.;
• grapes (blue, seedless) – 150 g;
• garlic – 5 cloves;
• cilantro – 100 g;
• water – 50 ml;
• sugar – from 7 to 10 g;
• salt – to taste.

Step by step recipe:

1. Peel both types of peppers and remove the seeds. Cut into slices of any size.
2. Place peppers, grapes and whole tomatoes in a saucepan. Add water.
3. Bring the vegetables to a boil and cook for 15 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly.
4. Cool and pass through a sieve. Remove tomato peel.
5. Finely chop the garlic and cilantro.
6. Place the vegetables back into the pan and add the remaining ingredients.
7. Boil for another 5 minutes, also over medium heat.

If you prepare a large batch of this satsebeli, you can safely put it in jars for the winter. It will last in the pantry for at least a year.

From plums and nuts

The most unusual version of satsebeli is that it does not contain tomatoes at all. They are replaced by plums, and sometimes cherry plums. The finished sauce has a non-standard taste – something between satsebeli and tkemali.

Composition:

• plums – 600 g;
• walnuts (kernel) – 120 g;
• hot pepper – 1 pc.;
• garlic – 10 cloves;
• ground black pepper – 5 g;
• ground coriander – 10 g;
• turmeric – 5 g;
• vinegar – 2 tbsp. l.;
• vegetable oil – 3 tbsp. l.;
• salt – from 10 to 15 g;
• sugar – from 30 to 40 g.

How to cook:

1. Remove seeds from plums and seeds from peppers.
2. Fry the shelled walnuts for 3 minutes.
3. Mix plums, nuts, peppers and garlic in a blender until pureed.
4. Add spices, salt with sugar and butter to the resulting mass.
5. To stir thoroughly.

This nut sauce, prepared at home, can be consumed immediately or sealed in jars. To prepare the sauce for future use, you need to boil the sauce for 15 minutes, and add the garlic after boiling.

If desired, cilantro is also added to satsebel, but the combination of plums and nuts works well without this spice. You can also add parsley and other herbs right before serving.

Recipe for the winter

Almost any homemade recipe for satsebeli can be prepared for future use if, after mixing all the ingredients, let the sauce boil and cook for at least 10 minutes (or better yet, all 15).

But there is also a separate traditional recipe according to which satsebeli is prepared for the winter. Typically it includes grapes.

Ingredients:

• tomatoes – from 6 to 7 kg;
• bell pepper – 1.5 kg;
• grapes (seedless) – 1.5 kg;
• garlic – 3 heads;
• hot red pepper – 2 pcs.;
• cilantro – from 3 to 4 bunches;
• salt – to taste;
• ground black pepper – to taste;
• sugar – to taste.

How to make the sauce:

1. Pour boiling water over the tomatoes (to make peeling easier). Remove the peel.
2. Remove seeds from peppers (both types).
3. Grind the tomatoes and peppers in a meat grinder.
4. Separately chop the grapes.
5. Place tomatoes, grapes and peppers in a large saucepan. Turn on low heat and cook for 40 minutes.
6. Strain through a sieve.
7. Pour the vegetable mixture back into the pan and cook for another 2 hours. Meanwhile, chop the cilantro and garlic.
8. About 15 minutes before the end of cooking, add cilantro and garlic to the sauce.
9. Turn off the heat and immediately, without waiting for it to cool, pour the prepared Georgian-style satsebeli into sterilized jars.

After this, all that remains is to roll up the jars with iron lids, place them upside down and wrap them well. When completely cool, store in the pantry.

What do satsebels eat with?

Traditionally, satsebel is served as sauce for barbecue and in general for most meat dishes (especially cooked on an open fire, but not only). The sauce goes equally well with:

• beef;
• lamb;
• bird;
• and other types of meat.

Satsebel is also often consumed in combination with fish. But it is worth considering that in Georgia and a number of Caucasian countries, meat is usually marinated without a large amount of spices.

If the meat uses a complex marinade or a lot of spices, then satsebeli will no longer be suitable for it – the taste of the meat itself will “dissolve” behind the marinade and sauce.

As for temperature, satsebeli is better suited to warm and cold food. It is customary to use other sauces with hot dishes.

And finally, a recipe for Satsebeli from our respected chef Ilya Isaakovich Lazerson.