Narsharab
An Azerbaijani sauce of 100 percent pomegranate juice slowly reduced to a thick ruby syrup and seasoned with warm spices like cinnamon, coriander, and basil. Its name means pomegranate wine; this version is made without sugar, so it stays sharp and tart, and it is served with grilled meat and fish.
Ingredients
- 1000 mlpomegranate juice
- 0.25 tspcinnamon
- 0.5 tspground coriander
- 0.5 tspdried basil
- 1 pcsbay leaf
- 0.25 tspblack pepper
- 0.5 tspsalt
Method
- Pour the 100 percent pomegranate juice into a wide saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat.
- Reduce slowly, without a hard boil, until about 330 ml is left in the pan — roughly a third of what you started with. In a wide pan this takes about 45 to 55 minutes; in a narrow one, longer.
- Add the cinnamon, ground coriander, dried basil, bay leaf, black pepper, and salt, and simmer 5 minutes more; the finished sauce will be about 300 ml.
- Check the texture: the syrup should coat the back of a spoon. Pull it off the heat slightly looser than you want, as it thickens as it cools.
- Remove the bay leaf, or strain the sauce through a fine sieve for a smoother finish.
- Cool and bottle in sterilised jars; keep in the refrigerator. Serve with grilled meat and fish, as a marinade, or instead of vinegar in salads.
FAQ
They are close relatives: both are pomegranate juice boiled down to a syrup. Narsharab is the Azerbaijani version, seasoned with spices (cinnamon, coriander, basil); this recipe uses no sugar, so it is more sour and savory than most bottled molasses.
Both ways are traditional. Sour pomegranates and no sugar give the sharpest sauce; many Azerbaijani cooks add sugar as the juice reduces. If your juice is very sharp, stir in 1–2 tablespoons with the spices.
Traditionally the fresh seeds are pressed. At home it is easier to take good 100 percent pomegranate juice with no additives and reduce it.
When the syrup coats the back of a spoon. Take it off slightly before that point, as it thickens markedly while cooling; overcooked, it turns sticky and a little bitter.
With meat and especially fish (it is often served with grilled sturgeon), with shashlik and lyulya kebab; as a marinade; or a few drops instead of vinegar in vegetable salads.
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