Odjakhuri in Georgian

Perhaps the best thing you can make with pork and potatoes is odjakhuri in Georgian. Marinated pieces of meat, golden potatoes, and an essential part of Caucasian cuisine – fresh herbs with a mix of traditional spices make this dish particularly delicious and original.

There are several ways to prepare odjakhuri, but the most interesting is when the pre-marinated meat is fried until golden brown in a pan, while the potatoes are baked in the oven with the spices. Then everything is combined and served in a special clay dish called "keci", which ensures prolonged retention of high temperature, allowing the dish to remain hot for a long time.

Cuisine: Georgian.

Cooking time: 1 hour + 6-8 hours for marinating the meat in advance.

Yield: 7 servings.

Caloric content: 159 kcal per 100 grams of the dish.

Ingredients

The meat needs to be marinated for about 6-8 hours. For this, you will need:

• piece of pork – 1.5 kg,
• Georgian or Abkhazian adjika – 2 tablespoons.

Cut the meat into medium pieces, as for shashlik, and mix with adjika, then place it in the refrigerator.

Next, prepare the other ingredients for 7 servings:

• marinated pork – 1.5 kg;
• potatoes – 1.6 kg;
• white onion – 600 g;
• garlic – 2-3 cloves;
• fresh herbs (dill, parsley, cilantro) – a bunch;
• chili pepper – 1 pc;
• khmeli-suneli – 1 teaspoon;
• ground cilantro – 1 teaspoon;
• sweet paprika – 1 teaspoon;
• ground hot pepper – 0.5 teaspoon;
• rock salt – 0.5 tablespoons;
• neutral vegetable oil – 3 tablespoons.

Preparation

1. Prepare the ingredients for marinating.

2. Prepare the other ingredients for odjakhuri in Georgian.

3. The meat will cook much faster than the potatoes, so start with the latter. Cut the tubers into equal cubes and place them in a deep bowl.

4. Add all the dry spices and finely chopped herbs here. If desired, finely chop the chili pepper and add it to the mixture.

5. Add salt and pour in the vegetable oil.

6. Mix all the components so that each piece is coated with oil and spices.

7. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees. Line a baking tray with foil and parchment. Pour all the potatoes onto it and pour the remaining oil from the bowl over them. Bake the tubers for about an hour, checking for readiness with a fork (it should easily pierce the potato).

8. About half an hour later, you can start preparing the meat. First, prepare the cutting – thinly slice the onion into half rings.

9. Finely chop the garlic with a knife.

10. In preheated oil with a small pinch of salt (this prevents the meat from splattering its juices), fry the pieces of pork over medium heat until a golden crust forms.

11. Transfer the meat to a plate, and in the same fat, fry the onion until it slightly changes color. Leave a small portion of the onion raw – it will be useful for serving the finished dish.

12. Next, add the garlic to the pan and sauté everything together for about two minutes until a warm garlic aroma appears, then remove the sauté from the heat.

13. Check the potatoes for readiness – by this time, they should be ready.

14. Mix the potatoes with the meat and onions.

For serving odjakhuri in Georgian, transfer it to a heated clay "keci" so that the dish remains hot for a long time. In the absence of such national cookware, serving can be organized in heated thick-walled pans, which also retain heat well. Sprinkle the meat with thin strips of raw onion and fresh herbs on top. This delicious hearty dish will look fantastic on a festive table.

Try it, enjoy your meal!