Adjika
A raw, vivid paste from the Caucasus built on fresh hot peppers, garlic, and blue fenugreek — aggressively aromatic, deeply green-spiced, and capable of transforming anything it touches with its herbal, funky heat.
Ingredients
For 4 servings · tick what is ready
Use the scaled ingredient list. Steps and temperatures stay unchanged; use a larger pan or dish if needed. Seasonings to taste stay to taste.
How to make it
Halve the peppers and remove seeds and membranes — wear gloves throughout. Toss with half the salt and spread on a clean kitchen towel or paper towels. Leave uncovered for 1–2 hours to draw out excess moisture. This salting and dehydration step concentrates the pepper flavor and removes the water content that would otherwise make the adjika too thin and watery. The peppers will visibly shrink and become slightly translucent.
Traditional adjika is made in a stone mortar — a food processor is acceptable but produces a slightly less vibrant paste. Pound or pulse the garlic and remaining salt until a rough paste forms. Add the macerated peppers and pound/process until the peppers break down into a rough paste. Add the blue fenugreek, cilantro, and vinegar. Continue pounding or processing until a coarse, fibrous paste forms — not entirely smooth, with some texture from the pepper skins and herb stems remaining. Taste: it should be fiercely hot, salty, herbal, and slightly sour.
About this recipe
By ForkRecipe Kitchen · Source: ForkRecipe / FoodML and contributors. Recipe content available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Serving count is an estimate; check quantities in the source recipe.