Name: Megrelian Bazhe (ბაჟე მეგრული)
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Cuisine: Georgian
Ingredients: 300 g raw walnut kernels, fresh-tasting and finely ground or pounded; 8 g garlic (about 2 cloves), peeled and crushed; 4 g fine salt; 3 g ground dried coriander; 2 g ground blue fenugreek; 2 g ground dried Imeretian marigold (often called Imeretian saffron); 8 g mild green chili, finely minced; remove the seeds for a milder sauce; 20 ml pomegranate juice or 15 ml wine vinegar; choose one; 60 ml water, boiled and fully cooled, plus up to 140 ml more as needed; 15 g fresh coriander, washed, dried and finely chopped

Wide Georgian table with Megrelian bazhe walnut sauce, ghomi, mchadi and cooked chicken.

YieldAbout 430–565 g sauce, depending on added water; 6 accompaniment servings

Serving basis1/6 batch, roughly 70–95 g depending on final thickness

DifficultyEasy to moderate; grind the walnuts to a smooth, cohesive paste

Dietary classificationVegetarian; vegan when made with pomegranate juice or wine vinegar; contains tree nuts

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The dish

About Megrelian Bazhe (ბაჟე მეგრული)

Megrelian Bazhe: Georgian Walnut Sauce with Coriander and Green Chili

A cool, savoury walnut sauce from Samegrelo, balanced with fresh coriander and a choice of pomegranate juice or wine vinegar.

Bazhe is a Georgian walnut sauce with strong roots in the west of the country, including Samegrelo, Guria and Imereti. Its defining base is finely pounded walnut, garlic and seasoning loosened with water. The Megrelian version is known in more than one form: some preparations use dried spices, while regional household descriptions also include fresh coriander and green chili. This recipe brings those compatible elements together in a measured sauce for the home kitchen.

The sauce should taste deeply nutty, savoury and gently sharp. Blue fenugreek and dried Imeretian marigold give it a warm, recognisably Georgian spice profile; fresh coriander and green chili make the finish brighter. Pomegranate juice brings fruity acidity, while wine vinegar gives a cleaner tang. Choose one rather than using both, then adjust the water until the sauce coats a spoon but still pours slowly.

Bazhe is served cool or at cool room temperature and works as a condiment rather than a cooked gravy. It is often paired with ghomi or mchadi and can accompany cooked poultry, vegetables or other dishes. Keep the sauce in its own bowl so diners can spoon out what they need and the storage portion stays uncontaminated.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

Megrelian Bazhe: Georgian Walnut Sauce with Coriander and Green Chili

Walnut base

300 graw walnut kernels, fresh-tasting and finely ground or pounded
8 ggarlic (about 2 cloves), peeled and crushed
4 gfine salt

Seasoning and liquid

3 gground dried coriander
2 gground blue fenugreek
2 gground dried Imeretian marigold (often called Imeretian saffron)
8 gmild green chili, finely minced; remove the seeds for a milder sauce
20 mlpomegranate juice or 15 ml wine vinegar; choose one
60 mlwater, boiled and fully cooled, plus up to 140 ml more as needed
15 gfresh coriander, washed, dried and finely chopped

Method

Cool the water and prepare the aromatics. Boil at least 200 ml water, then let it cool completely. Wash and dry the fresh coriander. Crush the garlic and finely mince the green chili, removing its seeds if you want less heat.
Make the walnut paste. In a mortar, pound the walnuts with the garlic and salt for about 5–8 minutes, scraping down the sides, until they form a cohesive paste and begin to release a little walnut oil. If using a food processor, pulse in short bursts and scrape the bowl often; stop before the walnuts turn into a separate oily butter.
Season the paste. Work in the dried coriander, blue fenugreek and marigold. Stir in the minced chili and either the pomegranate juice or the wine vinegar until evenly distributed.
Thin to a spoonable sauce. Stir in 60 ml cooled boiled water. Add more gradually, up to 140 ml, mixing thoroughly after each addition, until smooth and thick enough to coat a spoon while still flowing slowly. Fold in the chopped fresh coriander. Taste and adjust the salt only within the stated 4 g total.
Chill and serve. Transfer to a clean covered container and refrigerate for 30 minutes so the flavours settle. Stir before serving cool, in a separate bowl alongside ghomi, mchadi, cooked poultry or vegetables.

Practical guidance

Success points

A properly ground walnut paste is cohesive and slightly glossy, with a little walnut oil beginning to appear; it should not become a pool of separated oil.
The finished sauce is smooth and spoonable, with balanced acidity and a mild, lingering chili warmth.

Practical guidance

Make the sauce up to one day ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator. The walnut paste may thicken as it rests; stir in a small splash of cooled boiled water from the measured allowance before serving. Do not warm or reheat bazhe: serve it cool, and avoid leaving it at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Refrigerate leftovers promptly at or below 4 °C and use within 3–4 days. The pomegranate juice and wine vinegar are alternatives with different acidity and aroma; choose just one. No other nut is a direct substitute for walnuts in this version.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size: 1/6 batch, approximately 70–95 g depending on water added
Calories: About 330 kcal
Carbohydrate: 8 g
Protein: 8 g
Fat: 33 g
Fibre: 4 g
Sodium: About 270 mg

Nutrition is approximate and uses generic nutrient values for raw walnuts, garlic, herbs, chili and pomegranate juice, with sodium calculated from the full 4 g salt allotment. The vinegar branch changes the estimate slightly; walnut varieties and actual salt measurements can also vary.

Allergens and food safety

Contains walnuts (tree nuts). Use clean utensils and fully cooled boiled water. Refrigerate the sauce promptly at or below 4 °C; do not leave it unrefrigerated for more than 2 hours. Keep a separate serving spoon and bowl, then return unused sauce to the refrigerator. Use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days. Check packaged spice and vinegar labels for cross-contact information.

At the table

Serve the sauce cool in a small bowl so its walnut aroma and fresh coriander remain distinct beside hot ghomi or mchadi.
The decisive technique is grinding the walnuts until they bind into a smooth paste before adding water gradually.

About Megrelian Bazhe (ბაჟე მეგრული)

Ingredients

Walnut base

Seasoning and liquid

Method

Success points

Practical guidance

Nutrition per serving

Allergens and food safety

At the table

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