How to cook lamb khashlama in armenian and other recipes

Caucasian cuisine is one of the most ancient: its history has been going on for more than two thousand years. Culinary traditions of the countries of this region have a huge number of dishes that are prepared on the basis of meat. One of these dishes is lamb khashlama, with the recipes of which we offer to get acquainted.

What is Hashlama?

Khashlama (from Armenian "hashel" - "meat cooked in a piece") is meat stewed in a cauldron or sauté pan with various vegetables laid out in layers. The dish is so ancient that almost all Caucasian peoples consider it their traditional one. Armenian is considered the classic version of Khashlama. Over time, the recipes of the dishes were supplemented, improved. Now Khashlama is stewed with the addition of:

• vegetables;
• greenery;
• beer;
• spice.

Only one ingredient remains unchanged - meat. This is due to the fact that the native Caucasian peoples have always engaged in cattle breeding, therefore their culinary tradition is based largely on meat dishes.

Features cooking

The main rule of making khashlama is to stew a lot of meat in a small amount of broth for 2-2.5 hours. And the older the meat for a dish, the more time it takes to heat treat it. Of course, it is important to successfully select the source "material". It may be:

• beef;
• mutton;
• veal;
• bird;
• pork (used infrequently, as in the process of long quenching "dries").

And not necessarily take the tenderloin - the meat on the bone is also a good fit. To make the dish fragrant and juicy, vegetables should be placed in it as a last resort, and salt should be removed from the stove or even before serving. Otherwise the meat will be tough. It is equally important to choose the right dishes for serving. The best option - clay bowls. Khashlama can be both the second and the first dish - a thick broth turns out very rich and nourishing.

Mutton Khashlama: recipe with photos

As a rule, in the Caucasus, they prefer to cook this dish from young sheep. And be sure to take the meat with a bone! So, how to make lamb khashlama?

Ingredients:

• 1 kg of young mutton;
• 0.5 kg of onions;
• 0.5 kg of dense tomatoes;
• 0.5 kg multicolored bell pepper;
• 250 g of ripe carrots;
• 1 tbsp. homemade red wine;
• salt, pepper (fragrant and ground);
• parsley, tarragon, dried basil and ground cilantro.

Cooking:

1. We cut the meat rather massive pieces.
2. Cut vegetables (pepper - thick slices, onions - half rings, carrots - thick cubes).
3. In a heated dish (better cauldron) put half the onion.
4. Put the meat on the onion pillow.
5. We have pepper on top.
6. Next comes a layer of tomatoes (you can blanched).
7. Cover all this with the remaining vegetables (onions and carrots).
8. Fill with water in half with wine.
9. Do not mix, waiting for the readiness of meat.
10. Salt and add spices, simmer another 5 minutes.
11. We spread in clay bowls, served with greens.

By the way, Georgian lamb khashlama differs from the Armenian version only by one ingredient. Beer is used for pouring in Georgia, and it must be light grades. In addition, the foamy drink is not diluted with water.

Armenian Hashlama beef

Armenian culinary traditions of making khashlama usually use lamb as a basis. But there is a great version of this dish with young beef.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg of fresh beef (better loin);
• 1 kg of medium sized potatoes;
• 0.5 kg of large onions;
• 1 kg of strong tomatoes;
• 0.5 kg of pepper (Bulgarian, multi-colored);
• 2 cloves of ripe garlic;
• salt, pepper (black), dry herbs (coriander, basil and tarragon);
• greens (required cilantro).

Cooking:

1. Washed meat is cut into large bars, boiled in salted water in a bowl with a thick bottom for about an hour.
2. We clean the potatoes, cut them in half and put them on top of the meat.
3. Sprinkle with spices (half harvested).
4. Cut the onions into rings, lay them on top of the potatoes.
5. Next, put sliced ​​peppers.
6. Putting tomatoes.
7. Add spices again.
8. Add greens, cover cauldron.
9. Simmer for 40-50 minutes.
10. Serve hot with pita bread or tortillas.

Cooking khashlama in a slow cooker

Modern housewives do not have the opportunity to stand at the stove for a long time. Therefore, even such an old and conservative dish as Armenian Khashlama is preferred to be cooked in an express version. It's time to remember the slow cooker! In this case, it is enough to prepare all the ingredients and act on the recipe. Khashlama from mutton is not the same as in a cauldron, but also not devoid of taste.

Ingredients:

• 0.5 kg of mutton (pulp);
• 3 large tomatoes;
• 2 large onions;
• 1 yellow bell pepper;
• 1 small eggplant;
• 1 small carrot;
• bunch of parsley;
• 3 tbsp. l olive oil;
• salt, hop-suneli.

Cooking:

1. Cut meat and vegetables into large chunks, blanch tomatoes.
2. Pour butter into a pressure cooker bowl, put onion, carrot, layers of blanched tomatoes, two-thirds of eggplants, and meat in layers.
3. We salt the laid out layers.
4. Add hops-suneli.
5. Put the peppers, tomatoes, eggplants.
6. Sprinkle with finely chopped greens, add saliva.
7. Select the mode "Quenching" for 1 hour and 20 minutes.
8. Serve hot, pre-decorated with a sprig of parsley.

Secrets of a tasty Caucasian dish

Not without reason, all the Caucasian peoples ascribe to themselves the glory of the founder of the preparation of Khashlama. Each of the applicants has its own special tricks of cooking and serving this dish. If these nuances combine, it turns out very useful "cheat sheet":

• if the meat is with bone, it can not be cut;
• vegetables are added in the middle of stewing, it is recommended to calculate their ratio with meat in a ratio of 1: 3 in favor of the latter;
• if Khashlama is served as a soup, then a plate with greens is served separately;
• if khashlama is served as a main course, then in addition a glass of semi-dry red wine is offered.

Mutton Khashlama or other meat is a very nourishing meat dish that can be served for a holiday or for an everyday lunch with your family. The main thing is to be sure of the freshness of the meat and to choose the right set of spices. And the excellent taste fully compensates for the time spent on cooking this worthy representative of the Caucasian cuisine.