Pkhali in Georgian: from classic recipes to interesting novelties. Step by step recipe with photo

Phali - Georgian snack, which can be prepared from any vegetable. Remains unchanged green sauce, which includes cilantro, garlic, nuts and spices. Parsley is often added as well.

In the spring itself healthy snack there will be pkhali from spinach in Georgian.

Usually this appetizer is formed into balls no larger than a walnut and decorated with pomegranate seeds. I didn't have a pomegranate and used pomegranate sauce for garnish. All Georgian dishes are incredibly tasty, fragrant and colorful. Try it and you will like it.

To prepare pkhali from spinach in Georgian, we will take all the products from the list.

Rinse spinach well in running water and dip in boiling water for exactly 1 minute.

Then take out the spinach from boiling water and put it on a sieve. Squeeze well from the liquid.

Well-squeezed spinach also chop in the processor to a dryish puree. Your processor must be able to grind everything to dust, otherwise the spinach will not grind well and large pieces will remain.

Combine mashed spinach, ground cilantro with nuts and garlic in one bowl. Add all the spices, salt, a little vinegar or lemon juice. Mix well until smooth. The taste should suit you completely - a little sourness, a little spiciness, a little salt and spice.

Form balls from the resulting mixture. Serve with pomegranate seeds or pomegranate sauce. Georgian spinach pkhali as an appetizer can be served with hot lavash or tortilla for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Help yourself!

pkhali is spicy Georgian dish, consists of a large number of herbs and various spices. Today I will cook spinach pkhali, you can cook beetroot according to the same recipe (after boiling it, rubbing it on a fine grater and squeezing the juice).
At first glance, it may seem that spinach pkhali is very difficult and time-consuming to prepare, but in fact it is not.
To begin with, we take frozen spinach, you can leaf or pressed. If sheet, then it will be necessary to cut it finely.
Fry the spinach in a pan with vegetable oil and butter until tender. Literally ten minutes.
Cool, squeeze out excess moisture through a sieve.

Then peeled walnuts, fry for a few minutes, in a dry frying pan.

Cool the nuts and chop finely, you can pass through a blender, if desired.

Finely chop the onion and fry in vegetable oil until golden brown, cool.
Rinse greens of cilantro and parsley, finely chop.
Peel the garlic and grate on a fine grater or squeeze through the garlic. Remove seeds from hot red pepper and chop finely.

Combine all the ingredients together: herbs, peppers, garlic, nuts, spinach, fried onions.

Add some butter, about 20 gr, add all the spices according to the recipe, wine vinegar.

Then, from the infused mass, form balls, with an approximate weight of 80 g. Make a small hole in the center of each ball.

By the way, if you make pkhali according to the bookmark, then you get about 14 such balls, I made half as many.
Next, in each recess, put pomegranate seeds.
Serve with meat, barbecue.

The taste of spinach is almost not felt, cilantro, coriander and sharpness from spices are felt more.
Bon appetit!

Time for preparing: PT00H40M 40 min.

Far, far away, in the sunny country of Georgia, where snow-capped peaks coexist with green valleys, stormy rivers run from the mountains, and nature is such that Middle-earth never dreamed of growing common cabbage on a high stem with spreading dark green leaves and small yellow flowers. It would seem that it grows and grows, eka unseen, cabbage! An, no. After all, it was this unpretentious vegetable that became the basis for a whole phenomenon in Georgian cuisine - juicy, odorous and original snack pkhali. And how many recipes have been invented!

Pkhali is not just a dish, but a whole range of diverse, healthy and tasty snacks.

Pkhali: a mouth-watering classic of Georgian cuisine

The very word "phali" originally did not refer to the finished dish at all. They denoted the same leafy cabbage, from which the housewives prepared a delicious snack many years ago, when traditions caucasian cuisine were just starting to take shape. Yes, many years ago! Even today, there are connoisseurs who assure that real phali can only be made from phali cabbage and nothing else.

Fortunately, most gourmets are not so harsh. Today one of most popular dishes Georgian cuisine they cook almost from all known types of greens: spinach, asparagus, herbs, beet tops, radish leaves, nettles, chard ... Regular cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, beets, eggplant, mushrooms, beans, and in some places even rice, meat, poultry, fish and offal are used!

A delicacy for every taste and color (in every sense)

However, meat and fish are the trends of the new time. The classic version of the dish always remains strictly vegetable, moreover, cooked in full accordance with the established recipe once and for all.

1. The traditional pkhali consists of two parts. The first, main, is leafy greens; second, additional - sauce with fragrant herbs and spices. Its composition may vary depending on the preferences of the cook, but walnut, suneli hops, garlic and spicy pepper remain virtually unchanged components. No less common in recipes is the fragrant herb cilantro.
2. The main ingredient of pkhali can be only one. Mixing, for example, chard with beets, and nettle with spinach is considered unacceptable. It is better to build two or three different options snacks, each with its own kind of greens.
3. A few more words about greenery. Firstly, in most cases it is subjected to heat treatment: stewed, boiled, blanched. Keep in mind that the shorter the contact of the tops with boiling water, the better. This will preserve both taste and vitamins. Secondly, the greens will have to be finely chopped (in the old days this was done with a sharp knife, but now a meat grinder and a blender are used) and squeezed to remove excess juice. Pkhali, spreading on a plate with liquid gruel, is no longer pkhali.
4. You will also have to grind nuts: they should be turned through a meat grinder at least twice. Your snack should have a noticeable nutty flavor, but without any hint of bits of nucleoli crunching on your teeth.
5. The finished dish is a juicy, but dense and homogeneous pasta, which is formed in the form of neat balls or laid out in a salad bowl in a slide, decorated with herbs, pomegranate seeds and onion rings. More rarely, pkhali is spread on a sheet of blanched greens, rolled into a roll and cut into thin slices, or offered to guests in the form of a thick flatbread, on the surface of which diamond-shaped patterns are applied with a sharp knife.

The dish is served slightly chilled, so immediately after cooking it is worth putting it in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes. Pkhali can serve as a separate snack or great side dish to the main course.

Photo Gallery: Popular Ingredients for the Classic Appetizer

It never hurts to spice up a vegetable dish.

Use your favorite seasonings, not just suneli hops

But without this ingredient, real pkhali will not work

Smelling grass will give the dish an appetizing flavor and aroma.

Wine vinegar is one of the most popular dressings for pkhali.

The main component of the snack is greens

Step-by-step recipes for making pkhali (with photo)

with spinach

Along with the same collard greens, which gave the name to the whole dish, spinach and beet tops. Would you like to start your introduction to Georgian cuisine with real classics? Then you will need the following ingredients:

• 400–500 g fresh spinach or 1 package of frozen spinach;
• bunch of parsley;
• a bunch of dill;
• a few feathers of green onions;
• 100 g of peeled walnut kernels;
• 1-2 cloves of garlic;
• quarter spicy green pepper or a pinch of ground chili;
• 2/3 tsp suneli hops (you can add any other seasonings to taste);
• pomegranate seeds for decoration;
• salt.

Cooking:

1. If you are using frozen greens, be sure to thaw them first.

   Frozen greens must be taken out of the refrigerator in advance

2. Saute the spinach in a pan with a few tablespoons of water until it becomes soft.

   Five minutes is enough to bring the greens to readiness

3. Let the “semi-finished product” cool and squeeze it well to remove excess moisture, and then pass it through a meat grinder or blender.

   The mixture should not be too thin.

4. Chop nuts.

   The smaller, the closer to the original recipe

5. dill, parsley and green onion finely chop.

   Tarragon, basil, cilantro - you can choose greens at your discretion

6. Peel the garlic and pass through a press or chop finely.

   In the old days, housewives did not know about the garlic press

7. Combine ground spinach, herbs, nuts, garlic, spices. Salt and mix thoroughly. Form balls from the resulting mass.

   Let the portions be not too large - with such it is more convenient to manage at the table

8. Share on flat dish, garnish with pomegranate seeds and parsley.

   Such a treat has a place on the festive table!

With beet tops

You will need:

• 500 g of tops;
• 100 g cilantro;
• 100-150 g of peeled walnuts;
• voluminous pinch of suneli hops;
• 1/3 tsp red hot pepper;
• a couple of cloves of garlic;
• pomegranate seeds;
• salt.

Cooking:

It will be easier to sculpt balls with hands moistened with water.

With green beans

You will need:

• 500 g green beans, fresh or frozen;
• one large bunch of cilantro and parsley;
• 150 g of peeled walnut kernels;
• small bulb;
• 1/4 of hot green pepper;
• a pinch of suneli hops;
• clove of garlic;
• pomegranate seeds;
• salt.

Cooking:

​ With round beans

You will need:

• 500 g of beans;
• a bunch of cilantro;
• 200 g of peeled walnut kernels;
• 2-3 cloves of garlic;
• 1/2 tsp. ground coriander and suneli hops;
• a pinch of hot pepper;
• 1.5–2 tbsp. l. wine vinegar;
• salt.

Cooking:

pkhali may long time stored in the refrigerator without any harm to the taste and benefits, so no one bothers you to prepare it for the future.

From white cabbage

You will need:

• 600 g cabbage;
• one large onion or a couple of small ones;
• a large bunch of cilantro;
• 100 g of peeled walnut kernels;
• 1-2 cloves of garlic;
• spices: hops-suneli, ground coriander, hot red pepper;
• pomegranate seeds;
• salt.

Cooking:

To make the dish more tender, remove the hard part at the base of the cabbage leaves.

from eggplant

You will need:

• 2-3 medium sized eggplants;
• a bunch of cilantro;
• 100 g of walnut kernels;
• 3 cloves of garlic;
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander;
• pomegranate seeds;
• a couple of spoons vegetable oil;
• salt.

Cooking:

​ With mushrooms

You will need:

• 500 g mushrooms;
• a bunch of cilantro and dill;
• bulb;
• 150 g of walnut kernels;
• 1-2 cloves of garlic;
• spices to taste: red pepper, suneli hops, ginger;
• pomegranate seeds;
• salt.

Cooking:

If you add a spoonful of vegetable oil to almost ready mushrooms and lightly fry them, the taste of pkhali will acquire additional interesting shades.

Video: Assorted pkhali

Video: How to cook pkhali from spinach, young beets and beet tops?

Phali - a win-win for any table. Losing weight, it will allow you to eat deliciously without extra calories. For fasting and vegetarians - diversify the menu without resorting to forbidden foods. Those who are in austerity mode will appreciate the availability and cheapness of the ingredients, with the possible exception of nuts. In addition, you can be known among your friends as a real culinary specialist and connoisseur of Georgian cuisine, one of the most delicious and popular in the world. Why not try a new recipe?

Pkhali is an old dish of Georgian cuisine. Usually it is served as an appetizer, less often as a side dish. Georgian spinach pkhali is very tasty and original. Such a dish is, among other things, also useful and budget.

The history of the appearance of the dish in Georgian cuisine

On the menu of any restaurant Catering in Georgia you will be able to meet such a treat. It is served both in small street shops with local fast food and in expensive prestigious restaurants. You can also try pkhali in Russian cafes that specialize in cooking Georgian cuisine.

The history of treats begins several centuries ago in Adjara. The first version of the dish was based on the usual White cabbage. The rest of the ingredients were also vegetable. But reaching today The recipe has changed a lot. Now in restaurants you can find versions of pkhali even with meat and cereals as the main components.

The second name of the traditional treat is “mkhali”. It appeared at a time when the recipe began to actively spread in Russia.

It was believed that new version more euphonious for our perception. Today you can find the dish under discussion with both the first and the second name.

It is extremely rare that phali is served as a main dish. For example, vegetarians or fasting people can eat it for lunch. More often, such a treat is served as an appetizer or addition to main courses. It can be paired with meat or fish, and Georgians love to serve pkhali with freshly cooked barbecue. The dish goes well with alcoholic drinks different fortresses.

Today main feature The discussed treat is variability. Cooks can not take into account the classic initial version of the dish, but cook it literally from everything that the hostess has in stock and suits the structure.

Georgian spinach pkhali - a classic recipe

Ingredients:

• fresh spinach - 330 - 350 g;
• purified walnuts- 70 g (kernels only);
• cilantro (fresh) - 1 medium bunch;
• garlic - 2 - 3 cloves;
• wine vinegar- 1/2 teaspoon;
• suneli hops - ¼ tsp;
• chopped coriander - ¼ teaspoon;
• red pepper and salt.

Cooking:

1. Rinse spinach thoroughly to remove sand and other contaminants. Immediately after that, pour boiling water over it and leave it in this form for 1 minute, no more.
2. After scalding, transfer the greens to a colander. Squeeze lightly to remove excess liquid.
3. In the bowl of a blender or other kitchen "helper" put the washed and dried cilantro. Throw in the garlic cloves and nuts. Kill everything at high speed.
4. Add spinach. Again, process everything in a blender until maximum uniformity. It is very important that no pieces of spinach remain in the mass, otherwise the structure of the snack will be spoiled. To do this, you need to arm yourself with a powerful kitchen appliance.
5. Add vinegar, spices, salt to the mass.
6. Form small balls from the mixture thoroughly mixed by hand.

Serve with pomegranate sauce. You can pre-wrap it in fresh pita bread or put it in an incompletely cut pita.

From frozen spinach

Ingredients:

• frozen spinach in briquettes - 850 - 870 g;
• onion - 300 - 320 g;
• peeled walnuts - 130 - 150 g;
• sunflower oil - 70 ml;
• butter - 60 g;
• cilantro (fresh) - 40 g;
• parsley (only leaves) - 60 g;
• garlic - 30 g;
• red wine vinegar - 1 dess. spoon;
• sugar - teaspoon;
• salt, suneli hops, paprika, coriander.

Cooking:

1. Mix two types of oils in a pan. Warm up well.
2. Place defrosted spinach in a bowl. If it is sheet, then the product must first be chopped very finely. Fry greens for about 10 - 12 minutes until fully cooked.
3. Cool down the mass. Squeeze out excess moisture with fat through a sieve.
4. In a separate dry frying pan, fry chopped nut kernels for 3-4 minutes with frequent stirring.
5. After cooling, grind them as much as possible using a special blender nozzle.
6. Finely chop the onion and fry until golden brown in any fat.
7. Mix all prepared ingredients except nuts. Add the remaining herbs, salt, spices, vinegar, sugar to them. Kill everything with a blender or chop with the help of another kitchen “helper”.
8. Combine the resulting composition with nuts. If the mass turned out to be rather dry, you can pour a little melted butter into it.
9. Mix everything well and leave for half an hour in the cold.
10. Then, mold miniature balls from the mass.

Decorate a dish of frozen spinach with pomegranate seeds.

With the addition of beets

Ingredients:

• young spinach leaves - 230 - 250 g;
• walnuts (peeled kernels) - 60 g;
• beets - 1 large;
• a mixture of Georgian spices - 2 pinches;
• garlic - 1 clove;
• cilantro - 100 g;
• wine vinegar (dark) - ½ teaspoon;
• salt.

Cooking:

1. There are several options for how to cook pkhali with the addition of beets. The easiest way to do this is to first bake the root vegetable in foil inside the oven until soft.
2. Cook spinach leaves for 3-4 minutes. Cool and squeeze out excess liquid. Skip boiled greens through a grinder.
3. Grate the boiled beets very finely.
4. Separately, beat the cilantro with nuts, garlic, salt and all spices with a blender.
5. Mix all prepared ingredients. Add vinegar to them. Salt if necessary.
6. Make balls out of the mass.

In order for the snack balls to be well molded, all its ingredients must be very carefully interrupted with a blender or passed through a meat grinder. large pieces spinach leaves will make finished mass falling apart.

From the greens, it is always worth cutting off only the leaves, and discarding the dense stems.

Walnuts need to be cleaned very carefully. Even the most small piece a hard shell that comes across can spoil the whole impression of the dish.

Pkhali based on fresh or frozen spinach - great option snacks during the diet. She will complement the boiled chicken breast or other low-calorie meals. For New Year's table pkhali can be used to create spectacular decorations for basic hot treats. For example, lay out “balls” from them on a “Christmas tree” from meat pieces.

Another cooking recipe spinach pkhali with nuts. As I wrote earlier, pkhali can also be prepared from beet leaves. It also turns out very tasty, the taste is almost the same, only the color of pkhali from beet leaves turns out a little with a red tint.

Assorted pkhali looks very festive. In the photo below you can see white cabbage pkhali with nuts, beetroot pkhali with nuts and spinach pkhali.

Read more:.

Ingredients:

• Spinach - 1.5 kg.
• Walnuts - 250-300 gr.
• Garlic - 5 cloves.
• Wine vinegar - 6-8 tablespoons.
• Ground red pepper - 1 tbsp.
• Saffron (yellow flower) - 1 teaspoon.
• Utskho suneli (blue fenugreek) - 1 teaspoon.
• Onions - 2 heads.
• Fresh cilantro - 50 gr.
• Fresh parsley - 50 gr.
• Pomegranate - a few seeds.
• Salt - approximately 1 tbsp.

Cooking

We sort through the spinach, remove the dirty roots, wash the leaves and stems well.

We fill a large saucepan to the middle with water, add 1 tablespoon coarse salt and put on fire. When the water boils, dip the spinach into it. Stir with a wooden spoon. Spinach leaves are boiled for about 5 minutes.

We take out the finished spinach, put it in a colander and let it cool. Next, squeeze - we take a small lump in our hands and squeeze it well. Squeeze as hard as you can to remove all the liquid.

We pass garlic and walnuts through a meat grinder, through the finest sieve. Mix spinach, garlic, nuts in a large enamel bowl. Add pepper, yellow flower, salt and wine vinegar. We mix the mass with our hands.

Finely chop the onion, cilantro, parsley and add to the bowl with pkhali. Mix thoroughly with your hands. We try, if necessary, add more salt and vinegar.

From the mass we roll small balls or cutlets, lay them out on a plate and decorate with pomegranate seeds on top.

Bon appetit!