Ajapsandali: Georgian Eggplant and Herb Stew
The herbs and raw garlic go in with the heat off and cook in the leftover warmth, which is why they keep their color. Eat it warm or cold, with bread.
Ajapsandali is the summer vegetable stew of Georgia, in the Caucasus: eggplant, potatoes, bell peppers and tomato cooked together and finished off the heat with a shower of raw garlic, cilantro, basil and parsley. That abundance of fresh herbs is the signature of Georgian cooking and what sets it apart from a Mediterranean stew. It's eaten warm or cold, and it gets better overnight.
Ingredients
- 2 eggplants (about 700 g)
- 3 medium potatoes (about 400 g)
- 2 bell peppers, one red and one green
- 2 onions
- 4 ripe tomatoes (about 600 g)
- 5 garlic cloves
- 1 fresh hot chile (optional)
- 80 ml sunflower oil
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1 bunch basil
- 1 handful parsley
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- Salt and pepper
Method
- 1
Cut the eggplants into 3 cm cubes, salt them and let them sit in a colander for 15 minutes. Pat them dry.
- 2
In a wide pot with half the oil, brown the eggplant over medium-high heat for 8 minutes, in batches if needed. Remove it.
- 3
In the rest of the oil, brown the diced potatoes for 8 minutes. Add the onions, sliced into half-moons, and the bell peppers, cut into strips, and cook for 8 more minutes.
- 4
Grate the tomatoes, or peel and chop them, and add them to the pot along with the eggplant and the chopped chile. Season with salt and pepper, cover and cook over low heat for 25 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Shake the pot rather than stirring, so the vegetables don't fall apart.
- 5
Meanwhile, finely chop the garlic and all the herbs and mix them with the ground coriander.
- 6
Turn off the heat, add the garlic and herb mixture, stir gently and cover. Let it rest for 15 minutes: the herbs cook in the residual heat and perfume everything without losing their color. Serve warm or cold, with bread.