Ajapsandali: Georgia's Smoky Eggplant Stew (Better Than Ratatouille)

Ajapsandali is the dish that should have made Georgia famous for its vegetable cooking, not khachapuri. A one-pot stew of eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, and enough fresh herbs to fill a market bag — naturally vegan, dead simple to make, and it genuinely tastes better the day after you cook it. Think ratatouille's bolder, more opinionated cousin.

Why Ajapsandali Deserves Your Attention

Georgia's fasting traditions — over 200 days a year in the Orthodox calendar — forced cooks to develop extraordinary plant-based dishes centuries before anyone started putting "V" labels on restaurant menus. Ajapsandali is one of the crown jewels of that tradition.

The dish exists at the intersection of simplicity and depth. The ingredients are ordinary: eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic, herbs. But the technique — slow-stewing until everything collapses into each other, then resting overnight for the flavors to marry — creates something greater than the sum of its parts. Eggplant absorbs every flavor in the pot. The tomatoes provide acid and body. The peppers give sweetness. And the herbs — cilantro, basil, sometimes dill — provide a green, aromatic top note that lifts the whole thing.

People call it "Georgian ratatouille," and while that comparison lands geographically, it sells ajapsandali short. Ratatouille is polite. Ajapsandali hits harder — more garlic, more herbs, often some chili heat, and a willingness to let the vegetables break down completely rather than keeping them in prissy little cubes.

How Every Region Does It Differently

There's no single "correct" ajapsandali. The dish shape-shifts across Georgia's regions, and arguing about the right version is a time-honored tradition in itself.

The Eggplant Makes or Breaks It

Ajapsandali is an eggplant dish that happens to contain other vegetables. Get the eggplant wrong and nothing else matters.

The ideal eggplant for ajapsandali is the standard globe eggplant (the big purple ones). They're available everywhere, and their spongy texture is actually the point — eggplant absorbs the tomato, garlic, and herb flavors like nothing else. Japanese eggplants work too, though they hold their shape more.

The critical step most recipes botch: salting the eggplant first. Cut it into 2-3cm cubes, toss with a generous amount of salt, and let it sit in a colander for 15-20 minutes. You'll see beads of brown liquid forming on the surface. Squeeze the cubes gently, pat dry. This does two things: removes bitterness (especially in older, seedy eggplants) and collapses the spongy cell structure so the eggplant absorbs less oil and more flavor during cooking.

Skip the salting and your ajapsandali will be either bitter, oily, or both.

Ingredients

This recipe serves 4-6 and scales easily. Double it — you'll want leftovers.

The Vegetables

Herbs and Spices

Equipment

Step-by-Step Recipe

Step 1: Salt the Eggplant (20 minutes passive)

Cube the eggplants into roughly 2-3cm pieces. Don't stress about uniformity — this isn't a French tasting menu. Toss with about a tablespoon of salt in a colander set over the sink or a bowl. Walk away for 15-20 minutes.

When you come back, the cubes will have sweated out brown, bitter liquid. Squeeze them gently in handfuls to extract more moisture, then pat dry with a clean towel. This is the most important prep step in the whole recipe.

Step 2: Build the Base (5-7 minutes)

Heat the oil in your pot over medium heat. Add the diced onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent — about 5 minutes. Don't rush this. Properly softened onions disappear into the stew and provide a sweet, savory foundation.

Stir in the tomato paste and cook for another 1-2 minutes. You want it to darken slightly and turn fragrant — this is called "blooming" the paste and it concentrates the tomato flavor dramatically. Two tablespoons of bloomed tomato paste does the work of six tablespoons of raw paste.

Step 3: Cook the Eggplant (8-10 minutes)

Add the drained eggplant cubes to the pot. Give everything a good stir to coat the eggplant in the onion-tomato base. Add a pinch more salt (eggplant is a salt sponge), cover the pot, and let it cook for 8-10 minutes.

The eggplant will release liquid and start to collapse. Stir every few minutes, but keep the lid on between stirs — you're steaming the eggplant in its own moisture. By the time this step is done, the cubes should look soft and somewhat deflated. That's exactly what you want.

Step 4: Add Everything Else (20-25 minutes)

Now add the diced peppers (red, green, and chili), the chopped tomatoes, bay leaves, ground coriander, blue fenugreek, and chili flakes. Stir to combine, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low.

Let this simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. The peppers will soften, the tomatoes will collapse into a sauce, and the whole thing will start to look like a cohesive stew rather than a pile of vegetables. If it seems too thick or starts catching on the bottom, add 50-100ml of water — but err on the side of thick. Ajapsandali should be a stew, not a soup.

Step 5: The Herb Finish (5 minutes)

When the vegetables are soft and the stew is thick and aromatic, stir in the minced garlic and half of your chopped herbs (cilantro and basil). Cook for just 5 more minutes — enough for the garlic to mellow and the herbs to infuse the stew.

Remove from heat. Stir in the remaining fresh herbs. Taste for salt and pepper — you'll almost certainly need more salt than you think. Remove the bay leaves.

Step 6: The Overnight Rest

Here's the part that separates good ajapsandali from great ajapsandali: don't eat it yet.

Let it cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate overnight (or at least 4-6 hours). During this time, the eggplant continues absorbing flavors, the tomato and pepper juices meld, and the herbs permeate everything. Cold ajapsandali pulled straight from the fridge the next day is a revelation.

In summer, Georgians serve it cold — straight from the fridge or at room temperature. In cooler months, you can gently reheat it, but never let it boil or you'll destroy the fresh herb flavors.

Serving Suggestions

Ajapsandali vs. Ratatouille vs. Caponata

Every Mediterranean culture has a version of "stewed summer vegetables." Here's how Georgia's stacks up:

Variations Worth Trying

Common Mistakes

Pro Tips

Where to Eat Ajapsandali in Tbilisi

Nutrition

Storage

Frequently Asked Questions