Chanahi in pots in the oven in georgian

4 servings
2 hours

Prepare all the necessary ingredients. For chanahi, beef, pork or lamb is usually used on bones or only flesh. Tomatoes are better taken strong so that they keep their shape while baking. The same goes for eggplant. If the eggplant is large, one is enough, if it is small, then you need to take 2-3 pieces.

How to chop meat? Wash the meat, dry and cut into medium pieces. If you cut it finely, then it will quickly dry out and become tough, and if it is large, on the contrary, it will prepare longer. Therefore, the average size of the pieces is just right.

Wash the aubergines, dry and also cut into medium pieces. During the roasting process, moisture will leave them and they will decrease in size. Finely chopped eggplant will spread out during baking. Sprinkle salt over the aubergines, stir and leave to simmer the bitterness for 20 minutes. During this time, they can darken and release juice that will need to be drained. Then rinse the aubergines from the salt and lightly squeeze away from the excess moisture.

How to cut potatoes? Peel and cut the potatoes into medium pieces. So it will keep its shape when baked and it will be convenient to eat it.

Wash the tomatoes, dry and cut into wedges. Tomatoes are better to take dense. If the tomatoes are soft, they will boil heavily when baked. Drain the juice that stood out when cutting tomatoes. Strong tomatoes practically do not give juice.

Peel and finely chop the garlic or run through the press. Rinse the greens with water, brush off the moisture and chop finely. If desired, greens can be taken more.

In a pan, heat a little vegetable oil and fry the aubergines, stirring, over a high heat until a ruddy crust appears. If the eggplants are not pre-squeezed (step 3), then when in contact with hot oil, they will start shooting and you will have to wash everything around. Remove the finished aubergines from the pan and transfer to a plate.

If there is a little fat left in the pan after the eggplants, then again vegetable oil does not need to be added. Place the potatoes and also fry over high heat until ruddy. Inside, the potatoes will remain stiff, but during baking in pots, they will reach the desired readiness. Transfer the potatoes to a plate.

In a frying pan, heat the remaining vegetable oil and fry the meat over a high heat to quickly seal all the meat juices, until golden. The meat is fried with the very last, because after it dark fat remains in the pan, which can then switch to vegetables. In order not to wash the pan after meat, it is better to fry it last.

In pots (ceramic or clay), put the meat first in one layer, add a small piece of butter on top. The oil will provide the dish with a mild butter taste and fat, which will save meat and vegetables from burning. Lightly salt the meat and each subsequent layer and pepper. You can cook chanahi both in serving pots and in one large pot.

Next, lay out the aubergines, then the roasted potatoes and another slice of butter.

Top with the tomato wedges.

Sprinkle everything with the chopped greens and garlic.

Cover the pots with lids and place in an oven preheated to 180 ° C for 1 hour. It may take longer depending on the rigidity of the meat, as well as the peculiarities of the oven. Therefore, the baking time can be increased to 1. 5 hours. During baking, enough juice is released from meat and vegetables, but if necessary, you can top up 50-70 ml of water or broth in pots. This is especially true if the extinguishing process is longer than 1 hour.

Enjoy your meal!