Ajapsandali

Ingredients

• 1⅓ lbeggplantcubed or sliced, usually salted first
• 14⅛ ozbell peppermixed red and green, cut into strips or cubes
• 15¾ oztomatoespeeled, diced or pureed
• 2oniondiced or cut into strips
• 4 clovesgarlicfinely chopped or crushed, usually added at the end
• 1 bunchcilantroroughly chopped
• 1 bunchbasilfresh, preferably purple basil
• 1 bunchparsleychopped
• 1chili pepperfresh or dried, to taste
• 4 tbspvegetable oiluse generously for frying the eggplant
• 1 tbsptomato pastebriefly fried with the onion
• 1 tspground coriander
• ½ tspblue fenugreek
• 1 tspkhmeli suneliGeorgian spice blend
• 2bay leaf
• saltalso used to draw water from the eggplant
• black pepperground
• 1carrotgrated or thinly sliced, stewed with the onion (optional)
• 1 tbspvinegarmainly in the preserved and salad versions (optional)
• 1⅓ ozwalnutschopped, sprinkled on top (optional)

Method

1. Cube or slice the eggplant, salt it well and leave it for 20 to 30 minutes, then rinse and squeeze out the liquid.
2. Heat a generous amount of vegetable oil in a pan and fry the eggplant in batches until golden brown. Drain on paper towels to get rid of the excess oil.
3. In a wide pot, soften the onions in oil until translucent, then add the tomato paste and fry it briefly until it darkens. If you're using the carrot, grate it and let it stew along here.
4. Add the bell peppers and the chili pepper and cook over medium heat until the peppers are soft.
5. Stir in the peeled, diced or pureed tomatoes along with the bay leaves, ground coriander, blue fenugreek and khmeli suneli. Cover and simmer for 10 to 40 minutes, adding a splash of water if it gets dry.
6. Fold in the fried eggplant, let it warm through for a few minutes, then season with salt and black pepper.
7. Remove the bay leaves. Stir in the garlic, cilantro, basil and parsley at the very end, heat through once and take the pot off the stove.
8. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes and serve warm, lukewarm or cold with hearty bread, scattered with chopped walnuts if you like.

Tips and variations

Instead of stewing, you can roast the vegetables in the oven or over charcoal, then peel them and toss them with just herbs, garlic and oil — that gives you a cold, smoky salad version. It's quicker if you stew everything in one pot without frying the eggplant separately; if you prefer the opposite approach, fry the components individually and layer them at the end rather than mixing. For a fresh take, combine raw peppers, onion, garlic and cilantro with fried eggplant, tomato and a splash of vinegar. Some cooks season with ajika or thyme instead of the usual spice blends, and the peppers can be roasted and peeled beforehand. Packed hot into sterilized jars and preserved with vinegar, it becomes a winter staple. Serve ajapsandali alongside grilled meat, lamb shashlik above all, or simply with bread and salads.