Narsharab application. Everything about narsharab pomegranate sauce: what it is and what it is eaten with, recipe and use in cooking

Narsharab is a sweet and sour pomegranate sauce - one of the famous ingredients of Caucasian cooking. It will easily become a favorite product in your kitchen due to its universal use. On the pages of the site you will learn everything about narsharab pomegranate sauce: what it is, what it is eaten with, a recipe for making it at home, and much more.

What is narsharab sauce and what is it eaten with?

Narsharab is a thick, viscous sauce of dark red color with piquant sourness and light fruity sweetness, it is prepared by boiling fresh pomegranate juice and is served mainly with meat and fish dishes.

This is the main ingredient in traditional Azerbaijani cooking, which is eaten with many foods - meat, fish, vegetables, and is also added to salad dressings instead of vinegar.

What does narsharab pomegranate sauce look like - photo

What is the taste and smell of narsharab sauce?

Even though narsharab sauce is essentially a concentrated form of pomegranate juice with added sugar, it doesn't have an overpowering sweetness. Its aroma is earthy and spicy.

It has a rich, fruity and complex, sweet and sour taste with slightly bitter notes, which makes narsharab a universal sauce for both savory dishes and some sweet ones.

This sweet yet tart pomegranate sauce is often compared to the taste of balsamic vinegar.

How to choose and where to buy narsharab sauce

The most important sign of a quality narsharab sauce is that it should contain nothing but pomegranate juice and spices. Many syrups sold as this product contain citric acid and/or other additives.

Natural narsharab boasts a balance of sweet and sour flavors that cannot be matched by modified alternatives.

You will find narsharab in the sauces and seasonings section of large supermarkets. You can also order it online from the online store.

How and for how long is narsharab pomegranate sauce stored?

Narsharab sauce is stored in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight, in a tightly closed bottle or jar for 6 months. In the refrigerator, its shelf life will be unlimited.

Classic recipe for making narsharab sauce

All you need to prepare the classic aromatic narsharab sauce at home is two ingredients and 60-80 minutes.

12 pomegranates, large, red and slightly soft;
1 cup of sugar.

How to cook:

Wash the pomegranates, cut off the top (where the stem was) and make several cuts from top to bottom. Release all grains from the peels and films.

Wrap a handful of pomegranate seeds in cheesecloth, then use your hands to squeeze the juice into a bowl. Repeat with remaining grains. Do not use a juicer as the bitter, tannic white part of the fruit will ruin the flavor of the finished product.
Measure out 5 cups of pomegranate juice.
In a large saucepan, combine pomegranate juice and sugar.
Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves.
Reduce heat to low and simmer slowly, stirring constantly, until liquid is reduced to 2 cups, about 50 minutes or more.

You can check if you've reached the right consistency by dropping a little sauce from a spoon onto the plate, and if it doesn't fall right away, it's done. The finished product is very similar to jam.

Please note that as the sauce cools, it will thicken a little more.

Lemon juice is often added to narsharab during preparation to enhance the taste and aroma, but it is certainly good enough on its own.

Cool the finished sauce, pour into a bottle and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

How to prepare pomegranate sauce narsharab - method 2

Homemade pomegranate sauce narsharab always turns out to be much healthier and more reliable in terms of its components.

Ingredients:

2 large pomegranates (weighing about 1 kg);
10-12 cubes of refined brown sugar;
2 large cloves of garlic;
0.5 teaspoon of coarse salt;
3 pinches of ground black pepper;
3 clove buds.

If desired, you can add dried basil or cilantro, a little red wine, lemon juice (or acid), ground cinnamon. If you want to give the sauce a slight caramel flavor, use brown sugar (diced or loose), not white.

Yield: about 200 ml of sauce.

Cooking time – 50-55 minutes.

How to make pomegranate sauce:

Wash the pomegranates and remove the seeds. The weight of ready-to-use grains is almost half the original weight (that is, 0.5 kg). Now comes perhaps the most labor-intensive work - extracting juice from the grains. The easiest and fastest way is to use a blender (in extreme cases, an ordinary wooden masher will do). Meat grinding is not recommended due to side effects such as oxidation when pomegranate juice comes into contact with metal.
Place the resulting liquid mass in an enamel pan and, placing it on the fire, simmer for about 10 minutes over moderate heat. When stirring, use a wooden spoon or spatula, not a metal one.
Add grated garlic along with the rest of the spices to the boiled pomegranate mass. Continue cooking now over low heat (that is, at a gentle simmer) for about 20 minutes until the mixture has reduced to half its original volume.
Strain the resulting puree through a nylon sieve (not a metal one). Pomegranate sauce is ready to use. To be safe, you can boil it again.

All that remains is to pour the sauce into a clean glass container and put it in the refrigerator.

To store the prepared pomegranate sauce for a long time, at the very end of cooking, add a few pinches of citric acid to it.

If you like the sauce thicker in consistency, add a little starch to it (less than a teaspoon is enough) and stir thoroughly and boil.

Health benefits of pomegranate narsharab sauce

The benefits of narsharab sauce are explained by the beneficial properties of its main ingredient - pomegranate juice contains more than 100 phytochemicals.

Pomegranate seeds get their bright red hue from polyphenols, powerful antioxidants that help remove free radicals from the body, protect cells from damage and reduce inflammation.
The antioxidants in pomegranate juice and their high concentration are believed to stop the progression of Alzheimer's disease and protect the brain.
Narsharab will help reduce inflammation in the intestines and improve digestion. It may be helpful for people with Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and other inflammatory bowel diseases.
Pomegranate juice is known as the healthiest drink for the cardiovascular system. It seems that its properties extend to the narsharab sauce made from it - it protects the heart and arteries.
The flavonols in pomegranate juice can block inflammation, which contributes to osteoarthritis and cartilage damage.
Eating pomegranate sauce daily reduces systolic blood pressure (the top number) by about 5 mmHg.
Narsharab contains vitamins E and K and is also a good source of folate and potassium.

Contraindications (harm) and side effects of narsharab sauce

Narsharab is safe for most people, but only if consumed in moderation. Although the sauce contains vitamins and minerals, it is high in sugar, which can be very unhealthy. It has been linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Some people may experience allergic reactions to pomegranate, with symptoms including itching, swelling, hives, runny nose and difficulty breathing.

Due to the sugar in its composition, it is contraindicated for those with diabetes.

Since pomegranate can lower blood pressure, if narsharab is taken frequently along with high blood pressure medications, it can lower it more than necessary.

Narsharab pomegranate sauce is contraindicated for those taking cholesterol-lowering medications - statins, as it increases their side effects.

Pomegranate sauce is usually safe for pregnant and breastfeeding women, but reliable information has not yet been obtained because there is not enough research in this area.

The use of narsharab pomegranate sauce in cooking

Like fish sauce, narsharab is one of those seasonings that is added to dishes in small quantities. There are many different ways to use it in cooking.

Here are some ideas on how to use narsharab sauce and what to eat it with.

Salad dressings. Use a spoonful of narsharab instead of balsamic vinegar when you want to add sweet and sour flavor to your salad. Make a simple dressing with olive oil, garlic and salt and pepper. Pomegranate narsharab sauce goes especially well with salads that contain a lot of fresh herbs such as mint, parsley or cilantro.
Marinades. Pomegranate sauce goes well with lamb, chicken and duck. Narsharab is often used for meat products. Make a marinade with olive oil, pomegranate sauce, yogurt, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper and marinate your chosen meat for several hours before grilling or oven-cooking.
In this sauce you can marinate raw meat for shish kebab, and also serve it with ready-made kebab or any other meat (and fish) dish.
Pomegranate sauce complements the Middle Eastern sauces muhammara and baba ganoush. You can also add it to hummus.
Narsharab will improve the taste of all types of soups and stews.
Roasted eggplant, red onions, peppers and zucchini go well with pomegranate sauce. Simply toss the vegetables with olive oil, minced garlic, narsharab and thyme. This combination of ingredients also works for fried chicken.
Use pomegranate narsharab sauce with a little olive oil and cinnamon to flavor a vegetable stew.
Since many East Asian dishes combine sweet and sour flavors, pomegranate sauce is the perfect accompaniment for wok-cooked food. Mix vegetables, noodles or meat and add some narsharab along with fish or soy sauce and sesame oil.
Use it as a topping with vanilla ice cream or fruit sorbet for a delicious Middle Eastern dessert.
Add it to cocktails instead of grenadine (a thick, sweet and sour red syrup sweetener).
Impress your friends and family by marinating barbecue meat in narsharab. Pomegranate sauce will add a depth and richness of flavor that you won't get from anything else.

How can you replace narsharab sauce?

If you are looking for substitutes for pomegranate narsharab sauce, you can easily make do with ingredients you have at home.

To replicate the tart flavor of narsharab, you can make a thick syrup using cranberry juice. Boil it to the desired thickness, adjusting the amount of sugar depending on how sweet the juice is.
Grenadine is one of the best substitutes for narsharab, but it is much sweeter.
Make a syrup with balsamic vinegar and sugar to replicate the sweet and sour flavor of pomegranate narsharab sauce. This substitution works well for roasted vegetables.
Narsharab sauce can be replaced with tamarind paste.

Narsharab, an ingredient often found in Middle Eastern cooking, is becoming increasingly available and popular across the board, and now you know why.

The name narsharab sauce comes from two Azerbaijani words: “nar” - pomegranate and “narsharab” - wine. People who are not familiar with this type of sauce will be interested to know that it is made from pomegranate juice and thanks to this, dishes containing it have a pleasant sourness.

In most cases, wild but cultivated varieties of pomegranate are used to prepare this sauce. Pomegranates are peeled and partitioned to obtain clean grains. After that, the juice is squeezed out of the grains, which is then thickened naturally in the sun. Then the juice is boiled until twenty percent of the initial volume is obtained. Spices, herbs and seasonings are added to the juice that has evaporated to taste.

In appearance, narsharab sauce is a thick, viscous dark liquid. In addition to its taste, narsharab also has beneficial properties, which gives it an additional advantage.

Calorie content of narsharab sauce

The calorie content of narsharab sauce is 270 kcal per 100 grams of product.

Composition of narsharab sauce

In addition to pomegranate juice, narsharab sauce contains lemon juice, sugar, coriander, cinnamon, red and black pepper, basil, and bay leaf.

The chemical composition of narsharab sauce contains a high content of vitamin C, fruit acids, tannins, vitamins, phytoncides and other substances valuable to the body. It also contains antioxidants.

Useful properties of narsharab sauce

Narsharab sauce is able to increase hemoglobin, especially for people suffering from anemia, normalizes metabolic processes occurring in tissues, improves immunity, saturates the body with many vitamins, organic acids and plays an important role in the process of hematopoiesis (calorizer). And most importantly, according to scientists, pomegranate juice helps suppress malignant tumors and is recommended for use in the prevention of cancer.

Contraindications and harm of narsharab sauce

Narsharab sauce is contraindicated for people with gastric ulcers, gastritis with high acidity, pregnant women and those suffering from chronic gastrointestinal diseases. You should also be careful and not abuse this product for constipation, hemorrhoids, or fissures in the anus.

Narsharab sauce in cooking

Narsharab sauce goes well with meat and fish dishes, and especially with kebabs. With his participation, marinades are prepared for meat, which is subsequently baked in the oven or cooked over an open fire.

www.calorizator.ru

Pomegranate sauce Narsharab

Narsharab (Narsərab) is a natural pomegranate sauce with a bright ruby hue, thick consistency and sour-sweet taste with notes of fresh pomegranate seeds.

Did you know? Translated from the native (Azerbaijani) language, Narsharab is pomegranate wine.

Manufacturing

Narsharab is prepared by condensing natural juice extracted from wild pomegranate seeds. The grains, cleared of partitions, are subjected to extraction, and the resulting juice is concentrated in the sun until 80% of the original volume evaporates.

To give a special taste and aroma, herbs and spices are added to the sauce:

sugar;
basil;
coriander;
Bay leaf;
cinnamon;
a little less often red or black pepper.

Ready pomegranate sauce contains up to 50% sugar and up to 10% citric acid. It has a viscous, viscous consistency and a divine aroma of pomegranate fruits.

On a note! Natural Narsharab does not contain dyes, flavors or other additives. Made exclusively from natural products.

"Pomegranate" story

The history of pomegranate sauce began in Azerbaijan many centuries ago, and the official recipe for Narsharab is kept among the culinary secrets of local residents. Ruby sauce originated in Azerbaijani lands for a reason.

Pomegranate fruits grew throughout the country, and local residents took advantage of nature’s gift and came up with an original sauce that goes well with many national dishes.

Since pomegranate sauce is a folk invention, there are many variations in the preparation of Narsharab. However, the basis is always the ripest and freshest wild pomegranate fruits.

Remarkable! Ancient Azerbaijani healers treated all diseases with pomegranate.

Narsharab in cooking

The sweetish-sour taste of the sauce allows it to be combined with many foods: chicken, pork, beef, lamb, fish, potatoes, vegetables. At the same time, it can be used as a marinade, served separately or added during the cooking process.

Narsharab is often used to prepare confectionery and desserts, drinks, and cocktails. All kinds of sauces and salad dressings are prepared on its basis. Cold and hot appetizers are served with sauce.

It goes well with pomegranate kebab sauce; it turns out tender, juicy and has an indescribable taste and aroma.

The most famous dishes with Narsharab: chicken in pomegranate sauce, pork knuckle with pomegranate sauce, beef medallions with pomegranate sauce, beef steak with Narsharab sauce.

Compound

Juice from ripe pomegranate seeds enriches the sauce with a lot of useful substances:

Vitamins: A, E, C, PP, B1, B2, B5, B6, B9.
Minerals: calcium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, magnesium.
Fruit acids.
Anthocyanins.
Tannins.
Phytoncides.

Benefit

Thanks to its valuable composition, Narsharab has a lot of useful properties:

Restores hormonal levels, having an equally positive effect on the female and male body.
Improves vision, therefore it is recommended by specialists for older people to prevent cataracts and night blindness.
Improves digestion, metabolic processes and removes toxins from the body, therefore recommended during diets.
The organic acids that make up Narsharab help get rid of age spots, freckles and many skin problems.
Reduces blood pressure due to the removal of excess cholesterol and a cleansing effect on blood vessels. Indicated for the prevention of atherosclerosis.
Helps remove radiation from the body.
Facilitates the course of colds, reducing fever and increasing immunity.
It is a good prevention of malignant neoplasms.

Remarkable! Pomegranate sauce, like the fruit itself, is an excellent meat substitute for vegetarians. Scientists have found that pomegranate contains 15 essential amino acids that are rarely found in plant foods.

Harm and restrictions

When consumed in moderation, the product does not cause harm to the body. And abuse can have a detrimental effect on health due to the high percentage of acids and sugar, which will lead to the destruction of tooth enamel, irritation of the mucous membrane and severe symptoms of pancreatitis.

People with the following diseases will have to give up Narsharab altogether:

ulcer;
gastritis;
increased acidity;
frequent constipation, hemorrhoids;
pancreatitis.

Energy value of the product (Ratio of proteins, fats, carbohydrates):

Proteins: 0.5g. (∼ 2 kcal)

Fat: 0.2g. (∼ 1.8 kcal)

Carbohydrates: 67.6g. (∼ 270.4 kcal)

Energy ratio (b|w|y): 0% | 0% | 100%

dom-eda.com

Narsharab sauce

Narsharab is an Azerbaijani pomegranate sauce. It is prepared from evaporated pomegranate juice and spices. Basic set for narsharab: coriander, basil, granulated sugar, cinnamon, salt, ground pepper. The sauce is usually served with meat/poultry, seasoned with vegetable salads, or multi-ingredient sauces are prepared based on it.

What do you need to know about sweet and sour sauce, how to prepare it and is it healthy to include in your daily diet?

General characteristics of the product

Narsharab or narsharabi is a thick sauce based on pomegranate juice. The original name comes from the Azerbaijani “narsharab”, which translates as “wine”. The prefix “nar” is translated as “pomegranate”, which indicates the main component of the product. Pomegranate juice goes harmoniously with all types of fish and meat; less often it is served with vegetables or sweet desserts. Narsharabi adds not only a fresh aroma to the dish, but also light sour notes.

Interesting: in Azerbaijan, narsharab is recognized as a national culinary brand, and not just a spicy sauce. Locals add viscous pomegranate liquid to almost all dishes, which makes them recognizable and colorful.

The consistency of the sauce is thick and dense. The viscous liquid is painted in a rich ruby color due to garnet pigments. Narsharab complements not only the taste, but also the aesthetic component of the dish - the ruby hue will dilute even the most boring vegetable plate or unsightly cut of meat. Wild pomegranate varieties are used to prepare the sauce. They contain the maximum concentration of pigments, vitamins, minerals and acids.

Before cooking, the fruits are cleaned of peel, partitions and white films. The grains are passed through a special machine or ground by hand to squeeze out the sweet and sour liquid. The pomegranate seeds themselves are not involved in the cooking process - they are disposed of after extracting the juice.

At the next stage of production, vats of pomegranate juice are exposed to the sun. Under the influence of ultraviolet rays, thickening occurs - the liquid becomes denser and more viscous. Then it is evaporated exactly until 20% of the original volume of juice remains. Spices are added to the evaporated liquid mass, cooled and served.

In Azerbaijani cuisine, narsharab is used not only as a sauce. Add ice cubes to the cooled liquid to make a smoothie or add agar-agar to make fruit jelly. The areas of use of the food component are limited only by the imagination of the cook, so do not be afraid to experiment.

Important: from 1 kilogram of pomegranate seeds you can get 250-300 milliliters of sauce.

The minimum volume and high cost of pomegranates affect the price of the finished product. Taking into account the markup of the manufacturer, store and transportation services, you will have to pay several times more for an industrial narsharab. To save money, make the sauce in your own kitchen. You will need a large saucepan, some pomegranates, a basic set of spices and a little patience.

Useful properties of Azerbaijani sauce

The main component of narsharabi is heat-treated pomegranate. All vegetables and fruits that are colored intensely red contain two pigments: lycopene and anthocyanin. They are responsible not only for the beautiful ruby hue of products, but also for human health.

Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant. It prevents the oxidation of “bad” cholesterol and normalizes its concentration in the blood. The substance slows down the development of atherosclerosis, harmonizes the functioning of the heart and blood vessels, and prevents diseases of this organ system. Lycopene also protects our body from cancer.

Heat treatment does not kill lycopene; on the contrary, it increases its concentration several times. Evaporating pomegranate juice benefits not only the taste of the sauce, but also its beneficial properties. Another benefit of the antioxidant is blocking free radicals. They are the ones who cause our skin to age ahead of time and reduce the body's protective functions. Lycopene creates a specific barrier and additionally nourishes the skin so that it can withstand aggressive environments.

The second important antioxidant is anthocyanin. It has an anti-inflammatory effect and strengthens the human immune system. The substance affects metabolic processes and promotes the rapid and highest quality breakdown of the fat layer. Anthocyanin prevents the development of not only obesity, but also diabetes. Moreover, the antioxidant improves visual acuity and additionally moisturizes the retina.

Important: we are talking about concentrated pomegranate juice without additional impurities, large amounts of white refined sugar and preservatives.

Only the narsharab that you prepare yourself or under your control can bring maximum benefit. Always read the ingredients of the sauce - both if you are in a store and if you come to a restaurant for dinner. If the composition positions confuse you, take another product, ask the cook to replace the component, or select the necessary ingredients and go make pomegranate sauce in your own kitchen.

Possible harm and contraindications for use

You should avoid using the sauce if:

peptic ulcer;
pancreatitis;
gastritis, regardless of form and stage;
increased acidity of gastric juice;
impaired bowel function, anal fissures and hemorrhoids;
diseases of the gastrointestinal tract in the active stage;
pregnancy, so as not to affect the health of the mother and not to disrupt the development of the fetus.

Dietary restrictions during pregnancy and lactation are prescribed personally, based on examinations and tests. To find out the exact information in your individual case, consult your doctor.

If you do not have health problems, do not rush to buy several liters of narsharab and add it to every meal. The viscous pomegranate liquid contains many acids, the abuse of which leads to devastating consequences. The abundance of acids irritates the mucous membranes of organs and can temporarily disrupt the performance of the gastrointestinal tract. Each body is individual, so be guided by your own feelings and know when to stop.

Another reason to limit the use of narsharab is the effect on tooth enamel. Concentrated pomegranate juice literally corrodes the protective wall of teeth, making them vulnerable to infections and pathogenic microflora. Destroyed enamel makes itself felt by discomfort in the oral cavity and increased sensitivity.

A juicy green apple or a simple smile can be a real challenge. The dense peel will seem like a massive stone that rubs not just against your teeth, but against a bare nerve. When you smile, the wind can simply blow on your teeth, which, if you are particularly sensitive, provokes pain. Most often, the symptoms disappear after 1-2 days, and the enamel is completely restored, but if the symptoms interfere with the usual pace of life, consult a dentist.

How to prepare the sauce

Method No. 1

Peel the pomegranate seeds and pour them into a deep saucepan. Place the container on the fire and, armed with a spoon or masher, crush the heated grains. Do not forget that the acid contained in pomegranate can react with the metal. It is best to use a wooden arsenal so as not to affect the taste, quality and composition of the juice. Stir the mixture periodically so that it does not stick to the walls of the pan. As soon as the juice level covers the whitened seeds, remove the container from the heat. Strain the mixture to separate the juice from the grains. Place the strained concentrated juice back on low heat. Cook the liquid until completely thickened, stirring constantly. As soon as the sauce has thickened, add spices, pour the contents into jars and put them in the refrigerator.

Important: the consistency of the finished cooled narsharab will be similar to low-fat sour cream.

Method No. 2

Take ready-made concentrated pomegranate juice and a set of necessary spices. Pour the sour liquid into the pan. The juice should evaporate in a water bath or over very low heat for 40-60 minutes. During this hour, the contents of the pan will thicken and decrease by an average of ⅔. Add spices to the thickened pomegranate mixture, mix thoroughly, pour into jars and cool before serving.

Important: both methods are considered acceptable. The main thing is to choose high-quality pomegranates or one-ingredient pomegranate juice without additional impurities and sugar.

foodandhealth.ru

Pomegranate sauce (Narsharab): application, what to eat with, can it be made at home

Pomegranate sauce, called Narsharab, is the real pride of Azerbaijani cuisine. The word has a translation - “pomegranate wine”, although there is no alcohol in the composition. Pomegranate fruits grew throughout Azerbaijan, so local residents decided to put the product to good use and began making an incredibly tasty dark red sauce with a thick consistency.

The original Narsharab is prepared only from ripe wild pomegranates, squeezing the juice from peeled grains. The desired texture is achieved by thickening the resulting liquid in the sun and boiling it to evaporate excess moisture. The result is about 20% of the original volume. To enhance the taste, salt and spices such as pepper, coriander, bay leaf, as well as cinnamon and basil are added. The sauce from Turkey is no less original; its main differences from the Azerbaijani one are its thinner consistency and sour taste.

Natural Narsharab is rich in substances and elements valuable for the body. Its calorie content is about 270 kcal per 100 g, which is explained by the high carbohydrate content - at least 67 g. Fats and proteins account for less than 1 g. The energy value may vary: it all depends on what ingredients the sauce is made from. Most often they use salt, a mixture of peppers, lemon juice and various aromatic seasonings.

The chemical composition of the pomegranate product is represented by the following elements:

phytoncides, tannins,
iron, potassium and magnesium,
vitamins of group C, P, E,
antioxidants,
fruit acids (large amounts of citric and malic),
anthocyanins.

The healthiest product is one made from natural juice with the addition of sugar, spices and without substances that enhance the taste or help it last longer. Only such Narsharab can contain the maximum of useful substances.

Beneficial features

Due to its ability to increase the level of hemoglobin in the blood, the product is recommended for use by people suffering from pathologies of the urinary system, hypertension and anemia. Narsharab is valuable for expectant mothers and women who are planning a pregnancy. Due to the large amount of potassium in the sauce, regular use helps normalize the functioning of the heart and blood vessels. In addition, there are other useful properties:

increasing immunity;
improving the absorption of iron in the body;
normalization of metabolic processes;
improving the condition of the skin, reducing the visibility of age spots;
strengthening the nervous system;
replenishing the lack of vitamins and organic acids;
prevention of the formation of malignant tumors.

Valuable sauce made from ripe wild pomegranates has tonic, anthelmintic, and antibacterial properties. It is recommended during a diet, as it not only speeds up metabolism, but also removes everything unnecessary from the body.

Use in cooking

Pomegranate juice sauce goes best with meat dishes. In Azerbaijan, the product is considered one of the symbols of national cuisine. It is also used as an excellent additive for fish. The wide distribution of Narsharab is explained by its unique taste and compatibility with a large list of products. Due to its ability to soften tough meat fibers in a short time, boiled sweet and sour juice acts as an excellent marinade for pork, chicken, lamb, beef or turkey. You can prepare meat for grilling over charcoal just a couple of hours after soaking.

Narsharab goes well not only with fish or meat. You can get amazing aroma and pleasant sourness in vegetable stew if you season the dish a little with it. It goes great with bean dishes. During a diet, it is tasty and healthy to replace the “vinegar + soy sauce” dressing for vegetable salads with saturated Narsharab in small quantities. Residents of Azerbaijan enjoy the delicacy by simply dipping a slice of bread into a bowl of thick pomegranate juice.

How to cook at home

You can find pomegranate sauce in almost every modern supermarket. However, it is difficult to buy the highest quality product. Manufacturers offer products with the addition of various chemicals: flavorings, preservatives, taste enhancers. If it is not possible to purchase real Narsharab, it is best to cook it at home, but for this you need to know a good recipe and take into account some nuances.

There are several cooking options. You can take ripe fruits or use ready-made juice from the store. In the first case, the product will be more useful and similar to the original. The only ingredients you will need are ripe pomegranate fruits in the amount of 6 pcs. The sequence of actions is as follows:

Peel the grains from films and skins, mash until pureed.
Using a colander, grind the mixture until only seeds without grain pulp remain in the bowl (you can use a pestle or juicer).
The juice should be poured into a saucepan and left to simmer over low heat until it thickens. As a result, no more than 30% of the original amount should remain.

If the sauce is prepared correctly using this method, its consistency should be similar to liquid sour cream. If you want to prepare a richer Narsharab, you can include spices such as allspice, cloves, coriander and nutmeg in the recipe. The sequence of actions is similar to the above, but after obtaining the finished juice, spices are added and the mixture is boiled for a few more minutes.

Contraindications and possible harm

There are several restrictions on the use of Narsharab:

increased stomach acidity;
chronic gastrointestinal pathologies;
different forms of gastritis;
stomach ulcer;
problems with stool in the form of constipation.

Consuming pomegranate sauce in excessive quantities can lead to the development of pancreatic pathologies (inflammation). Due to the excessive amount of acids in the composition, it is possible that the condition of tooth enamel may deteriorate. In addition, pregnant women who have been diagnosed with health problems are advised to consult with their doctor about the possibility of including Narsharab in the menu.

How to select and store

When choosing, you should not save: a cheap product will disappoint with its taste and will not bring benefits to the body. The composition should not contain preservatives, ingredients identical to natural ones, and additives that enhance the aroma. Some manufacturers indicate on the label that the product is premium. It is this sauce that has the most similarities with the original Narsharab. It is best to choose jars or plastic bottles with boiled pomegranate juice made in the homeland of the product.

If stored properly, Narsharab can last for more than a year. The optimal temperature conditions for it are from 5 to 25 degrees above zero. The formation of natural sugar sediment is allowed; before use, the container with the sauce just needs to be shaken.

Boiled juice from wild pomegranate fruits with the addition of spices is a real find for a housewife who loves to pamper her loved ones with original meat, vegetable and fish dishes. A pronounced sweet and sour taste, a wealth of vitamins and antioxidants, a beneficial effect on the body - all these are the undeniable advantages of exquisite Narsharab.

Narsharab sauce belongs to Azerbaijani cuisine and is made from pomegranate. The sauce is perfect for both meat and fish dishes. It’s amazing how you can get such an incredibly rich sauce in both color and taste from a completely minimal amount of ingredients. Now is the time for pomegranates, and you can make this sauce quite inexpensively and even stock up for future use.

We'll need grenades, lots of grenades. All other ingredients in this recipe are optional. You can add spices, salt, sugar, or not. There are a huge number of varieties of sauce, differing in additives. I will make my narsharab sauce with cinnamon, oregano and sugar and it will end up being very smooth.

First you need to break the pomegranates into halves, to do this you need to cut off the top and bottom of the fruit (peel) and make one longitudinal cut along the peel, then open the pomegranate with a little effort.

Then comes the monotonous process of extracting the grains from the fruit. After all the grains have been removed, be sure to remove any pieces of peel or film that may have accidentally gotten into the grains during the cleaning process.

Place the grains in a saucepan and place the saucepan on the fire.

Stir constantly with a wooden spatula. Moreover, we try to squeeze out the juice with a spoon, you can use a potato masher for this purpose, BUT it must be wooden.

Keep the grains on the fire until they turn white. Then pour the contents of the pan into a colander, having previously placed a bowl under the colander to collect the juice.

Grind the grains very persistently in a colander until all the juice is extracted. Pour the finished juice back into the pan, add sugar and spices and evaporate over low heat for 1-1.5 hours.

This is the kind of beautiful sauce we should have. The color depends on the original color of the pomegranate grains and the degree of evaporation. The consistency of narsharab sauce will be similar to liquid sour cream. I got 200 ml of sauce from 1 kg of grains.

Pour the sauce into a jar and close the lid, store in the refrigerator.

This sauce is very good for meat and fish. We love topping it with sauce.

I tried Narsharab sauce only in commercial publications, and with them I clearly understood 3 points:

1. As with all oriental dishes, the level of Narsharab very much depends on the quality of preparation and the freshness of the ingredients themselves. Because this cuisine, first of all, stands on such pillars as the experience and skill of the cook, his knowledge of the numerous nuances of oriental cuisine and the ability to “feel” the products, the sequence of their preparation and their combinations. And last but not least, on the variety and high cost of exotic ingredients. As a result, the brand and price of purchased Narsharab are of great importance, because if you replace a natural product here with flavors identical to the natural one, and also if the most basic recipe without any frills was used in preparing the sauce, nothing good will come of it.

My sister and I bought the first Narsharab in some grocery boutique, we went specifically for the sauce. Some unknown, rare brand for Russia, expensive (even then, before all the crises, it cost 400 rubles and change), I tried the sauce before cooking and then with meat. It seemed specific in itself, but quite tasty and interesting, even multifaceted in some ways; in a dish - divine.

And then I bought Narsharab Kinto myself - exactly the same as in the main photo here. It cost me less than 100 rubles, but I took it because I didn’t believe that the rich pomegranate taste could be ruined by anything. So what... Quinto, compared to the “real” sauce, turned out to be like heaven and earth. Kinto has some kind of offensive taste, plus it’s also sweet and sour at the same time. Rubbish in itself, in a better dish.

And then again I bought another brand, but even cheaper than Kinto (in principle, I was surprised by the fact that Kinto, it turns out, is one of the brands in the middle price category, and not the cheapest - as it would be if we judged only by taste ) – and that sauce turned out to be even worse!

2. It is not enough to simply pour the sauce into the fried meat in a frying pan and then stir and simmer/fry together, as they say in many recipes on the Internet. You still need to know how to cook with Narsharab sauce! And you can’t get by with just sauce and meat: other carefully selected ingredients are required. It’s even worth taking specific meat, apparently, well, not beef for sure) The meat for this sauce should have a delicate, fatty taste. So IMHO lamb, pork, rabbit. Maybe turkey, quail.

After the first personal cooking experience, a second one followed, because there was still a lot of sauce left due to the overly strong taste of the latter. I no longer hoped for anything worthwhile, but by pouring a little less sauce and managing to make the meat softer, I got a slightly tastier option. That's all. I simply didn’t buy Narsharab sauce again, because it requires too much time, effort and additional costs if you want to get something worthwhile from it.

3. Again, like all oriental dishes, it is better to prepare this sauce yourself, but with knowledge of the matter - and you need to learn this from professionals from the east: it will be cheaper, and certainly tastier, and more correct. Oriental dishes in general should be exactly right, real)

Today you won’t surprise anyone with the abundance of fruits. They decorate market stalls all year round. But to buy fresh pomegranates, I go to the market in late autumn or early winter. Only at this time can you find fruits that have just been cut from the trees. Bright, round pomegranates smell deliciously of the south, and their thin, elastic skin is bursting with juice-filled scarlet grains from the inside. Pomegranates can be eaten fresh; they are tasty and healthy. But I buy these southern fruits when I'm going to make pomegranate sauce from them and replace the standard and slightly boring ketchup with it.

Narsharab sauce: classic recipe

By its origin, Narsharab is an Azerbaijani sauce. The composition of its classic recipe is simple, it includes pomegranate juice and spices to taste - basil and coriander leaves, allspice and hot pepper, salt. Some people add sugar to the sauce, but I already find it sweet enough. To prepare approximately 200 grams of sauce, I take 1 kg of fresh pomegranates. I peel the grains and put them in a saucepan, which I put on the lowest heat.

Using a large wooden masher, I squeeze the juice out of the grains and stir it all the time. When the seeds turn white, I remove the pan from the stove. I transfer the hot mixture into a colander, place it over the pan again and put it on low heat. I continue to crush so that the juice drains and gradually boils down to the consistency of store-bought sour cream. I add seasonings and salt to taste into the finished sauce.

Advice. If Narsharab is not used immediately, it should be stored in the refrigerator.

What do you eat with pomegranate sauce?

Azerbaijanis can dip freshly baked bread – matnakash – into hot sauce. But most of all, in their opinion, pomegranate sauce is suitable for meat - lamb or beef. I agree with the Azerbaijani chefs, but I will add smoked pork to the list. Seasoned with Narsharab, it acquires an amazing aroma and is much easier to digest!

The pomegranate sauce that Türkiye prefers is different from Azerbaijani. The Turkish sauce recipe is a complete absence of spices and even salt. Local chefs believe that Narsharab is too good on its own and does not need additional nuances. In Turkey, it is added to fish and seafood salads. Look at the photo, doesn't it look delicious?

How to use Narsharab for marinades?

The taste of a dish is largely determined by a good marinade. Its use is especially relevant for barbecue. Of course, it is not customary to argue about tastes. Some marinate in vinegar, others in kefir or white wine. But what I like best is to use Narsharab as a marinade. I don’t know how the pomegranate sauce interacts with the molecules of the meat, but once on the skewer, the kebab becomes unusually soft, and a spicy oriental note is added to the smoky aroma. Delicious!

Recipe 1: Beef marinated in pomegranate sauce

Ingredients: meat – 0.5 kg; Narsharab – 5 tbsp. spoon; paprika – 1 tbsp. spoon; salt and pepper - to taste.

Recipe 2: Chicken with pomegranate sauce

This recipe is suitable for those who find beef too heavy and prefer poultry.

I cut the chicken into pieces, put it in a saucepan, pour in the sauce and generously sprinkle with seasonings. I marinate for about 40 minutes, cover the dish with a lid and put it in the oven. The aroma of chicken meat will be simply magical! But you need to let the meat simmer thoroughly in the sauce and not remove it ahead of time. The oriental taste of the dish will be enhanced by a suitable side dish - boiled rice and fresh herbs. As in the photo.

Ingredients for chicken weighing 1.5 kg: pomegranate sauce - 4 tbsp. spoons; hops-suneli - 1 tbsp. spoon; salt, pepper - to taste.

For those who love grilled fish, I also advise you to remember Narsharab. Of course, trout or salmon are tasty on their own. But marinated in pomegranate sauce, they become a real royal dish!

Recipe 3: Pork with sauce in the oven

Finally, write down the recipe for how to cook pork with Narsharab sauce. If you do everything correctly, the dish at home will turn out no worse than in a restaurant. I sprinkle pieces of meat no more than a centimeter thick with my favorite spices, pour them with sauce and marinate for about half an hour. My family prefers herbes de Provence with allspice, but that's a matter of taste. Then I fry the pork steaks in vegetable oil until golden brown. And I place it tightly in a deep cast iron frying pan. Sprinkle with spices again, add salt and pepper and put in the oven. I wait patiently for an hour and serve the delicious food to the table!