Zucchini caviar can rightfully be classified as low-calorie, tasty and healthy products that are easily absorbed by the human body. This dish is most often found on the tables in the summer, but with the advent of numerous recipes that involve preserving the dish, it has become possible to please yourself with your favorite taste and aroma in winter.
Zucchini caviar is extremely useful, due to the unique composition of the main product, which is endowed with many vitamins and microelements.
How to make zucchini caviar? There are many options for preparing this delicious dish, but zucchini is the main ingredient in each. The taste of zucchini caviar largely depends on how well the ingredients are selected and all the cooking rules are followed.
First of all, you should pay attention to zucchini. So, it is recommended to give preference to zucchini, the length of which does not exceed 20 cm. You need to pay attention to the peel, which should be thin. In this case, the need to peel the zucchini is eliminated. In the absence of young zucchini, you can also use ripe ones, but in this case it is important to take care of their peeling and seeds.
After thorough washing, zucchini must be chopped, salted and placed in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. This is necessary to eliminate excess moisture from the product. After the specified time, juice will begin to stand out, which should be disposed of by squeezing the chopped zucchini.
The taste of the dish also depends on what secondary ingredients were used for this purpose. So, it will be possible to endow zucchini caviar with a unique taste, giving preference to onions, bitter red peppers and garlic.
Lovers of a milder and sweeter taste should focus on their preferred herbs and seasonings. Experienced chefs for these purposes recommend using parsley, cilantro, ginger.
As already mentioned, there are many recipes for cooking zucchini caviar, but one of them is considered a classic and is often chosen for cooking at home.
First of all, you should take care of preparing the necessary products. To prepare a dish with the classic method, you will need to use:
- zucchini - 3 kg;
- carrots - 1 kg;
- onions - 1 kg;
- tomato paste - 2 tbsp. spoons;
- salt - 1.5 tbsp. spoons;
- sugar - 1 tbsp. spoon;
- citric acid - 1 teaspoon;
- vegetable oil.
Cooking zucchini caviar will not take much time. So, for starters, you should select zucchini, guided by the useful tips outlined above. If it is possible to use only ripened products, do not despair. The dish will turn out less juicy, but the necessary taste qualities will remain the same.
Washed and peeled zucchini (if we are talking about vegetables with a thick skin) must be cut into rings, which should be fried in a pan with a small amount of vegetable oil. It is important to ensure even roasting of the pieces by turning them over during cooking.
The next step is to fry the onions and carrots separately. Onions must be cut into half rings, and a large grater should be used to chop carrots. Fry the ingredients on low heat and with occasional stirring until they are browned. After that, it is recommended to put the mixture in a separate container for subsequent cooling.
To perform the following steps, you will need a food processor, but an ordinary meat grinder, which every hostess probably has in the kitchen, is also able to cope with the set goals.
Using a combine or meat grinder, chop the fried zucchini and fried onions with carrots. The resulting slurry must be moved to the prepared pan.
The next step is the final one. After adding salt, sugar, tomato paste and citric acid to the gruel from zucchini, as well as thoroughly mixing these ingredients, the container should be put on low heat and after the start of boiling, simmer the mixture for 15 minutes.
This recipe and cooking method is considered a classic, but you can add your favorite herbs or garlic if you wish. But tomato paste, if not available, can be replaced with fresh tomatoes.
The prepared dish can be served on the table, decorating with herbs. By the way, this recipe is recommended to be used if you need to preserve caviar for the winter. Zucchini caviar should be put in sterilized glass jars, rolled up with a special key, turned over and covered with a blanket. After cooling, the containers can be moved to a cooler place.
Zucchini caviar is not only tasty, but also a healthy dish that requires a minimum set of calories, so it can safely take pride of place in the daily diet of people who care about their figure and health.
