Nutritional value and chemical composition of Georgian sauce. Benefits and harms when consumed. Recipes for dishes with this seasoning, interesting facts about it.
Satsebeli or satsibeli is the general name for Georgian sauces with a thick consistency, sour-spicy taste and spicy aroma. Until the middle of the twentieth century, the main ingredients were berry juices - blackberry, pomegranate or grape. Nowadays, the seasoning is more often prepared on the basis of stewed tomatoes. The replacement is recognized even by the leading culinary specialists of Georgia. This is due to the fact that tomatoes are more versatile, the taste goes well with almost all types of food.
How is satsebeli sauce made?
Ingredients for a classic Georgian spice recipe: a mixture of pomegranate and blackberry or green grape juices - abgora (pomegranate can be replaced with cherry plum), garlic, marigolds, better known as Imeretian saffron, cilantro greens, red pepper and vinegar. The quality of the last ingredient should be taken care of in advance - insist on mint sprigs.
The choice of liquid with which the sauce is brought to the desired consistency depends on what it is planned to serve. If the seasoning is used for the presentation of a meat dish, it is diluted with meat broth, fish - with fish. Versatility is enhanced by dilution with water.
Features of making satsebeli sauce:
- The recipe for the classic satsebeli sauce with pomegranate juice … Cut a bunch of cilantro - 15-20 g, hot pepper - 1/3 of the pod, 100 g of walnut kernels are fried in a pan without oil. All ingredients are placed in a blender bowl, add a head of garlic, 1 tbsp. l. sugar and 1/4 tsp. salt, a pinch of saffron, coriander and suneli hops. Interrupt until smooth. Previously, everything was ground in a marble mortar with a stone pestle. Pour in 200-250 ml of pomegranate juice or a cocktail of pomegranate, abgor and blackberry juices. Mix again and refrigerate. Insist for at least 3 hours, serve chilled. This sauce does not require cooking.
- Satsebeli with blackberries … When preparing a sauce based on blackberries, all of the above ingredients, with the exception of juices, are interrupted in a blender or ground in a mortar. Blackberry, 500 g, mashed. You can squeeze the juice or rub the sweet mass through a sieve to get a more delicate texture and remove the seeds. The fruit mass is combined with spices in an enamel saucepan and boiled over low heat for 7-10 minutes until thickened.
- Tomato satsebeli … For cooking, you need to prepare a deep cast iron pan in advance. Cutting vegetables does not matter - after boiling, they all soften. Put 250 g of bell pepper in a pan, removing partitions and seeds, 500 g of very ripe tomatoes, 1 large peeled chili pod, 15 g of garlic and spices - salt, hops-suneli, dry herbs. Cook everything until softened, stirring constantly. If "taste" is not enough, you can experiment with seasonings. Remove from heat after 15-20 minutes, grind everything to a homogeneous consistency. If it turns out too thick, dilute with hot broth or boiling water. This sauce can be served hot or cold. If refrigeration is planned, the amount of spice should be doubled to enhance the flavor. Fresh herbs are not added to the seasoning - it can drown out the taste of tomatoes.
- Satsebeli with broth … The chicken fillet is cooked until tender, along with the onion and whole carrots. The vegetables and meat are taken out. Fleshy tomatoes, 2 pcs., Dipped in boiling water to easily peel off. Put in a blender bowl: 2 bunches of fresh cilantro, 4 garlic cloves, 150 g of walnut kernels, tomatoes, sugar, salt, 1 tsp. wine vinegar and the same amount of adjika. Everything is mixed, diluted with broth to the desired consistency.
- Satsebeli for "dummies" … If you want to make a sauce, but there are no rare ingredients at hand, then you can use the express option. Dilute any tomato paste with cold water, which does not contain any spices or additional ingredients, boil crushed garlic, coriander, salt, pepper and a little onion with boiling water, mix everything. Only you should eat such a seasoning immediately - it cannot be stored. Instead of sugar, you can use honey or currant jam.
The secret of experienced chefs: to prevent the seasoning from stratifying, it is enough to put a small piece of white bread in it. When preparing the sauce for the winter, no bread is added.
You can endlessly experiment with recipes for satsibeli sauce at home - pour in grape or pomegranate juice, add spices or dried mint. The main thing is not to forget - the taste should turn out to be sour-spicy, and after consumption there should be a slight pleasant burning sensation.
A very important quality of the seasoning is the ability to prepare it for people of any age, without losing taste. Children can be made sweeter and softer, adults - sharper.
When preparing the sauce for the winter, it is better to pour it into small jars. Then the open seasoning will not have time to deteriorate. You can eat it simply with bread or by adding it to dishes. A bright snack in the morning will improve your mood and revive summer memories.
Composition and calorie content of satsebeli sauce
The nutritional value of a seasoning depends on the type and quantity of ingredients, as well as the preparation method.
The calorie content of satsebeli sauce made with pomegranate juice is 28 kcal per 100 g, of which:
- Proteins - 1 g;
- Fat - 0.9 g;
- Carbohydrates - 3.9 g.
When using tomatoes and broth, the calorie content rises to 48 kcal per 100 g, and the amount of carbohydrates rises to 12 g.
Vitamins per 100 g:
- Vitamin A - 0.49 mcg;
- Vitamin B1, thiamine - 0.048 mg;
- Vitamin B2, riboflavin - 0.032 mg;
- Vitamin C, ascorbic acid - 27.2 mg;
- Vitamin E, alpha tocopherol - 0.67 mg.
Macronutrients per 100 g:
- Potassium, K - 192.3 mg;
- Calcium, Ca - 20.38 mg;
- Magnesium, Mg - 13.4 mg;
- Sodium, Na - 4.1 mg;
- Phosphorus, Ph - 28.9 mg.
Trace elements are represented by iron, Fe - 0.48 mg per 100 g.
Satsebeli sauce contains:
- Organic acids - maintain acid-base balance, activate metabolic processes, stimulate the release of enzymes. Most of all malic, formic, citric, benzoic and tartaric acids.
- Polyunsaturated fatty acids (oleic, linoleic and linolenic) - stop age-related changes, regulate the functions of the nervous system, stimulate the production of hormones.
- Pectin - adsorbs toxins and other harmful compounds, improves intestinal microflora and has an anti-inflammatory effect.
Whatever recipe Georgian satsibeli sauce is prepared, it can always be used in the diet of those who are losing weight, since even with the introduction of meat or fish broth, the nutritional value of the product is quite low.
Heat treatment is especially useful when using tomatoes: heating increases the amount of lycopene, a substance that actively fights cancer cells and increases the body's protective functions.
Useful properties of satsebeli sauce
Whatever ingredients are used for the preparation of the seasoning, already by the "bright" taste one can understand that the introduction to the diet increases the tone of the body, stimulates appetite, helps to cope with fatigue, and to recover from exhausting stress, both mental and physical.
The benefits of satsebeli sauce:
- Helps to quickly cope with anemia, activates the hematopoietic system.
- Normalizes the work of the cardiovascular system, strengthens muscle tissue.
- Reduces nervous tension, increases the production of the hormone of joy, and prevents the development of depression.
- Increases the immune status, has an antioxidant effect, reduces the likelihood of malignancy in prostate adenoma and the formation of intestinal polyps.
- Normalizes blood sugar levels, stimulates the hormonal and endocrine systems.
- Increases the tone of capillaries and blood vessels.
- It accelerates peristalsis and metabolic processes, increases the amount of beneficial microflora, stops putrefactive processes, and improves bad breath.
Satsebeli with pomegranate is an aphrodisiac, restores sexual desire in men and increases libido in women.
Patients during rehabilitation have to adhere to many restrictions. A drop of sauce, made taking into account the basic recommendations, will help you gain strength faster, because eating delicious dishes is much more pleasant than tasteless cereals. Chopped nuts, berry juice, permitted herbs and a minimum of spices are a Georgian condiment option for convalescents.
Contraindications and harm of satsebeli sauce
In order to minimize the possible negative from a tasty product, you should give preference to the one prepared on your own, taking into account the possibility of developing allergic reactions.
There will be no harm from satsebeli sauce if overeating is avoided. You should not add seasoning to the diet on an ongoing basis with chronic pathologies of the liver, kidneys, gallbladder, frequent heartburn, it will have to be abandoned with pancreatitis at the stage of exacerbation.
Recipes with satsebeli sauce
The seasoning can simply be smeared on bread, like jam, poured into pasta or dumplings, like gravy. But there are dishes that lose half of their taste without it.
Satsebeli Sauce Recipes:
- Kharcho … Cut beef tenderloin into portions, 500-600 g, pour 3 liters of cool water, boil for 1, 5 hours, removing scale. While there is time, they are engaged in spicy dressing: they fry 100 g of walnuts, pour into a blender, put 4 cloves of garlic there, 1 tsp. suneli hops and a bunch of coriander, mix. Pour satsebeli - 50 g, add 2 onions, cut into strips, washed rice - 150 g. Cook for 5 minutes, add dressing and bring the rice to readiness. Salted to taste, just before turning off. Leave to brew. Pour parsley into each plate before serving.
- Chicken legs in sauce … Legs or legs, 700 g, rub with pepper and salt, fried in refined sunflower oil so as not to interrupt the taste. When a golden brown crust appears, close the pan. Cut 2 onions into rings. While the meat reaches, mix the sauce: 200 g sour cream, 2 tbsp. l. satsebeli without broth, 1 tsp. coriander and a bunch of Italian herbs. Pour onion to the ready-made legs, fry until soft, pour in the sauce and stew for 10 minutes. If the crust is not sufficiently formed, then it is better to bake it in the oven - at a temperature of 180 ° C.
- Butcher steak … Only beef is used. Beat off the diaphragm (the layer of meat that is located between the stomach and chest cavity), 250 g, rub with salt and pepper, fry on both sides on the grill or a special frying pan until medium is fried and wrap in foil. Leave on for 3-5 minutes. Make a pillow of fresh cucumbers, place the steak and top the satsebeli.
- Lula kebab … Wooden skewers are soaked in water, on which cutlets are subsequently planted. If this is not done, they will simply burn out. Cut 3 heads of onions into rings, pour in a third glass of wine vinegar and knead everything so that your eyes sting - juice begins to stand out. Season the blender bowl with another onion, a whole green chili pod, a pinch of cumin, ground paprika, dried basil, 1 tsp. barberry and 1 tbsp. l. dried tomatoes. They interrupt everyone and add water to make a sauce. Stir with minced lamb, 700 g, and begin to beat it off. To do this, they are thrown from hand to hand, thrown with force into a bowl. Minced meat should be saturated with air, become sticky, viscous, homogeneous. This will take at least 15 minutes. Then it is put into the refrigerator, tightened with a film, for 10 minutes, "to rest". When this time has passed, heat the oven to 200 ° C. Hands are moistened with cold water and sausage kebabs are formed on wet skewers. The smaller the portion, the deeper the roast will be. Spread the blanks on a wire rack, put them in the oven. Bake on each side for 10 minutes, then turn on the top grill and form a golden brown crust. Served in hot satsebeli (prepared with meat broth), pickled onions, sprinkled with herbs.
To make all the dishes tastier and you can feel the national Georgian flavor, lavash is served instead of bread. Only not thin, but fat - puri.
Interesting facts about satsebeli sauce
This seasoning has no recipe. Even the literal translation of the name is sauce, that is, you can use any ingredients, combining with spices. Such a variety sometimes baffles tourists vacationing in Georgia. After all, satsebeli not only can have a different taste, but also the color - be pink, ocher or burgundy.
Gourmet cooks believe that tomatoes "simplify" the original taste. In the Caucasus, most often the basis of simple versions of the sauce is cherry plum, and "festive" - pomegranate. Outside the region, the sweet and sour condiment has been turned into a variant of ketchup. In Abkhazia, satsebeli is called Apamidorsyzbal, and dogwood is almost always added to it.
There are other options for the original dish. If the main component is green grapes, jellied with rice flour, then Akukh syzbal is offered for serving, with amaranth and the tops of young nettle - akharshyl syzbal, with the sharpest adjika and a mixture of almonds and nutmegs - arash syzbal.
Satsebeli can be called a visiting card of the country. That is why the action, which was held in 2006 as a sign of friendship between Georgia and Ukraine near the embassy in Kiev, was called "Friendly fat for satsebeli".
How to make satsebeli sauce - watch the video:
