AI-generated image
Chanakhi
Lamb and aubergine clay pot
Chanakhi: lamb baked in clay pots with aubergine, potato, tomato and herbs
In Tbilisi homes and restaurants chanakhi arrives in its own small clay pot, the lid lifted at the table to release a cloud of steam smelling of lamb, tomato, basil and garlic. Lamb, potato, aubergine, onion and tomato are layered raw with herbs and left to cook slowly in their own juices, so the vegetables soak up the lamb fat and the meat goes spoon-soft. A common mistake is adding too much water; the vegetables release plenty, and a watery pot tastes flat. Chef's tip: put a tomato slice on top of each pot as a lid of its own, which bastes everything below as it melts.
- Total time
- 150 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the pots
- 1 ½ lb lamb shoulderboneless, cut into 4 cm pieces
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 ⅛ lb waxy potatoespeeled, cut into chunks
- 2 auberginescut into 3 cm cubes
- 2 onionssliced into rings
- 5 ripe tomatoesthickly sliced
- 1 green peppersliced
- 6 cloves garlicsliced
- ½ oz purple basilchopped
- ⅔ oz fresh corianderchopped
- ½ oz flat-leaf parsleychopped
- ½ cup water
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (9)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 350°F (fan 325°F). Season 1 ½ lb lamb shoulder with half of ¾ tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper.
Step 2: Mix ½ oz purple basil, ⅔ oz fresh coriander, ½ oz flat-leaf parsley and 6 cloves garlic. Toss 2 aubergines with the rest of ¾ tsp salt and leave for 10 minutes.
10 minStep 3: In 4 clay pots or one large casserole, layer the lamb, 2 onions, 1 ⅛ lb waxy potatoes, the aubergine, 1 green pepper and the herb mix, finishing with 5 ripe tomatoes.
Step 4: Pour ½ cup water into the pots. Common mistake: adding more; the vegetables make their own juice.
Step 5: Cover tightly and bake for 2 hours, until the lamb is tender enough to pull apart with a fork and the vegetables are soft and juicy.
120 minStep 6: Rest for 10 minutes and serve in the pots with bread.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 32 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 34 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does chanakhi take?
- About 150 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 120 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of waxy potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Pork souvlaki
This is a pork recipe. Walk through any Greek town after dark, from Athens to Thessaloniki, and the smell of souvlaki stands drifts down the street; cubes of pork shoulder grilled on thin skewers are the country's favourite cheap supper, eaten standing up or at a plastic-table taverna. At home you marinate the meat in lemon, olive oil, garlic and dried oregano, grill it hard and fast, and pile it on warm pitta with tzatziki, tomato and red onion. Chef's tip: cut the pork into even 2.5 cm cubes and leave a little fat on; lean loin dries out, shoulder stays juicy over high heat.
Greek
Pfälzer SaumagenStuffed pig's stomach
Saumagen is the pride of the Palatinate, served at wine-village festivals and family dinners from the Haardt hills to Ludwigshafen. A cleaned pig's stomach is stuffed with diced pork shoulder, pork sausage meat, potato and carrot seasoned with marjoram and nutmeg, poached slowly, then sliced thick and fried until crusty. The stomach works only as a casing and is ordered from a butcher; if you can't get one, bake the same filling in a covered terrine in a water bath. Serve with sauerkraut and mashed potato. Chef's tip: fill the stomach only three-quarters full, or it bursts as the potatoes swell.
German
Chha goshtLamb in buttermilk gravy
Up in the hill villages of Himachal Pradesh, where flocks are walked to summer pastures, lamb is often cooked in chhaachh, the thin buttermilk left after churning butter. Thickened with a spoonful of gram flour, it makes a pale, gently sour gravy that is milder and lighter than the red curries of the plains, and it is a favourite at dhams, the festive meals of the Kangra and Chamba valleys. Serve it with steamed rice or makki ki roti. Chef's tip: whisk the gram flour into the buttermilk until there are no lumps before it goes near the pot; once it hits the heat, any lumps stay lumps.
Indian