Ojakhuri
Pork and potatoes pan-fried with onions and peppers — Georgia's most beloved family-style dish, named for its purpose: shared.
About This Recipe
Ojakhuri literally means 'family-style' — a one-pan dish of pork (sometimes chicken or beef), potatoes, onions and peppers, fried hard until everything is crispy at the edges. It's the dish ordered for the whole table at Georgian taverns, eaten directly from a hot ketsi (clay pan). Simple, satisfying, deeply Georgian.
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 500 gpork shoulder(cubed)
- 600 gpotatoes(peeled, cut into wedges)
- 2 largeonions(thickly sliced)
- 2red bell peppers(sliced)
- 4 clovesgarlic(thinly sliced)
- 1 tspsalt
- 1 tspfreshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsppaprika
- 1/2 tspblue fenugreek (utskho suneli)(or ground fenugreek)
- 1/2 tspdried summer savory(optional)
- 60 mlvegetable oil
- 1 small bunchfresh coriander and parsley(chopped)
- Pickled vegetables, to serve
Instructions
- 1
Pre-fry potatoes
Boil potato wedges 8 min until just tender. Drain and pat dry. Fry in 30ml oil 8 min until golden and crisp. Set aside.
- 2
Fry pork
In the same pan, heat remaining oil. Add pork cubes and brown well 10 min.
- 3
Add aromatics
Add onions, peppers and garlic. Fry 8 min until softened and starting to caramelise.
- 4
Combine
Return potatoes to pan. Sprinkle salt, pepper, paprika, fenugreek, summer savory. Toss everything together.
- 5
Crisp up
Cook 5 min on high heat to crisp edges and unify flavours.
- 6
Finish
Sprinkle with chopped herbs. Adjust salt.
- 7
Serve
Bring the whole pan to the table. Serve with pickled vegetables and crusty bread.
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Pro Tips
- →
Get the pork well browned before adding vegetables — that's where the depth comes from.
- →
Serve straight from the pan — the dish is meant to be communal.
Variations
- •
Chicken ojakhuri: use 500g chicken thighs, reduce browning to 6 min
- •
Beef ojakhuri: use beef chuck, increase browning + 200ml broth, simmer 30 min
- •
Add mushrooms in step 3 for an earthy version
Storage
Refrigerate 3 days. Reheat in a hot pan to re-crisp.
History & Origin
Ojakhuri grew out of Georgian tavern (samikitno) culture — a hearty one-pan meal designed for groups. The traditional version is cooked in a ketsi, an unglazed clay pan that retains heat dramatically. It's a fixture on every Georgian restaurant menu.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I do it all in one pan?
Yes but pork releases water that prevents potato crisping. Pre-frying potatoes separately is the trick.
Authentic spice blend?
Khmeli suneli — a Georgian spice blend of marigold, blue fenugreek, coriander, summer savory, dill — is the most authentic. One tablespoon replaces individual spices.
Can I make it with beef instead of pork?
Yes — use beef chuck, brown it well, then add 200ml broth and simmer 30 minutes before combining with the potatoes so it turns tender.
How do I keep the potatoes crisp when reheating?
Reheat in a hot, dry pan rather than the microwave — that recrisps the edges instead of steaming them soft.
Nutrition Facts
Per serving · 4 servings total
Time Summary
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