Satsivi

June 25, 2014

Prep 1 hr 35 min Total 2 hr 5 min

Satsivi - kvalifood.com

Satsivi is a Georgian cold walnut sauce poured over chicken. The name comes from “tsivi,” meaning cold – this is traditionally served at room temperature or chilled, never hot. The sauce is built on a generous amount of ground walnuts thinned with chicken broth and spiced with blue fenugreek, dried marigold, cinnamon, and cloves. It is a festive dish, often made for New Year with turkey instead of chicken.

Serves 6

Ingredients

Chicken and broth

1.5 kg whole chicken
1 medium onion (ca. 100 g), halved
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf
water, to cover (ca. 2 l)
salt

Satsivi sauce

500 g walnut halves
2 medium onions (ca. 200 g), finely chopped
4 cloves garlic (ca. 20 g)
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp ground coriander seed
1 tsp blue fenugreek (utskho suneli)
1 tsp dried marigold petals (imeruli saffron)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes (or 1 tsp adjika)
4-5 whole cloves
salt, to taste

Garnish

reserved walnut oil
fresh cilantro leaves (optional)

Directions

Place the whole chicken in a large pot. Cover with about 2 liters of cold water. Add the halved onion, crushed garlic, bay leaf, and salt. Bring to a boil, skim the foam, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook until the chicken is fully done, about 50-60 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the broth and let it cool slightly. Pull the meat from the bones and cut or tear into medium pieces. Strain the broth and reserve about 1 liter. Skim the fat from the surface and set it aside.

Heat 2 tbsp of the reserved broth fat (or neutral oil) in a pan. Fry the finely chopped onions over medium heat for 6-7 minutes until soft and translucent.

Grind the walnuts in a food processor or meat grinder until very fine. Process twice if needed. If oily liquid separates, pour it off and reserve for garnish. Add the garlic and cooked onions and pulse until combined into a paste.

Transfer the walnut paste to a large pot. Add the coriander, fenugreek, marigold, cinnamon, pepper flakes, and cloves. Mix well. Stir in the vinegar. Gradually ladle in warm chicken broth, stirring thoroughly between additions, until the sauce reaches the consistency of liquid yogurt – thick but pourable. This takes roughly 800 ml to 1 liter.

Add the chicken pieces. Bring to a gentle boil while stirring, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Adjust salt.

Remove from heat. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate. The sauce thickens as it cools and the chicken absorbs the flavors. Serve cold or at room temperature, drizzled with reserved walnut oil.

Notes

If you cannot find blue fenugreek and dried marigold individually, use 2 tsp khmeli-suneli blend in place of those two spices.
Use fresh, light-colored walnuts. Rancid or old walnuts will ruin the dish.
Satsivi is better the next day. Making it a day ahead is traditional practice.
For the festive version, replace chicken with turkey. Cooking time will increase but the sauce recipe stays the same.
Do not serve hot. The flavors and texture are designed for cold eating.