AI-generated image
Abkhazura
Abkhazura: spiced minced meat with barberries wrapped in caul fat and grilled
Abkhazura is a feast dish from Samegrelo and the old Abkhazian borderlands, still on the menu of Zugdidi restaurants: finely chopped beef and pork, seasoned with onion, garlic, dried barberries, hot pepper and herbs, wrapped in thin, lacy caul fat and grilled over coals or fried until crisp outside and juicy inside. This contains pork. Served with tkemali and raw onion rings. A common mistake is using lean mince, which makes the patties dry; the fat is what keeps them succulent. Chef's tip: soak caul fat in warm salted water for 10 minutes so it softens and stretches without tearing. Minced meat must reach 71 °C in the middle.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the mince
- 14 oz beef mince20% fat
- 10 ½ oz pork mince
- 1 oniongrated and squeezed dry
- 4 cloves garliccrushed
- 2 tbsp dried barberries
- 1 ½ tsp khmeli-suneli
- 1 tsp hot paprika
- ½ oz fresh corianderfinely chopped
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
For wrapping
- 10 ½ oz pork caul fatsoaked in warm salted water
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
To serve
- 6 tbsp tkemali sauce
- 1 red onionsliced into rings
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Fresh ingredients (7)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Mix 14 oz beef mince, 10 ½ oz pork mince, 1 onion, 4 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp dried barberries, 1 ½ tsp khmeli-suneli, 1 tsp hot paprika, ½ oz fresh coriander, 1 ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper and knead for 3 minutes, until sticky. Chill for 15 minutes.
15 minStep 2: Shape into 8 oval patties about 10 cm long.
Step 3: Spread 10 ½ oz pork caul fat on a board and cut into 8 squares. Wrap each patty in one layer, trimming excess. Common mistake: wrapping thickly; it stays chewy.
Step 4: Heat a griddle or barbecue to medium-hot and brush with 1 tbsp sunflower oil. Cook for 10–12 minutes, turning every 3 minutes, until the caul is crisp and golden and the centre reads 160°F.
12 minStep 5: Rest for 3 minutes and serve with 6 tbsp tkemali sauce and 1 red onion.
3 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbs
- 4 g
- Fat
- 42 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does abkhazura take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 25 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 onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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
Tteokgalbi
Tteokgalbi is rib meat chopped finely, pressed back into neat slabs and grilled, so it's soft enough to eat without struggling with a bone. Two places in South Jeolla claim it: Damyang, the bamboo county, where all-beef patties come with rice steamed in bamboo tubes, and Gwangju's Songjeong district, whose restaurant street near the railway station mixes beef with pork. This home version uses minced beef and pork, seasoned with soy, garlic and pear, then brushed with a soy and honey glaze as it cooks. Serve with rice, lettuce and a few banchan; leftovers are good cold in a lunchbox. Chef's tip: slap the mince against the bowl for a few minutes; it turns sticky and the patties hold together on the grill without any breadcrumbs.
Korean
Char siu
Hanging in long glossy strips in the windows of Guangzhou's siu mei shops, char siu is the roast pork Cantonese families pick up on the way home to put on rice, noodles or into steamed buns. The outside is lacquered, sweet and a little charred at the edges; the inside stays juicy, savoury and faintly scented with five-spice. Shoulder (pork butt) is the cut to use, because its marbling keeps the strips moist through a hot oven. Marinate it overnight in the fridge, roast it the next day and eat it warm with steamed rice and blanched greens, or cold in fried rice and noodle soups. Chef's tip: save the honey for the last ten minutes; brushed on at the start it burns black long before the pork is cooked.
Chinese