Chanakhi is one of the most famous dishes of Caucasian cuisine, which has received special distribution in Georgia. Here it is cooked (mostly in pots) from vegetables and various types of meat. There is even a vegetarian chanakhi in which the meat is replaced by the popular beans in Georgia. However, you can change not only the recipe of the dish, but also the method of its preparation. For example, the chanakhi in a multicooker according to taste and aroma is the same as in pots, while its preparation does not cause much trouble, and the size of portions can be adjusted to your liking.
Cooking Features
Taking up cooking Caucasian dishes, I want to find an original recipe and make a dish that is identical to the traditional one. There is no single recipe for chanahi. In different families it is cooked in different ways. However, there are several features that must be considered when selecting and processing ingredients.
- When cooking chanahi from meat, you can take any, but more often, preference is given to its not the fattest grades. So, in Georgia pork and duck chanahi is cooked much less often than from mutton, beef or chicken.
- When choosing meat for the chanakhi, it is recommended to pay particular attention to the brisket or scapula, as this dish is especially tasty. In this case, always give preference to the meat of a young animal, as it turns out soft and soft.
- Mandatory components of the chanakhi are potatoes, eggplants, tomatoes and peppers. The remaining vegetables are chosen by housewives to your liking. Often they include carrots, green beans, hot peppers in the dish. Greenery and garlic, which are also among the essential ingredients, give the dish a spicy flavor.
- Traditional chanahi cooking technology does not provide for roasting products, but gourmets say that if the meat is lightly browned beforehand, the dish turns out to be more delicious. When cooking chanahi in a slow cooker, the meat can be roasted separately in a frying pan or in the appliance itself, using the program “Frying” or similar. Even if the manufacturer of the unit has not provided for such a program, there is a way out - use the “Baking” program, which will also help to realize our plans.
- Cooking time in a slow cooker is between an hour and two hours, depending on the type of meat and the size of its pieces. Consider this when planning dinner or lunch time.
Chanakhs are served hot as a separate dish, sprinkled abundantly with chopped greens and crushed garlic.
Chanahs in a lamb multicooker
Composition:
- lamb - 0, 5 kg;
- carrots - 0, 3 kg;
- eggplant - 0, 2 kg;
- sweet pepper - 0, 2 kg;
- onions - 100 g;
- potatoes - 0.5 kg; m
- tomatoes - 0.5 kg;
- garlic - 4 cloves;
- fresh greens (basil, cilantro, parsley) - 100 g;
- water - 0, 5 l;
- salt, pepper - to taste.
Method of preparation:
- Wash, shake to remove excess moisture and finely chop the greens with a knife.
- Finely chop with a knife or pass garlic through a special press, mix with greens.
- Add salt and pepper to this mixture and mix. This mixture will need to sprinkle each layer of food when laying them in the bowl of the multicooker. Finally leave a small part of the mixture to sprinkle on the already prepared dish.
- Wash the lamb. Blot her with a napkin and cut into small pieces. Put them on the bottom of the multicooker tank.
- Peel and chop the eggplant into small cubes. Prepare brine by mixing a teaspoon (with a slide) of salt with a liter of water. Immerse the eggplant slices in this mixture for 20 minutes. This is necessary in order to remove corned beef from the “blue”, because this substance is not only harmful, but also gives bitterness to vegetables, so that it can spoil the taste of the whole dish. After a specified time, the eggplants should be thoroughly rinsed so that they are not over-salted.
- Peel the carrots. Cut it into small cubes. Grind it grated is not worth it, because in this case the dish will be less fragrant.
- Remove the husks from the bulb, cut it into small pieces.
- Peel the potatoes. Cut the tubers into about one and a half centimeters.
- Pepper wash, remove seeds from it. Cut pepper into quarters of rings, not too thick.
- Boil the tomatoes and peel. Cut into small pieces of arbitrary shape.
- Put vegetables in a slow cooker in layers. Be the first to put onions on meat, carrots on it. This is followed by eggplants and tomatoes. The next layer, put the pepper. Do not forget to sprinkle the layers of greens and garlic.
- Pour boiled water into the multicooking bowl, preferably warm water.
- Lower the cover and start the unit by selecting the “Quenching” program. Set the timer for 90-120 minutes depending on the power of the multicooker and the size of the meat pieces.
Spreading the chanakhs on plates, do not forget to sprinkle with greens. Instead of bread, serve pita bread.
Beef chanax
Composition:
- beef - 0, 25 kg;
- white beans - 0, 2 kg;
- potatoes - 0.5 kg;
- carrots - 0, 2 kg;
- sweet pepper - 0, 2 kg;
- onions - 100 g;
- garlic - 5 cloves;
- tomato paste - 50 ml;
- water - 0, 5 l;
- vegetable oil - 50 ml;
- salt, spices, herbs - to taste.
Method of preparation:
- Wash the beans and soak them for a few hours. Rinse again, pour into the slow cooker, pour two glasses of water (its amount is not indicated in the recipe) and start the device in the “Soup” mode for 1 hour.
- Spread the beans, wash the bowl of the slow cooker and wipe dry with a kitchen towel.
- Wash and clean the vegetables, remove the seeds from the pepper. Sprinkle the eggplant with salt, rinse well after 20 minutes.
- Cut the onion into thin half rings, pepper into quarters of rings.
- Cut the eggplant lengthwise into 4 parts, cut each part across into pieces about half a centimeter thick.
- Cut the carrot into thin slices.
- Cut potatoes into cubes.
- Finely chop and cover the garlic.
- Wash and cut the greens.
- Wash the beef, blot with a napkin, cut into small cubes.
- Pour oil into the bowl of the multicooker, place meat in it. Turn on the Frying program for 15 minutes. After 10 minutes, add the onions and cook the food until the specified time has passed.
- Put carrots on meat, then eggplants, potatoes, pepper. Sprinkle it with garlic and herbs.
- Dilute tomato paste with water, pour the contents of the bowl of the multicooker.
- Run the extinguishing program for an hour and a half.
Despite the fact that the traditional recipe for a lamb chanakhi is considered to be, it is difficult to say with what the Georgians themselves cook it more often, with lamb or with beef. So, choosing a beef that is familiar to our compatriots, you will certainly not be mistaken.
Chanahi is a tasty, nourishing and healthy dish, in which meat and vegetables perfectly harmonize with each other. Especially fragrant dish make greens and garlic.
