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Chakapuli, spring lamb with tarragon and white wine
Chakapuli is the Georgian Easter stew: lamb braised slowly in dry white wine with a great armful of tarragon, spring onions and coriander, sharpened with tkemali (sour plum sauce). It is green, bright and tender, with no stock and no tomato.
- 1 hour 55 minutes
- Prep 25 minutes
- Cook 1 hour 30 minutes
- Serves 4
Our own recipe. The photograph is AI-generated.
Ingredients
- 1kg boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 4cm chunks
- 2 onions, thinly sliced
- 300ml dry white wine (a Georgian Rkatsiteli if you can find one)
- 1 bunch of spring onions (about 8), sliced
- 60g fresh tarragon, leaves picked and chopped
- 30g fresh coriander, chopped
- 15g fresh dill, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 green chilli, finely chopped
- 100ml green tkemali (Georgian sour plum sauce, from world food shops or online)
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
Let's cook
- Put the lamb and onions in a large heavy pan or casserole. Pour in the wine and 200ml water; the liquid should almost cover the meat.
- Bring to the boil on a medium heat, skim off any grey foam that rises, then turn the heat down. Cover with a lid and simmer very gently for 1 hour, stirring now and then.
- Stir in the spring onions, about three quarters of the tarragon, the coriander and dill, the garlic, chilli and salt. The pan will look very full of herbs; they soon wilt down.
- Cover again and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes more, until the lamb is so tender it breaks apart when pressed with a spoon. Add a splash of water if it looks dry; it should be a stew with a little thin, bright sauce, not a soup.
- Stir in the tkemali and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Taste: it should be sour, fresh and savoury. Add more tkemali for more sharpness, or a pinch of salt.
- Take it off the heat and stir through the rest of the tarragon. Serve in warm bowls, with cornbread or crusty bread.
Tips
- Most of the alcohol cooks off in the long simmer, but a little remains, so bear that in mind for children and anyone who does not drink.
- Chakapuli tastes even better the next day. Cool it within 2 hours, keep it covered in the fridge for up to 2 days and reheat until piping hot, adding the fresh tarragon again at the end.
- It freezes well for up to 3 months; defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Swaps
- No tkemali: use 100g sour gooseberries or green plums, simmered in with the herbs, or the juice of 1 lemon at the end.
- Cheaper: use boneless lamb neck fillet or veal, and cook for the same time.
Tags
Contains: Sulphur dioxide and sulphites .
Sulphites (white wine; tkemali can contain them too, so check the label). Most tkemali is only plums, herbs and garlic, but read the jar for anything else. Lamb, onions, herbs, garlic, chilli and salt contain none of the 14.
Check every packet for allergens.
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