Achorzhak is called Armenian adjika. The name of this dish is translated as “appetite”. This is due not only to the fact that it looks seductive, but also to the fact that its savory taste actually whets the appetite. This appetizer is good in itself, but it is often served as a supplement to meat dishes. Hot pepper in this dish is present in large quantities and almost always remains whole. Akhorzhak is easy to prepare in Armenian, but almost every housewife uses her own recipe for this dish. Snacks can be served immediately after preparation or prepared for winter.
Cooking Features
Despite the fact that every Armenian mistress makes an Ahorzhak for the winter in her own way, the technology of cooking this snack does not change much. Knowing the features of the preservation of this dish, you can make it to your liking, using the ready-made recipe or making your own adjustments to it.
- Achorzhak is a pod of hot pepper, stewed in tomato sauce with the addition of garlic and greens. Pepper is used either bitter or semi-sharp, called tsitsak in Armenia. This sort of pepper has long pods of yellow-green color with moderately spicy taste. Often, both types of pepper (bitter and tsitsak) are combined in one snack, as a result, guests have the opportunity to put on a snack the kind of spiciness they love.
- Tomatoes for an ahorzhak choose ripe and fleshy, overripe fruits will do. In tomatoes, seals are cut in the area of the stem, the pulp is cut into pieces and minced with a meat grinder or blender. Some pre-peeled tomatoes to obtain a sauce with a more delicate texture, but there is no great need for this.
- Salt, sugar, oil, vinegar, garlic and fresh herbs are placed in the sauce according to your taste. Vinegar is not an essential ingredient, but it is often added to the appetizer if it is harvested for the winter.
- Pepper, in order for it to be better impregnated with sauce, is pierced in several places with a toothpick, sometimes it is cut at the stem of the stem, less often the seeds are removed from them. Without seeds, pepper becomes less pungent and it is more pleasant to eat. To extract the seeds, peppers should be rolled on the table, pressing it with the palm of your hand, then cutting off the stem of the pods and knocking them on the cutting board. As a result, the seeds will fall out of the pods.
- First, the tomato sauce is boiled down to the desired consistency, then the peppers are dipped in it, and the parsley is added to the latter. Garlic can be put at once or at the last stage. If you lay garlic early, it will give its flavor to the snack, but it will not make its taste more acute. Added a few minutes before the dish is ready, it will add extra spice to the dish.
- Ahorzhak can be laid out only in pre-sterilized jars, otherwise the snack will quickly deteriorate. Covers use metal, providing tightness. Before that, they need to boil.
The storage conditions of the ahorjac depend on the recipe used, but most often these canned goods stand well at room temperature.
Achorzhak's popular winter recipe
Composition (for 3, 5-4 l):
- tomatoes - 3, 5 kg;
- hot peppers - 1 kg;
- garlic - 100 g;
- vegetable oil (refined) - 0, 25 l;
- grape vinegar (6 percent) - 80 ml;
- fresh parsley - 100 g;
- cilantro - 100 g;
- sugar - 80 g;
- salt - 60 g;
- hops-suneli - to taste.
Method of preparation:
- Pepper wash, dry with a napkin. Make small cuts near the stalk so that the peppers are then better soaked in the sauce.
- Wash tomatoes, blot with a kitchen towel. Cut into large lobules, at the same time removing dense areas of pulp, located in the region of the stalks.
- Peel the garlic cloves.
- Wash the greens, shake it off the water, wait for it to dry, and chop finely with a knife.
- Mince the tomatoes and garlic, spreading them out into individual containers.
- Tomato puree mixed with salt, sugar and hops-suneli. Place in a saucepan and bring to a boil over low heat.
- Add oil, mix. Boil the tomato sauce until it reaches the desired thickness. It usually takes 20-30 minutes.
- Add vinegar and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes. Enter the garlic and greens. Continue cooking for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Sterilize the jars, boil suitable lids. Spread achorzhak banks, hermetically cork them and turn over.
After cooling, cans with snacks can be removed to the pantry or any other place where you used to store supplies for the winter.
Achorzhak in Armenian without vinegar
Composition (3 liters):
- tomatoes - 3 kg;
- bitter pepper - 0, 9 kg;
- garlic - 10 cloves;
- sugar - 40 g;
- salt - to taste;
- parsley - 100 g;
- refined vegetable oil - 100 ml.
Method of preparation:
- Wash tomatoes, free from dense areas of pulp in the area of the stalks, cut into large pieces and grind to a puree using a blender or meat grinder.
- Chop garlic in the same way and mix with tomato puree.
- Wash peppers, cut off the stem of them, if desired, remove the seeds. Pierce the pods in several places using a toothpick.
- Wash the parsley, let it dry, chop with a knife.
- Bring the tomato-garlic mixture to the boil, add sugar, salt and butter, mix. Boil down for 15-20 minutes.
- Add parsley and pepper. Continue cooking for 10 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat.
- Spread the achorzhak over the prepared cans, roll them up.
Achorzhak prepared according to the above recipe, it is desirable to store in a cool place.
Achorzhak in Armenian with Tsitsak
Composition (for 3, 5 l):
- tomatoes - 3 kg;
- hot pepper - 0, 5 kg;
- tsitsak - 1 kg;
- sugar - 100 g;
- salt - 20 g;
- vegetable oil - 100 ml;
- table vinegar (9 percent) - 70 ml;
- fresh parsley - to taste.
Method of preparation:
- Crush tomatoes to mashed potatoes. Add salt, sugar and butter to it. Put on a slow fire and cook for 15-20 minutes.
- During this time, prepare the peppers by washing them, drying them, and puncturing them in several places with a toothpick.
- Add hot peppers and vinegar to the tomato puree, cook for 5 minutes.
- Add tsitsak and parsley finely chopped with a knife. Boil another 10 minutes.
- Fill prepared jars with anchorpack. Hermetically cork them.
When the achorzhak cools, it can be removed to a place of permanent storage. This snack is well worth it at room temperature. This variant of the Armenian snack is less spicy compared to the previous ones.
Ahorzhak is a unique Armenian snack, which is made from tomatoes and hot pepper. Food can be prepared for the winter, it will be worthy of competition adzhike.
