Chakhokhbili confidently entered the catalog of the most famous and beloved meat dishes, while it is popular not only at home. It is prepared with pleasure by representatives of other nationalities in many countries of the world. Men prefer chakhokhbili more, because it is very satisfying and high in calories, and can serve as both the first and second courses at the same time. Although in the culinary classification it refers to hot second courses.

Choice meat ingredient for chakhokhbili

Let's give preference to lamb, although in the primary sources meat of the royal bird - pheasant - was the main product. Its name in Georgian is "hokhobi", and the literal translation of the food is cooked like a pheasant. However, in our time, pheasant is a rare bird, its meat is expensive, and Georgian cooks are inventive. Instead of game birds, they use poultry - chicken, as well as beef or lamb. Let's choose the last option, since lamb chakhokhbili sounds very Georgian and very appetizing.

How healthy is the dish?

In the preparation of chakhokhbili, the principle is relevant: you cannot spoil porridge (in its quality - lamb) with butter (in our version - onion). Onions and meat in most recipes are taken in a 1: 1 ratio. A culinary accompaniment to a couple of main products is made up of spices and herbs, without which Georgian cuisine is like a bird without wings. Cilantro greens, garlic, pepper, suneli hops, and basil will be appropriate. Also, in many regions of Georgia, the recipe includes tomatoes.

And about the benefits:

• lamb in oriental medicine is the best meat, it is rich in proteins, useful micro- and macroelements;
• onions - a natural antibiotic, saturated large quantity organic acids and vitamins that help the immune system;
• vitamins and elements contained in tomatoes prevent the aging of the body;
• spices have a positive effect on the activity of the digestive system, are a good antiseptic.

Cooking secrets

Before stewing, the lamb must be fried (but not overcooked). In order to preserve the natural taste of the products, oils should be used as little as possible. It is better - more vegetables that will release the juice necessary for stewing. The water can be replaced with dry Georgian wine, which will add a pleasant sourness to the dish. Spices are added to the dish 2-3 minutes before the end of cooking.

The history of the creation of the dish

Culinary historians are confused about the exact dates of the origin of the chakhokhbili recipe. Popular beliefs associate the dish with the Argonauts, since the dish comes from Western Georgia (the territory of the former Colchis). There is also a legend that the king of Georgia Vakhtang I, who started a falconry on the site of the current capital of Tbilisi, "had a hand" in the creation of the dish. The prey of hunters - the pheasant, at the behest of the king, fell into the cauldron as a meat delicacy.

Submission nuances

Will complement the taste meat stew lamb pita slice, rice or boiled potatoes... During a feast or to festive table a glass of dry wine is appropriate. The choice of this drink in Georgia is very wide.

Remember which path must be overcome to the heart of a man? Believe me, with the help of lamb chakhokhbili, this path will surely be successful.

But in order to learn the original taste, Georgian meat stew must be tasted in its homeland.

Lamb chakhokhbili - national Georgian dish and how many dishes Georgian cuisine, is distinguished by its sharpness and a lot of greenery. It is not difficult to cook it, you can serve it with any side dish, although the classic lamb garnish for chakhokhbili is crumbly rice porrige cooked in lamb bone broth.

So, Georgian lamb chakhokhbili, recipe:

Ingredients (calculated per 4 servings)

• lamb 600 gr
• onion 200 gr
• tomatoes 400 gr (or tomato puree 80 gr)
• wine vinegar or lemon juice 40 ml
• pepper
• greens (cilantro, basil)
• garlic 3-4 cloves

Cooking method

Chop the lamb at the rate of one or two pieces per serving, season with salt, pepper and fry in a deep frying pan. With fresh tomatoes remove the skin, finely chop the pulp or chop in a blender, onion spasse.

If fresh tomatoes are not available, puree tomato can be used instead. Put the pulp of tomatoes with onions over the fried lamb and simmer over low heat until the meat is tender.

When the meat is ready, add finely chopped or minced garlic and finely chopped herbs, and simmer for another 5-7 minutes under the lid. Finally, add wine vinegar or lemon juice to taste. Sprinkle with herbs when serving. Bon Appetit!

Lamb chakhokhbili is a national Georgian dish, and, like many dishes of Georgian cuisine, it is distinguished by its spiciness and a lot of greens. It is not difficult to cook it, you can serve it with any side dish, although the classic lamb garnish for chakhokhbili is loose rice porridge cooked in lamb bone broth.

So, Georgian lamb chakhokhbili, recipe:

Ingredients (calculated per 4 servings)

• lamb 600 gr
• onion 200 gr
• tomatoes 400 gr (or tomato puree 80 gr)
• wine vinegar or lemon juice 40 ml
• pepper
• greens (cilantro, basil)
• garlic 3-4 cloves

Cooking method

Chop the lamb at the rate of one or two pieces per serving, season with salt, pepper and fry in a deep frying pan. Remove the skin from fresh tomatoes, finely chop the pulp or chop in a blender, sauté the onions.

If fresh tomatoes are not available, puree tomato can be used instead. Put the pulp of tomatoes with onions over the fried lamb and simmer over low heat until the meat is tender.

When the meat is ready, add finely chopped or minced garlic and finely chopped herbs, and simmer for another 5-7 minutes under the lid. Finally, add wine vinegar or lemon juice to taste. Sprinkle with herbs when serving. Bon Appetit!

Cooking time: 1 hour

For those who have already tasted chakhokhbili according to the traditional recipe from poultry meat, I suggest trying another, no less tasty option- fragrant lamb chakhokhbili, I'm sure you will like it.

Servings: 3-4

A simple recipe for chakhokhbili from lamb, a recipe for Georgian cuisine with a photo and a step-by-step description of the cooking process. According to this recipe, it is easy to cook it yourself at home in 1 hour and 30 minutes. Contains only 292 kcal.

• Complexity: A simple recipe
• National cuisine: Georgian cuisine
• Type of dish: Hot dishes, Chakhokhbili

• Prep time: 11 minutes
• Cooking time: 1 h 30 min
• Calorie count: 292 kcal
• Servings: 8 servings
• Occasion: For lunch

Ingredients for ten servings

• Lamb - 500 Grams
• Onions - 4 Pieces
• Tomatoes - 400-500 Grams
• Sweet bell pepper - 1 Piece
• Garlic - 2-3 Cloves
• Red table wine - 100 Milliliters
• Fresh herbs - To taste (parsley, cilantro, basil)
• Spices - To taste (black ground pepper, red ground pepper, coriander, hops - suneli)
• Salt - To taste

Step by step cooking

1. The beauty of this recipe for cooking lamb chakhokhbili is that, on the one hand, this dish is quite simple and does not require significant time and money, but nevertheless, the taste is so delicious that words cannot convey it. And although in classic version poultry meat is used for such a dish, but if you cook lamb chakhokhbili at home, then it will turn out to be much more satisfying and aromatic, at least it seems to me so, but you yourself try and decide.
2. 1) First, prepare all the ingredients, rinse the meat under running water and cut into pieces across the fibers. Wash the vegetables, then cut the onions into quarters, and peel the peppers from the seeds and cut them into small cubes. Blanch the tomatoes, remove the skin from them and finely chop the pulp, chop the fresh herbs and garlic.
3. 2) Now we put the pan without oil on the fire and fry the lamb on it from all sides until golden brown, put the meat in a saucepan.
4. 3) Pour into the pan vegetable oil and put the chopped onion on it, fry it until golden brown. Then add the pepper cubes and continue to fry everything until the peel begins to burst on the pepper.
5. 4) We shift the onion and pepper to the meat, add chopped tomatoes, salt everything and season with spices.
6. 5) Cover the pan with a lid and simmer everything over moderate heat for 20 minutes, then remove the lid, pour in the wine and continue to simmer the meat. After 5 minutes, the alcohol will evaporate, so we again cover the pan with a lid and simmer for another 20-30 minutes until the meat is tender.
7. 6) When the dish is almost ready, put chopped herbs and garlic in a saucepan, simmer for a couple of minutes and remove the pan from heat.
8. Well, our lamb chakhokhbili is ready, and now it can be served. Bon appetit, everyone!

"The meat of the bourgeois tables" - this is how mutton was often called in former times, meaning the cheapness and availability of this meat. “But for all its common people,” wrote D.V. Kanshin, - it is very satisfying and juicy ... and appears in all its taste, in all its tenderness, in all its juice and in all its glory. "

I must say that modern research confirms the fame of lamb as a very useful, well-digestible meat, which serves as a rich source of proteins, B vitamins, valuable minerals and trace elements, and lamb is generally considered to be a dietary product.

Much, perhaps, is explained by the fact that sheep are usually kept for most of the year in natural conditions, on free grazing and natural fodder. That is why the meat of these animals turns out to be tasty, aromatic and - which is important - environmentally friendly, that is, free from the remnants of antibiotics, stimulants, bio-additives, which are often found in the products of large livestock breeding complexes. It is not for nothing that in the cuisines of many peoples, young lamb is equated with game - the meat of wild animals caught in the hunt. Let's follow the wise advice of D.V. Kanshin and let us taste "this food, as healthy as it is to correct everything."

So, how to cook delicious lamb. Let's give a couple of recipes simple dishes from lamb meat.

First, let's cook kharcho soup

For this thick rich soup a rather fatty lamb brisket works well, but so that there is no specific smell, you need to take the meat of a young animal. Cut off the long ends of the ribs from the selected piece, free the meat from the films, rinse, dry and carefully cut along the ribs - then each portion will have a bone.

In a thick-walled saucepan or saucepan, place the chopped pieces of lamb brisket, fry and melt the fat for a few minutes, first on one side, then on the other. Pour in some dry red wine or slightly diluted brandy and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add onion, chopped in half rings, carrots, chopped into strips, salt, spices, tomato paste, stir and let it boil.

Pour the contents of the pan hot water, bring it to a low boil under the lid and maintain this mode for about half an hour. Then add the well-washed rice, and when it comes to the boil again, add the coarsely diced potatoes. After 15-20 minutes. season the soup with chopped garlic and cilantro, remove from heat and let it brew a little.

Serving on the table, put a bone with meat in each plate, pour kharcho soup and add herbs.

For 1 kg of lamb brisket - 2-3 onions, 1-2 carrots, 3-4 tbsp. spoons tomato paste, 2, -2.5 liters of water, 0.5 cups of rice, 2 potatoes, 2 tbsp. tablespoons of dry red wine or diluted brandy, salt, pepper, spices (hops-suneli, etc.), cilantro to taste.

Let's prepare for the second ...

Chakhokhbili from mutton

Usually, this Caucasian dish is prepared from chicken, but it is no less tasty from lamb - the main thing is that the meat is young, with a little fat.

To cook delicious lamb chakhokhbili, chop it into small pieces, put it in a thick-walled saucepan, simmer for a few minutes under a closed lid over low heat, then drain the juice that appears in a separate bowl. Continue cooking with the lid open (10 minutes), adding juice to keep the meat from burning. At the end of frying, gradually add the onion (already fried), oil and sauté for another 5 minutes.

Then add the peeled tomatoes, boiled, quartered potatoes. Do not pour out the water where the potatoes were cooked, it may be needed if, during further stewing, you need to pour in a little liquid (no more than 1 cup per 1 kg of meat) so that the vegetables do not burn.

For orientation: the process of "dry" roasting lamb lasts about 12-15 minutes, stewing with vegetables - 30 minutes. At the end of stewing, add herbs (parsley, savory, cilantro, basil) and dry spices (suneli hops, coriander seeds, etc.). Salt lamb chakhokhbili twice: lightly before laying vegetables and before adding spices.

For 1.5 kg of lamb - 6 onions, 4 potatoes, 6-8 tomatoes, 2 tbsp. spoons butter, salt, spices to taste.