How is it different from bazhe and satsivi?

Bazhe and satsivi are purely walnut sauces, with no tomato; satsivi is usually served with poultry. Satsebeli is a tomato sauce, with or without walnuts.

Fresh tomatoes or paste?

Fresh ripe tomatoes give a cleaner taste; blanch, peel, and reduce them. In winter, use good tomato paste with water (about 1:1), and fry the paste first to lose the tinny taste.

What are khmeli suneli and blue fenugreek?

Khmeli suneli is a Georgian dried-herb blend; blue fenugreek (utskho suneli) is its key component, with a grassy, nutty note. Either works.

What do I serve it with, and how long does it keep?

It is the all-purpose Georgian ketchup: with grilled meat, chicken, potatoes, khachapuri, khinkali, and for dipping bread. It keeps in a sterilised jar in the refrigerator for about a week.

Georgia · Sauces and Dips · Vegan

Satsebeli

Name: Satsebeli
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: Georgian
Ingredients: 700 g tomatoes; 80 g walnuts; 4 cloves garlic; 0.5 cup fresh cilantro; 2 tbsp fresh dill; 2 tbsp fresh basil; 1 tsp ground coriander; 1 tsp blue fenugreek; 0.5 tsp red pepper flakes; 1 tbsp red wine vinegar; 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp sugar

A Georgian tomato-and-walnut sauce whose name means for dunking. Ripe tomatoes are reduced and blended with walnuts, garlic, cilantro, basil, and Georgian spices like blue fenugreek into a tangy, pourable sauce served with grilled meat, potatoes, and bread.

30 min 55 kcal 12 serves Medium🌱Vegan🇬🇪Georgia Jump to recipe

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Ingredients

ServingsMetric

700 gtomatoes
80 gwalnuts
4 clovesgarlic
0.5 cupfresh cilantro
2 tbspfresh dill
2 tbspfresh basil
1 tspground coriander
1 tspblue fenugreek
0.5 tspred pepper flakes
1 tbspred wine vinegar
1 tspsalt
1 tspsugar

1 cup = 240 ml

Method

Dip the tomatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds, cool, and slip off the skins. Chop them roughly.
Simmer the chopped tomatoes in a saucepan over medium heat for about 15 minutes, until thickened and no longer watery.
Pulse the walnuts to a fine crumb, stopping before they turn oily.
Blend the cooked tomatoes, walnuts, garlic, ground coriander, blue fenugreek, red pepper flakes, and salt until fairly smooth.
Stir in the red wine vinegar and thin with a little water to a pourable, dunking consistency.
Finely chop the cilantro, dill, and basil and stir them in. Taste and add the sugar only if the tomatoes are sharp.
Cool and store in a sterilised jar in the refrigerator. Serve with grilled meat, chicken, potatoes, or bread.

FAQ

Both exist. The everyday one is a thin tomato sauce (tomato, garlic, vinegar, khmeli suneli, adjika). The rich red one adds walnuts and herbs. This is the walnut version.