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Chashushuli Georgian Style
Instructions
I prepare the ingredients from the list. Don't reduce the amount of onion — the more you use, the tastier and more tender the dish becomes. You can make tomato juice with pulp by grating fresh tomatoes.
Cut the meat into medium pieces. There's no need to trim off the membrane or veins — everything stews down to a very tender state and dissolves into the overall mass.
Place the cut meat in a deep frying pan and add a little water, enough to reach about a third of the way up the pieces. Cover with a lid, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to its lowest setting and simmer the beef for 40-50 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables. Cut all the onion into medium cubes.
Clean and rinse the sweet pepper, then cut it into wide strips.
Finely chop the garlic with a knife.
Chop the herbs.
Cut the hot pepper.
After the meat has simmered for 20 minutes, add the rosemary and the spices to the pan. Don't add salt yet.
By the end of the stewing, all the liquid should have evaporated and the meat pieces should even brown a little. Remove the rosemary sprigs.
At this point add the butter and the garlic.
Add the onion to the meat straight away. You can pour in a little (30 ml) water, cover with the lid and simmer for another 20 minutes. As it cooks, the onion releases its juices and softens the meat even more.
Next add the sweet pepper and the hot pepper. Season with salt.
Pour in the tomato. Cover again with the lid and carry on stewing.
After 15 minutes the meat will practically dissolve into the vegetable sauce. Check the seasoning for salt once more.
Add the chopped herbs and keep the dish on the heat under the lid for 3 minutes. Chashushuli Georgian style is ready.I serve chashushuli hot, on a large plate or straight from the frying pan. Traditionally this dish needs no side at all, only fresh herbs and flatbread. If you like, though, this tender meat in vegetable sauce also goes well with potatoes, pasta or any porridge.
Tips
- 1
A 1:1 ratio of onion to meat is the Georgian secret. The onion melts into its own juices and tenderises the meat as it cooks. Use less onion and it simply isn't the same dish.
- 2
Stewing in its own juices is the secret to tenderness. Use a minimum of water and let the meat braise gently in the juices it and the onion release.
- 3
Salt at the end is the secret to tenderness. Adding salt early draws moisture out and firms up the meat fibres. Add it only towards the finish and the meat stays meltingly soft.
- 4
Take out the rosemary — that's the secret to the flavour. After about 20 minutes its aroma has passed into the meat, and the needles can otherwise catch in your teeth. The same principle works in other Georgian meat stews.
FAQ
What meat should I choose? +
The ideal is beef with a little marbling and connective tissue, such as brisket or shoulder — 500 g, which turns tender after long, slow stewing. Good alternatives are young veal (500 g, faster, ready in about an hour), lamb (500 g, the Caucasian classic, with a brighter flavour) or a 50/50 mix of beef and lamb (500 g). Fresh, chilled meat is best. Avoid shop-bought mince, which spoils the idea, and chicken, which cooks too quickly and isn't suited to chashushuli. For a properly Georgian version, beef or lamb is a must.
What can I use instead of khmeli-suneli? +
You can substitute a mix of coriander, dried dill, basil and savory (about 0.5 tsp of each), a ready-made universal Georgian seasoning (2 tsp), utskho-suneli (2 tsp), curry powder (2 tsp, more Indian in character) or an Italian herb blend (2 tsp, though less authentic). Avoid salted seasonings and sweet blends. For an authentic Georgian flavour the blend should contain fenugreek; utskho-suneli (blue fenugreek) is the more refined choice.
How long does chashushuli keep? +
In the fridge, in a covered pot, it keeps for 3 days; any longer and the vegetables and meat lose their freshness. Before serving, reheat it gently over low heat for 10-15 minutes. In the freezer, portioned out, it keeps for up to a month; defrost it in the fridge for 8-10 hours. Chashushuli is at its best 30-60 minutes after cooking, once it has had time to settle, and on the second day the flavour is deeper and richer. Don't leave it at room temperature for more than 4 hours, as the meat will spoil. It is best made just for one or two servings at a time.
What do you serve chashushuli with? +
The Georgian classic is to serve it with lavash or flatbread and plenty of fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro, tarragon). It also goes well with boiled potatoes, pasta or plain rice, and you can offer suluguni or brynza cheese alongside as a starter, or adjika and tkemali for a spicier serving. It's a versatile hot dish for the table.
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