Pomegranate sauce - general principles and methods of preparation
You can say pomegranate sauce is an almost concentrated juice with spices. Ideally, it does not contain any preservatives or additives. Outwardly, it is a viscous maroon liquid obtained from pomegranate, which is evaporated with spices for a long time. It is used as a seasoning for meat or fish, as well as a marinade or an addition to exotic salads, desserts, ice cream.
Pomegranate is the best supplier of iron to the human body. Pomegranate sauce is extremely useful for women, as they lose a large amount of iron every month, which can trigger a drop in hemoglobin. It should be noted for women planning a pregnancy. For men, gravy will also help support vital functions.
With pomegranate juice, meat is digested much better. The sweet and tart taste of the sauce gives the dishes a delicacy, opens up additional flavors. In addition, it has an interesting bright color. A typical representative of pomegranate sauces is the famous Azerbaijani Nasharab.
Pomegranate Sauce - Product Preparation
In order to prepare the sauce at home, you will need only pomegranates and some spices. Prepare a strainer or colander so that you can easily separate the bones from the grains. We wake the sauce in an enameled pan so that it does not oxidize. Important: it is better to crush the grains and mix the juice only with a wooden spoon.
Pomegranate Sauce - The Best Recipes
Recipe 1: Narsharab - Azerbaijani pomegranate sauce
This is the simplest kind, but nonetheless very tasty. "Nasharab" in Azerbaijani sounds like pomegranate wine. You can prepare the sauce in large volumes, although it is advisable to store it in the refrigerator for no more than 10 days.
Ingredients: 1 kg of sauce will require 3 kg of pomegranate seeds. Spices to taste. You can add a little crushed garlic, a few grains of coriander, dried basil.
Cooking method
Place the grains in a pan and cook like a normal jam. We press with a wooden crush to get mashed potatoes, we also stir with a spoon. We continue the procedure until the seeds turn white. We wipe the remains through a sieve or an ordinary colander.
Stir the resulting juice into a saucepan and cook until it is about twice as good. It should become a consistency, like sour cream. We check this way - let’s cool a small amount on a spoon. Boiling the juice will take about 20-25 minutes, then strain it and pour into glass bottles.
Recipe 2: Pomegranate Sauce with Apple Juice
Pomegranate juice mixed with apple juice is an incredibly tasty combination. This sauce is very exquisite, it can be used in cold and warm form. We take whole pomegranate, but apple juice is also suitable from the package.
Ingredients: three medium pomegranates, sugar (3 tablespoons), coriander beans, cloves, nutmeg, apple juice.
Cooking method
To clear grains from pomegranate fruits from membranes, to squeeze out juice and to filter the received juice. Mix with apple juice. Heat, but do not boil. Remove from heat and add sugar and seasonings. We heat again. We mix the starch with a whisk, pour into bottles or jars and close. If desired, you can add a little lemon juice.
Examples of dishes with pomegranate sauce
Recipe 1: Salmon in Pomegranate Sauce
In Eastern Europe - this is one of your favorite dishes. Juicy fruit came here from its neighbors - from the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. In this dish, pomegranate performs a double mission - this is a salmon marinade and gravy when the fish is already cooked.
Ingredients: salmon (2 fillets), pomegranate syrup (120 milliliters), wine vinegar (60 gr), honey (2 tablespoons), olive or other vegetable oil, salt, pepper, pomegranate seeds for decoration, salad, green onions.
Cooking method
We prepare pomegranate sauce from pomegranate juice, vinegar and honey. Mix the ingredients and leave for 10 minutes. Then add oil and spices, salt. Stir the resulting mass and add chopped onion and pomegranate seeds to it. Pour 120 milliliters from the container and refrigerate. Salmon fillet with salt and pepper.
Put the pieces in a glass or ceramic vase for pickling and pour the syrup. Fish should be fully coated with marinade. Cover with a lid and leave in a refrigerator or a cold place for 20 minutes. In a frying pan or grill, fry the fish well and put it on a dish covered with salad leaves. Pour the remaining pomegranate sauce and serve.
Recipe 2: Eggplant in Pomegranate Juice
It is best to take small eggplants, so that at first they would not even have to be cut. But if there were none, we take what is in the refrigerator.
Ingredients: eggplant (half a kilogram), pomegranate (1 pc), coriander grains, garlic clove, wine vinegar (1 spoon), shallots (2 pcs), black pepper, salt, coriander greens.
Cooking method
Cut the eggplant into slices or circles, salt and leave for a while, so that the glass is excess liquid along with bitterness. In a mortar, grind coriander grains, chop the garlic and heat the oil in a pan. Add coriander seeds to it and leave to brew for a few minutes.
Separately, mix pomegranate juice and honey, add vinegar, filter the oil directly into the sauce, mix well with whisk and beat. We mix the juice and shallots, pour the sauce and put in the refrigerator. Fry eggplant in vegetable oil and put on a dish. Pour over the sauce and cool. This is a cold sauce - put it in the refrigerator and use as needed. Serve with pomegranate seeds and finely chopped coriander.
Pomegranate Sauce - Useful Tips from Experienced Cookers
Simple pomegranate sauce can be complicated by the addition of wine. This is a real sauce for adults, it has a spicy sweet-tart taste. Mix a glass of pomegranate juice and a glass of dessert or semi-sweet red wine, a little salt and a few peeled whole cloves of garlic. Then we cook according to a familiar recipe - boil up to half the volume. Add a teaspoon of basil and a little black pepper. If you like spicy - add a little chili.
Cool and pour into a bottle.
