Description of the seasoning Utskho Suneli and the most popular recipes with it

Utskho-suneli is a popular seasoning most often used in Georgian cuisine. It consists of dried and thoroughly ground blue fenugreek seeds. It is an annual plant and belongs to the legume family.

Where is the seasoning added?

Utskho-suneli is actively used in the preparation of basturma. It is a dried meat tenderloin. Utskho-suneli is added to the mixture of spices with which a piece of meat is coated.

The seasoning is actively used in the production of green cheese. It is thanks to fenugreek that it gets its color. The seasoning is added to the milk, from which the cheese itself is subsequently made.

Utskho-suneli is mainly used in Georgian cuisine. Seasoning is added to the following dishes:

• khinkali;
• pkhali;
• satsivi;
• ajapsandal;
• lobio.

Dried fenugreek is added to the spice mixture used to prepare chicken tabak. The seasoning also adds a special flavor to grilled vegetables and salads. Fenugreek is added to kharcho soup.

What does seasoning not go with?

Utskho-suneli as a seasoning is distinguished by its versatility. It goes well with both meat and fish dishes.It also complements vegetables well. At the same time, fenugreek is more suitable for hot dishes and is less suitable for cold appetizers. Also, utskho-suneli are not suitable for dishes with a pronounced sweetish taste. When added to them, seasoning can impart an unpleasant bitterness.

The most suitable combinations with other spices

Utskho-suneli is most in harmony with spicy seasonings. Fenugreek goes well with both red and black pepper.

The seasoning also complements the following spices with herbs:

• coriander;
• garlic;
• Bay leaf;
• nutmeg;
• savory.

Fenugreek goes well with fresh chopped cilantro. Also, the dried plant can be added to the hop-suneli mixture. Its components such as basil, marjoram, dill, parsley, celery and mint complement the taste and aroma of fenugreek itself.

Composition of utskho-suneli

One-component seasoning. It contains only one plant - blue fenugreek. It includes carefully dried and ground seeds of this plant. The chemical composition of Utskho-Suneli is rich. The seeds contain a lot of vitamins. Even after drying, they are rich in vitamins C, A and B. Fenugreek also contains vitamin P.

The plant contains essential oils. It is quite enriched with carbohydrates. 100 g of seasoning contains about 40 g. The calorie content of 100 g of utskho-suneli is 186 kcal.

Smell and taste of spices

In a living plant, the aroma is not very pronounced. Fenugreek begins to smell strongly only when dried. The spice is characterized by a pronounced herbal smell. The aroma itself is soft. It vaguely resembles the smell of nuts.

The spice has a pleasant and mild taste. It has a slight nutty note. Unlike other varieties of the plant, blue fenugreek tastes less bitter.

How to choose a good quality seasoning

A spice of proper quality always has a swamp green color. The finished seasoning is sold in powder form. It is recommended to buy a spice that contains clearly visible fragments of ground seeds. A high-quality seasoning should have a mild and not pungent aroma. There should be no foreign particles in it.

Where and how is seasoning stored?

The fresher the spice, the better. Its shelf life is two years. After this, the seasoning completely loses its aroma. The taste characteristics of utskho-suneli are also affected by the storage location. The spice should only be kept in a dry place. Air temperature and humidity play a role. There should be no more than 25 people in the room ⁰C. Humidity should be low and not exceed 70%. Otherwise, the mixture will become damp and lose both its taste and aroma.

Also, the seasoning should be stored only in a dark place. Sunlight deteriorates its properties. The container in which the spice is stored plays a special role. Utskho-suneli should be kept either in a dry paper bag or in a glass container. It is important to keep the seasoning away from odorous foods. Just as they may begin to smell like fenugreek, the plant itself may absorb foreign odors. The best place to store utskho-suneli is a separate small and dark closet.

5 famous recipes with seasoning

Satsivi

The spice is most often used in the preparation of satsivi, which is the national dish of Georgia. It requires 1.5 kg of chicken. Turkey may also work. The dish also requires walnuts. 150 g is enough. Additionally, you will need 3 large cloves of garlic, ground red pepper, coriander with saffron and utskho-suneli.

The dish is prepared according to the following recipe:

1. A whole chicken carcass is pre-cooked until tender. Then you need to remove it from the pan without pouring out the broth.
2. Satsivi sauce is being prepared. To do this, walnuts along with garlic cloves are ground in a meat grinder. Chicken broth is poured into the resulting mass to form a thin paste.
3. Boiled hot chicken is cut into pieces and poured with the resulting sauce.
4. Chicken pieces in satsivi are placed in a frying pan and fried.
5. Spices and utskho-suneli are poured into the frying pan. Everything is cooked until the sauce boils over low heat. The finished dish is served with chopped fresh herbs.

Kharcho

For spicy dishes, a mixture of utskho-suneli with other peppers is suitable. One of these is kharcho soup. To prepare it you need:

• 550 g beef;
• 110 g walnuts;
• 110 g short grain rice;
• 60 g tomato paste;
• 55 g tkemali;
• 6 large garlic cloves;
• peppercorns;
• one small spoon of utskho-suneli;
• a third of a small spoon of red pepper;
• allspice.

Kharcho is prepared according to the following scheme:

1. A piece of beef is cooked until done. Then the meat is removed from the pan, and the broth is left.
2. You need 1.5-2 liters of beef broth. Round grain rice is poured into it and cooked until fully cooked for about 20 minutes.
3. Tomato paste is added to the broth with rice. You can also use two tomatoes without skin.
4. Chopped walnuts with garlic and all the spices are also placed in the broth.
5. At the end, the previously cooked beef, cut into cubes, is added to the broth.
6. It is recommended to additionally add chopped cilantro and parsley to the soup. The dish is ready.

Khinkali

The spice is used in the preparation of khinkali. The dish requires the following ingredients:

• 500 g each of beef and lamb;
• two large onions;
• 1 kg flour;
• 1 garlic head;
• water (500 ml is used for dough, and 3 liters are used for cooking);
• salt;
• fresh herbs (cilantro with parsley, basil and dill);
• black and red pepper;
• Utskho-Suneli.

The filling is prepared first, and then the dough is kneaded. Everything is prepared according to the following scheme:

1. The meat is chopped into pieces, the onion is finely chopped, the garlic is pressed down with a knife, the greens are finely chopped.
2. All ingredients are mixed. Add salt and a large spoonful of ground black pepper.
3. The pieces of meat are carefully beaten.
4. A glass of heated boiled water is poured into the mixture. The filling is left for 30 minutes.
5. The dough is being made. A mound of flour is poured, and a depression is made inside it.
6. Salt is added to warm water. The mixture is poured into the recess of the flour slide in a weak stream. All this happens with active stirring with a fork while gripping the sides of the slide.
7. The dough is kneaded manually. Everything is done in 3 steps with adding flour and a 10-minute break between each stage. The dough should be soft and springy.
8. The dough is rolled out into a thin layer, circles with a diameter of 10 cm are made using a cup.
9. The filling is placed in the center of each circle, after which its sides are gathered into a heap and twisted in a spiral at the top.
10. The resulting khinkali are dipped into boiling water. After surfacing, they cook for 5 minutes over low heat. They are taken out with a slotted spoon and sprinkled with pepper.

Lobio

Another famous recipe with seasoning is the lobio dish. To prepare it you need 240 g of dry red beans, 80 g of walnuts, 2 garlic cloves, 2 onions, 1 large spoon of wine vinegar, fresh basil, red pepper and utskho-suneli.

Lobio is prepared according to the following recipe:

1. The beans are soaked in water for 8 hours, after which they are cooked for 1 hour.
2. The onion is chopped and sautéed in a frying pan. Then boiled beans, basil with wine vinegar, and salt and pepper are added to it. The mixture is simmered for 20 minutes.
3. Walnuts are crushed together with garlic. Red pepper is added to them. All this is added to the bean stew. The top of the dish is additionally sprinkled with fresh parsley.

Pkhali

The seasoning also goes well with vegetable pkhali. There is a well-known recipe for pkhali with cabbage. The dish requires 1 kg of cabbage, 70 g of walnuts, hot red pepper, 2 garlic heads, 1 onion, a large spoon of wine vinegar and utskho-suneli.

Pkhali is prepared according to the following scheme:

1. The cabbage is finely chopped and cooked for a couple of minutes. You can simply simmer it with boiling water.
2. The sauce is prepared by mixing chopped walnuts, red pepper, onion, utskho-suneli, garlic, salt, cilantro and wine vinegar.
3. The sauce is mixed with cabbage. Cutlets are formed from it.

Pkhali should be served as a side dish for meat. The dish is laid out on a flat plate.