Chanahi in pots

Chanakhs are made in different countries, but most often this dish belongs to Georgian cuisine. Here they began to be cooked many centuries ago, even before potatoes appeared here, which today is one of the main ingredients of the chanakhs - they used pumpkins instead. Over its centuries-old history, the recipe for the chanakhs was somewhat modified, its various variations appeared. In the eastern part of Georgia, they are often cooked from mutton or beef, in the western - from chicken or turkey. Fat meat of a goose or pig is rarely used for chanakhs, vegetarian recipes are much more common - in many Georgian families, chanakhs are cooked without meat, based on beans. This is especially relevant during the Orthodox fasting period, which is observed by Georgians who have a Christian religion, and there are a majority of such people in Georgia.

Today, too, there are more ways of cooking chanakhs than they were when they appeared, however, even today traditional chananges in pots are considered to be - this way of preparing a delicious dish of meat and vegetables is preferred by most housewives in Georgia.

Like all other dishes of Georgian cuisine, the chanakhs have a seductive aroma and spicy taste. Lovers of the Caucasian cuisine, they certainly will like.

Cooking Features

Cooking chanahs is not difficult, the main thing is to choose the right products and prepare them, put them into pots and wait for the chanakhs to be extinguished in the oven. However, the knowledge of several subtleties will relieve you of problems and will allow you to make the chanakhs in the pots correctly, in accordance with the traditions.

The most delicious chanahs come from lamb or beef, and in autistic recipes, lamb is most common. On the chanakhi take the scapula or brisket, which, after cutting into pieces of medium size. From poultry meat preference is given to chicken, which is cut into pieces, as for chakhokhbili. Chicken fillets can also be used, but in traditional recipes they are not limited to them, since chicken bones also give the dish a certain taste and flavor, without them, the chanakhs turn out to be less tasty, albeit lighter.
Traditionally, the chanakhs are cooked in pots without prior heat treatment. However, some housewives fry meat and some vegetables before distributing them in pots, believing that this makes the chanakhs even more tasty and juicy.
In order for the pots not to burst from the temperature drop, they must be heated before sending them to the preheated oven. The easiest way is to put them in the oven before turning it on and take it out when the temperature reaches the desired values. If the pots have not been pre-heated or have already cooled, they should be placed in an unheated oven, and the cooking time should be slightly longer.
Fresh greenery gives the flavor to the chanakhs, which Georgians generously add to the dish. Greens can be added both immediately and when serving food to the table. Dried spices can be replaced only partially.
Adzhika is added to spice in chanakhi, garlic serves mainly to add flavor to the dish.
Chanahs will taste better if you pour water mixed with wine into a pot.
Cooking time depends on the size of the pots, it is usually about 2 hours, so if you want to serve this dish for lunch, you have to start cooking it 2, 5-3 hours before.

The technology of cooking chanakhs from different meats and a different set of vegetables cannot be absolutely identical, therefore when preparing this Georgian dish it makes sense to carefully read the recommendations accompanying a particular recipe.

Lamb Chanahs

Composition:

lamb - 0, 4 kg;
fat tail - 100 g;
potatoes - 0, 4 kg;
eggplants - 0, 4 kg;
tomatoes - 0, 3 kg;
green beans - 100 g;
sweet pepper of different colors - 0, 4 kg;
onions - 0, 2 kg;
garlic - 8 cloves;
Georgian adjika - 20 ml;
greens - to taste.

Preparation Method:

Peel the onion, cut it into thin rings or half rings.
Wash the eggplants and, without peeling, cut them in circles. Sprinkle with coarse salt, mix and leave for a quarter of an hour. During this time, the salt will pull out of the eggplants of the corned beef - a harmful substance, because of which the eggplants have a bitter taste. After that, the vegetables will wash in running water to remove excess salt, and dry, laying out on a kitchen towel.
Wash the peppers, cut off the stem. Cut along into 2 parts, remove the seeds. The flesh of the peppers cut into half rings.
Wash the string beans and cut them into pieces about 2-3 cm long.
Finely chop the garlic with a knife.
Chop the greens, set aside some to decorate the dish when serving, put it in a bag in the fridge so that it does not become dull.
Cut tomatoes into large slices.
Peel the potatoes, chop them large.
Heat the pots.
Wash, dry the meat with napkins. Cut it into small pieces.
Finely chop the fat tail, put it in pots.
Put lamb on lard. Pepper and salt it to taste.
Sprinkle with onion, put potato pieces on it.
Season and season with salt.
Put the beans on, eggplants.
Sprinkle with garlic and herbs.
Place tomato slices on top. Top with a teaspoon of adjika.
Pour warm boiled water into the pots so that it reaches almost to the neck itself. If desired, part of the water can be replaced with dry red wine, adding 50-100 ml of it to each pot.
Send the pots to an oven heated to 220 degrees. Cook the chanahs for two hours.

Let the little pot stand in the oven, then carefully pull it out. Before serving, do not forget to put a small handful of fresh herbs in each pot.

Chicken chanahs

Composition:

chicken (fillet or chakhokhbili set) - 0, 4 kg;
eggplants - 0, 4 kg;
onions - 100 g;
potatoes - 0, 4 kg;
garlic - 2 cloves;
tomatoes - 0, 3 kg;
greens, salt, seasonings - to taste.

Preparation Method:

Prepare the chicken by washing it out, drying it and cutting it into pieces of suitable size.
Wash eggplants, cut into 4 pieces along, add salt. After 15 minutes, rinse, blot with a napkin and cut each piece along slices about 7-8 mm wide.
Finely chop the greens.
For the tomatoes on the side opposite the stem, make an incision crosswise. Boil the water. Dip the tomatoes in it and blanch them for 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in a cold water tank for cooling. Take out, clean and rub on a coarse grater. Mix with salt, spices and chopped greens.
Crush garlic with a special press.
Peel potatoes, cut into cubes of about one and a half centimeters.
Onion, peeled, cut into thin half rings.
Heat the pots and spread the chicken over them. Lightly season it and sprinkle with onions.
Put the potatoes on the onion and place the eggplants on it. Brush with minced garlic.
Pour about 80-100 ml of warm water into each pot, put tomato paste on top.
Place the pots in an oven preheated to 200 degrees and cook vats for an hour. If you used chicken fillet, cooking time can be reduced by 10-15 minutes.

Sprinkle the dish with chopped greens before serving. You can also add a little crushed garlic or adjika for spiciness.

Chanahi without meat

Composition:

eggplants - 0, 6 kg;
beans beans - 0, 2 kg;
tomatoes - 0, 4 kg;
carrots - 120 g;
sweet pepper - 0, 2 kg;
onions - 75 g;
garlic - 4 cloves;
sugar - 5 g;
table vinegar (9 percent) - 20 ml;
water - 0, 25 l;
vegetable oil - how much will leave;
salt, greens - to taste.

Preparation Method:

Sort the beans, rinse, cover with cool water and leave overnight or at least for 3-4 hours. Wash and boil until tender. If there is no time for such long preparations, you can use canned beans.
Wash and clean the eggplants. Cut them into small cubes and dip them in a brine prepared from a liter of water and a teaspoon of salt. After half an hour, rinse the eggplants and leave for a while in a colander, allowing water to drain.
Boil in tomatoes, peel and cut into small cubes.
Peel and grate carrots.
Peel the onions and cut them into small pieces.
Peel the seeds from the peppers and cut them into small pieces or strips.
Heat oil in a pan and put onions and carrots in it. Cook them for 10 minutes.
Lubricate the bottom of the pots with oil and place the beans in them.
Put onions and carrots on it.
Place the eggplants on top.
In the next layer, put the pepper on it - the tomatoes.
Mix the water with salt, crushed garlic, sugar and vinegar, pour it into pots.
Place the pots in the oven and turn it on. After the temperature in the oven reaches 200 degrees, cook lean chanai 30-40 minutes.

Although the chanakhs are cooked without meat, they are very nourishing. Beans contain a lot of protein and help fill the body's need for it, which is important for supporters of vegetarian food and those who keep fast.

Chanahs in pots will not be difficult to cook even for an inexperienced hostess, but to taste and aroma, this Georgian dish can overshadow many others. In addition, it turns nourishing, even if cooked without meat.

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