Georgian Green Ajika
By Lee Jackson ↣ Published on: September 24, 2021
Ajika is an amazing condiment sauce from the country of Georgia. A spicy, intensely flavourful combination of chilli and herbs, It’s the perfect addition to any table, pairing brilliantly with vegetables, meats and seafood in a herbaceous hit of colour and flavour.
Georgia is a country high up on my must-visit list. I've long been a fan of the cuisine, but it's not well known to the rest of the world. Being lucky enough to have a Georgian restaurant nearby has been a rare introduction to the flavours of the country - and let me tell you, something special. Dishes like Adjaruli Katchapuri, an incredible cheese-stuffed bread, (a little like Turkish Pide,) the delights of Khinkali, a soup dumpling and the sour plum sauce called Tkemali that's one of the most flavourful things I've ever eaten.
But it's one dish that is invariably added to the table with little fanfare that transforms everything it comes into contact with. Ajika is a thick spicy sauce - a festival of green and packed with flavour to boot. It's one of my new favourite Georgian recipes!
What is Ajika?
Ajika or Adjika is a simple ground condiment, like a salsa usually red in colour from peppers and chillies both fresh and dried. Red ajika is most common, but there is a green variety of Ajika too, which is sensationally tasty.
Green ajika is a combination of fresh and dried herbs alongside chilli and garlic - a vibrant and intense hit of spice and herbs. I first tasted the green version at a hip (their words not mine) restaurant in L.A. A fusion style joint featuring flavours from Central Asia and the Middle East - Our green ajika arrived in the teeniest, stingiest little bowl but it was most definitely the star of the whole dinner. A vibrant, intense herbal hit of flavour that made everything just taste better! I asked for more and was eventually begrudgingly given some.
Why it works
Green Ajika, like most condiments is a ‘less is more’ style thing. A sauce that when used sparingly, can lighten up the plate – an intense herbal hit of vibrancy and spice. Ajika is incredibly flavourful and balanced. Kind of like a chimichurri sauce from Argentina, but with more punch. It’s a great addition to meats, vegetables, soups, stews and more. I put it on everything!
Stuff you'll need
Creating your own Green Ajika is so easy. All the ingredients are within your reach and make for a super-charged hit of flavour that you need on every dinner table!
- Chilli – Green chillies unsurprisingly. I opt for jalapeno or serrano. Make yours as spicy as YOU like. My recipe will give around a 7/10 spice rating.
- Parsley – a grassy, herbal note
- Cilantro – the fragrance of cilantro adds a floral note. Be sure to use both the stems and leaves. All the flavour is in the stems.
- Celery Leaves – A subtle freshness is added with these leaves
- Dill – The light anise flavour balances out the stringer fresh herbs
- Mint – Fragrance fragrance fragrance!
- Dried Fenugreek – The KEY flavour and fragrance comes in the form of dried fenugreek leaves. You can find these in any Indian supermarket called Kasoori Methi.
More about Fenugreek
The addition of fenugreek in this ajika recipe creates the unique flavour. When I came to research green ajika recipes, strangely none of them included fenugreek, it's one of my favourite flavours and just knew it was in there! Eventually, I found a couple of recipes in the Georgian language, and sure enough, Fenugreek was included, so based my ajika recipe on those.
The Georgian recipes used a local version of blue fenugreek, I didn't have the patience to wait for a delivery from the Internet, so I used regular dried fenugreek leaves as I already have it for all my Indian recipes. You can find it in Indian supermarkets called Kasoori Methi. To activate the flavour more, just rub the dried leaves between your palms to create a powder - you'll smell it on your hands for the rest of the day too which is a welcome bonus! If, like me, you love fenugreek, try my Indian Methi Chicken Curry or Methi Mushroom Masala!
Step by Step
Making green ajika couldn't be easier! Just add all the greenery to a food processor and blend until semi smooth (you can also use a stick blender (immersion blender). Add a little water to get it blended nicely. I also like to drizzle in a little extra virgin olive oil at the end to help with the texture.
Serving and storing suggestions
- Serve Ajika with roasted meats and fish, freshly cooked vegetables, (especially potatoes and carrots), in soups and stews and on sandwiches and burgers! Drizzle a little over crispy fried eggs, french fries or even stirred into salad leaves. Think of it as the new salt!
- Once blended, you can eat right away, but if there’s any left it should be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. I like to keep it in a small, airtight container and spoon over 1 tbsp of olive oil over to avoid oxidisation.
- You can freeze ajika too. I use mini freezer bags. I’ll flatten them out with about 2 tbsp portions, push out all the air and seal. Being in a thin layer, they’ll defrost in no time when I need them.
- It’s OK to leave one or two of the ingredients out, but Fenugreek should always stay in the recipe. It’s essential!
Ready to get cooking?
Trust me, when you have Ajika in the house you’ll use it on everything, and it works as a condiment to just about everything. And it’s so easy to make at home. Ready in a matter of minutes. Let me know what your favourite use for Ajika is!
Any Questions? (FAQ)
Have a question about Ajika? Let me know in the comments.
Georgia Ajika, both red and green is used to season just about anything. Like a ketchup, bot varieties can be doused on meats, fish, vegetables, eggs, salad, sandwiches and more. Your imagination awaits!
Red ajika is made of peppers, chillies, tomatoes, carrots, apples, garlic and more. Green ajika is made from a combination of herbs and green chilli.
Ajika is from Georgia, but used in various forms throughout the Caucasus region of Eastern Europe and into Asia.
Typically both red and green ajika is spicy. The level of spiciness depends on the amount of fresh chilli used. To reduce the spice, reduce the amount of chillies or remove the seeds first.
Delicious recipes to serve Ajika with
You’ll want some tasty dishes to use with my green ajika recipe…
Ingredients
- 4 Green Chillies (hot) (around ¼ cup) (Serrano, Jalapeño etc) (seeds removed)
- 2 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup cilantro (chopped)
- ¼ cup mint (chopped)
- ¼ cup celery leaves (chopped)
- ¼ cup parsley (chopped)
- ¼ cup dill (chopped)
- 1 tbsp dried fenugreek (rubbed between palms into a powder)
- 1 tsp salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients (except the olive oil into a food processor with 2 tbsp water and blend until smooth.
- Stir in the olive oil and decant into a jar or container with a tight-fitting lid.
- Refrigerate until needed. Ajika will stay fresh for up to a week in the fridge.
Notes
- It’s OK to omit a couple of herbs from your ajika, but be sure to keep fenugreek in the mix. This is the key flavour of Green Ajika.
- Serve Ajika with roasted meats and fish, freshly cooked vegetables, (especially potatoes and carrots), in soups and stews and on sandwiches and burgers! Drizzle a little over crispy fried eggs, french fries or even stirred into salad leaves. Think of it as the new salt!
- Fridge: refridgerate for up to 2 weeks. I like to keep it in a small, airtight container and spoon over 1 tbsp of olive oil over to avoid oxidisation.
- Freezer: You can freeze ajika too. I use mini freezer bags. I’ll flatten them out with about 2 tbsp portions, push out all the air and seal. Being in a thin layer, they’ll defrost in no time when I need them.
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