Cooking from Home – Georgian Food

Long time ago, and in past articles, I expressed my admiration for Georgian food. I had the opportunity to taste it and at least in 2 articles I posted some of the dishes.

In 2017 in my article called "Georgian Food, My First Sight" that you can read here. I mention dishes like Khachapuri (ხაჭაპური), Chanakhi (ჩანახი) and the famous Georgian dumplings or Khinkali (ხინკალი).

In another article: “Multiculturalism in the Teahouse”, that you can read here. Now, in times when I cannot visit too many restaurants, I try to reproduce some of those dishes in my own kitchen. My interest in Georgian food, music and language, pushed me to try the dishes of that interesting country.

The first dish I tried was Kharcho (ხარჩო), one of my favourites and a dish I previously tried to cook. It is a traditional beef stew that contains rice, chopped walnuts and Cherry plum purée. You can add onions, chopped tomatoes and coriander. I used lamb instead (I have been lucky to find a nice boneless lamb leg for this dish). The way to cook it is not different from other soups, but there are 2 key ingredients that make this dish special: one is tkemali (ტყემალი), a cherry plum purée, that adds a special sour taste; and the other ingredient for a spicy touch is Khmeli suneli (ხმელი სუნელი), a typical cocktail of spices and a common ingredient in Georgian cuisine. You can find both in Georgian shops and in many fine Eastern European markets.

The Tabaka ( ტაბაკა) is a traditional fried chicken. A special characteristic of this dish is that the chicken is flatten and then cooked. It is best to work with a small chicken. Cornish hen also works. You cut the chicken from the chest (remove some ribs if possible) and then open the chicken and press over it to flat. Georgians use a typical frying pan that has a press integrated. You can use something heavy to keep the chicken flat while you fry it. Chicken can just be prepared with salt and pepper before frying, but other spices are ok. Then you eat it with fresh vegetables, rice and use tkemali sauce to dip.

Other day I tried Shkmeruli (შქმერული), chicken in a cream base sauce. You take some pieces of chicken and fried them in oil until brown. Then chicken is baked while the same oil used for fry crushed garlic and milk (You can use cream). Then you add this mix to the chicken and bake it for half hour. You can use Coriander and parsley to serve it and then eat with rice.

Recently I tried a dish called Chakhokhbili (ჩახოხბილი). A traditional Georgian stew made with chicken and tomatoes. Perhaps the greatest difference between this stew and other chicken stews with tomatoes is the use of Khmeli suneli to season. I enjoyed it anyway with rice.