Name: Bazhe: Georgian Walnut Sauce
Prep time: 25 min
Total time: 55 min
Cuisine: Georgian
Ingredients: 250 g fresh shelled walnuts, tasted for bitterness before use; 3 garlic cloves (9 g), peeled and finely grated or crushed; 2 g ground blue fenugreek (utskho suneli); 2 g ground coriander seed; 1 g ground Imeretian marigold petals (imeruli shaphrani; not saffron); 0.5 g ground red pepper; 4 g fine salt; 15 ml white wine vinegar; 240 ml potable water, boiled and cooled, added gradually

Wide view of a bowl of Georgian walnut sauce on a wooden table with open space beside it

Yield6 condiment portions, about 85 g each

Preparation25 minutes

Cooking0 minutes

Passive time30 minutes chilling

Jump to recipe ↓

The dish

About Bazhe: Georgian Walnut Sauce

ბაჟე · 6 condiment portions · Easy · 55 minutes

Bazhe (ბაჟე) is a Georgian walnut sauce. The Georgian National Tourism Administration connects it with western Georgian cuisines, including Samegrelo, Guria and Imereti, and notes that it is now served more widely across the country. Recipes differ in how much garlic, spice, acid and water they use. This version is a cold, pourable sauce with garlic, blue fenugreek, ground coriander, Imeretian marigold, red pepper and white wine vinegar.

Walnuts provide both the body and most of the flavor, so taste one before grinding. Fresh kernels should taste gently sweet and nutty; discard any with a rancid or distinctly bitter flavor. A food processor makes a smooth, consistent sauce, while a mortar and pestle gives a coarser texture and takes more time. Pulse rather than running the processor continuously, which can warm the nuts and turn them oily.

Add the boiled, cooled water in stages. The paste thickens as the walnuts hydrate, so the final consistency is best judged after whisking and a short rest. Use potable water and clean equipment because this sauce is not cooked. Chill it covered for 30 minutes, then stir and serve cold. Bazhe can accompany cooked poultry, fish, vegetables or Georgian cornmeal dishes; those foods are serving suggestions and are not included in this sauce recipe.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

ბაჟე · 6 condiment portions · Easy · 55 minutes

Walnut sauce

250 gfresh shelled walnuts, tasted for bitterness before use
3garlic cloves (9 g), peeled and finely grated or crushed
2 gground blue fenugreek (utskho suneli)
2 gground coriander seed
1 gground Imeretian marigold petals (imeruli shaphrani; not saffron)
0.5 gground red pepper
4 gfine salt
15 mlwhite wine vinegar
240 mlpotable water, boiled and cooled, added gradually

Method

Prepare the water and walnuts. If needed, boil potable water and let it cool completely. Taste a walnut kernel; discard the batch if it is rancid or noticeably bitter. Measure the garlic and spices before grinding.
Grind the walnuts. Pulse the walnuts in a food processor, scraping down the sides as needed, until they form a fine, slightly moist meal. Avoid running the motor continuously so the nuts do not heat up. With a mortar, grind in batches to a fine paste.
Season the paste. Add the garlic, blue fenugreek, ground coriander, Imeretian marigold, red pepper and salt. Pulse briefly or pound until evenly combined.
Add vinegar and water. Stir in the white wine vinegar. Whisk in the cooled boiled water gradually, up to the measured 240 ml, until the sauce is smooth and thick but pourable. Scrape the bowl and check for dry walnut paste at the bottom.
Chill and let the texture settle. Transfer the sauce to a clean covered container and refrigerate for 30 minutes. The walnuts will absorb some water and the seasoning will settle. Stir before serving cold; the recipe’s yield and nutrition are based on the full measured water quantity.
Serve the sauce. Spoon into a clean serving bowl. Offer with cooked poultry, fish, vegetables or ghomi. Use a clean spoon each time and return the covered container to the refrigerator promptly.

Excerpt

Blend fresh walnuts with garlic, Georgian spices and wine vinegar, then thin the paste with boiled and cooled water for a pourable bazhe sauce.

Practical guidance

Use fresh walnuts with no bitter or stale aftertaste. The food processor produces a smoother sauce; a mortar leaves more texture. Stop processing once the nuts are finely ground rather than making them warm. The sauce will thicken as it chills, so whisk before serving. This measured version uses all 240 ml of water for a thick but pourable result; do not add unmeasured liquid if you need the nutrition estimate to match. Make it ahead by up to one day and keep it refrigerated. Store covered at 4 °C or below and use within 3 days. Do not leave it at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

Nutrition per serving

Nutrition per portion

Serving size: about 85 g
Energy: approximately 270 kcal
Carbohydrates: 6 g
Protein: 6 g
Fat: 27 g
Fibre: 3 g
Sodium: approximately 300 mg

Allergens and food safety

Contains walnuts, a tree nut. Do not serve to anyone with a walnut or tree-nut allergy; check spice packaging for cross-contact statements when relevant. This uncooked sauce contains raw garlic and water: use potable water that has been boiled and completely cooled, clean utensils, and a clean covered container. Refrigerate promptly at 4 °C or below, use within 3 days, and discard if it has been left at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Do not add oil to this formula.

To serve

Serve cold beside cooked poultry, fish or vegetables, or spoon over ghomi; the accompanying food is not included in this recipe.
Stir the sauce before serving and use a clean spoon to avoid contaminating the stored batch.

About Bazhe: Georgian Walnut Sauce

Ingredients

Walnut sauce

Method

Excerpt

Practical guidance

Nutrition per portion

Allergens and food safety

To serve

More Georgian dishes

Tkemali: Georgian Green Cherry Plum Sauce

Adjika: Georgian Red Chile Paste

Sulguni: Georgian Layered Stretched Cheese