How to Use Adjika: 12 Ways to Put That Jar to Work

You’ve bought a jar of adjika. You’ve tried a little on a spoon. There’s chilli, garlic, a lovely hit of salt and spice.

Now, what’s for dinner?

That’s usually the next question. And the answer can be very ordinary food: eggs, potatoes, chicken, mushrooms, a tin of beans. You don’t need to plan an entire Georgian feast before opening the jar.

Adjika is a concentrated seasoning paste, so a small amount can go into the cooking or sit beside the finished meal. Here are twelve ways to get started.

First, how much adjika should you use?

Heat and salt levels vary between recipes and brands. For a dish serving two, start with around ½ teaspoon, mix it through and taste before adding more.

When seasoning raw meat, taste the marinade before the meat goes in.

Red, Green and Walnut Adjika have different characters, so use these ideas as starting points. Try the same dish with another paste next time and see which you prefer.

1. Put it beside your eggs

Fried eggs, buttered sourdough and a small dab of adjika make a very good breakfast.

For scrambled eggs, stir about ¼ teaspoon into two eggs towards the end of cooking. Keep the heat gentle and serve straight away.

A little Green Adjika is lovely here, especially with a few fresh herbs scattered over the top.

2. Coat roast potatoes

Crisp potatoes are particularly good with chilli and garlic.

For 500g potatoes, mix ½–1 teaspoon adjika with 1 tablespoon oil. Parboil and drain the potatoes, allow them to steam dry, then toss with the mixture.

Roast at 200°C fan until golden and crisp, turning during cooking. Check from around 35 minutes; the size of the pieces will affect the timing.

Taste before adding extra salt.

3. Make adjika mayonnaise

Mix ½ teaspoon adjika into 3 tablespoons mayonnaise, then taste. Add a small squeeze of lemon if you’d like it sharper.

Spread it in a chicken sandwich, spoon it over a burger or serve it with chips. It’s also very good with cold roast meat and a few crunchy pickles.

4. Season chicken before roasting

For 500g chicken thighs, combine 1 teaspoon adjika with 1 tablespoon oil and coat the chicken well.

Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to overnight, within the chicken’s use-by date, then roast until cooked through.

Use a modest amount for your first batch. You can always offer more adjika at the table.

5. Give a tin of beans some attention

Soften a sliced onion in oil. Add ½ teaspoon adjika, stir briefly, then add a drained tin of beans and a splash of water or stock.

Simmer until the beans are hot and the liquid has thickened slightly. Finish with lemon juice and chopped parsley or coriander.

Butter beans are particularly good: their soft centres sit beautifully against the garlic and chilli. Eat with toast and call it dinner.

6. Stir it into yoghurt

Mix ½ teaspoon Green Adjika into 4 tablespoons thick plain yoghurt. Taste, then add a little lemon juice if needed.

Spoon it beneath roasted carrots, serve it with grilled chicken or put a bowl beside a tray of cauliflower or sweet potato fries.

Let it stand for a few minutes before serving so the paste has time to mix through.

7. Make a little adjika butter

Mash ½ teaspoon adjika into 50g softened unsalted butter.

Melt a knob over a cooked steak, push some into a hot jacket potato or spread it onto bread before grilling.

Walnut Adjika works especially well with beef. The butter softens the chilli’s intensity and carries the seasoning across each mouthful.

8. Dress roast vegetables

Toss 500g chopped carrots, squash or cauliflower with 1 tablespoon oil and ½–1 teaspoon adjika.

Roast at 200°C fan until tender and browned, turning once. Depending on the vegetable and size of the pieces, allow roughly 25–40 minutes.

Serve with yoghurt or tahini dressing and something green. Leftovers make an excellent lunch tucked into a flatbread.

9. Add it to tomato sauce

Stir ½ teaspoon Red Adjika into a pan of softened onions, then add a 400g tin of chopped tomatoes.

Simmer for 15–20 minutes, taste and adjust. Spoon over pasta, add beans or crack eggs into little hollows in the sauce and cook until set to your liking.

The adjika supplies garlic and seasoning, so taste before adding either.

10. Coat mushrooms while they’re hot

Brown 250g mushrooms in a wide frying pan with a little oil. Give them space and let their moisture cook away.

Lower the heat, add a small knob of butter and ¼–½ teaspoon adjika, then toss briefly. Add a splash of water if the paste starts catching.

Pile onto toast or serve beside steak.

11. Whisk a punchy salad dressing

Whisk together:

• ¼ teaspoon adjika.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil.

• 1 teaspoon lemon juice or wine vinegar.

• 1 teaspoon water.

Taste before adding salt. Toss with cucumber and tomatoes, warm lentils or cooked grains. Add more water if you’d like a lighter dressing.

12. Finish a bowl of soup

Stir a little adjika into your own bowl of lentil, tomato or vegetable soup.

Start with ¼ teaspoon, especially if the soup is already seasoned. A spoonful of yoghurt on top gives you something cool against the chilli.

This is useful when everyone at the table likes a different level of heat.

Keep it somewhere you’ll remember it

Follow the storage instructions on your jar and use a clean spoon each time.

Then keep putting it to work. A jar earns its keep through the small meals as much as the special ones: Tuesday’s beans, Saturday’s eggs, the last few potatoes turned into lunch.

Browse our homemade adjika pastes and choose your next kitchen companion.