Satsebeli Sauce
Satsebeli depends on two things: the quality of the tomatoes and the timing of the spices. The purée has to be reduced, or the sauce is watery and simply slides off the meat. And the dried herbs go into a warm sauce, never a boiling one — prolonged heat drives their aroma straight out.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Rest
- 1 h
- Total
- 1 h 35 min
- Servings
- 8
- Level
- Easy
- Per serving
- 70 kcal
Ingredients
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What to use instead
In winter use 150 g of tomato paste slackened with 350 ml of warm water and skip the reduction — that purée is already concentrated.
Makes: about 500 ml
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
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Step 1: Skin the tomatoes
Score a cross in each, drop them into boiling water for 30 seconds and then into iced water. The skins slip off; left in, they curl into tough strips in the sauce.
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Step 2: Purée
Blitz the tomatoes or push them through a sieve. The sieve gives a finer, seedless texture; the blender is faster and leaves the sauce thicker.
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Step 3: Reduce the purée
Simmer uncovered over medium heat for 12–15 minutes, until the volume has dropped by about a third. This is the step that separates sauce from tomato juice.
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Step 4: Pound garlic and walnuts
Work the garlic with salt in a mortar, add the walnuts and grind to a damp paste. The nuts add body and a faint oiliness.
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Step 5: Spice the warm sauce
Take the pan off the heat, let it stand for 2 minutes, then stir in the garlic paste, ground coriander, khmeli suneli and chilli. Dried herbs lose their volatile oils in a boiling sauce.
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Step 6: Add the coriander when cool
Wait until the sauce is barely warm before folding in the fresh coriander. Heat darkens it and strips the fresh note out immediately.
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Step 7: Balance and chill
Stir in the vinegar, taste and add salt if needed. Chill for an hour — that is when it stops tasting like separate spices and becomes one sauce.
Tips & variations
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Tip
Thickness depends on the job: for grilled meat it should hold on a spoon, for khinkali loosen it with two spoonfuls of water.
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Swap
In winter use 150 g of tomato paste slackened with 350 ml of warm water and skip the reduction — that purée is already concentrated.
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Variation
For a hotter sauce, add a fresh red chilli, seeds removed, to the mortar along with the garlic.
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Storage
Five days in the fridge. To keep it longer, boil the sauce for 5 minutes, pour it hot into sterilised jars and seal.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 8 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 70 kcal | 560 kcal |
| Protein | 2 g | 16 g |
| Fat | 4 g | 32 g |
| Carbohydrates | 7 g | 56 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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