Mujdei (Romanian Garlic Sauce)
Budget Recipes Romanian Sauces and Salsa
And since it has been - coincidentally - a week of simple recipes, what can be simpler and more basic than Romanian mujdei? Here is how I make the simplest mujdei for grilled fish, cornmeal-crusted fish, vegetables, or grilled pork neck, potato pies. If you want it spicy, you can add a roasted hot pepper when crushing the garlic, and if you want it more aromatic and milder, add a small roasted tomato. If this version is still too strong and you want something finer and lighter, I have another mujdei recipe, the one with sour cream.
Ingredients
1 head of garlic (about 10 cloves)
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons oil
3-4 tablespoons water
How to prepare mujdei (romanian garlic sauce)
- Hit the garlic cloves with the flat side of a knife and peel them. Then pass them through a press or chop finely with a knife.
- Put them in a mortar together with the salt and pound well until you get a fine puree. Add the pepper and paprika and blend.
- Slowly pour in the oil while mixing with the pestle. You will get an orange cream.
- Dilute the cream with water (for taste, so the mujdei is not so strong, but also for consistency). If you want, you can add some chopped herbs (parsley or dill).
