How To Cook Churchkhela - Recipe

Author: Ivan Red Jr. Time for reading: ~2 minutes Last Updated: August 08, 2022

Learn how to cook "Чурчхела (мъстеница, балсуджук)". Delicious recipe.

Churchkhelata is a Georgian dessert made from nuts wrapped in grape jelly. A similar sweetness with a very small difference in the recipe is prepared in Bulgaria under the name of buttermilk or balsujuk. Where the dessert comes from and in which area it is most common is unknown.

Here's how to make churchkhela, or balsujuk in other words :

Required products :

50 grams of walnuts or 100 grams of hazelnuts
1.5 liters of grape must juice (the juice obtained from the preparation of wine)
300 grams of flour
3 tablespoons sugar
needle and end

Method of preparation :

Roast the nuts in a hot pan for 2-3 minutes, remove from the heat and allow to cool briefly. They should be slightly warm so that you can work with them calmly. It is advisable, if you use hazelnuts, to peel them.

Thread a thicker thread (double) into a large needle and string 25 nuts, and tie the end of the thread so that it can later be used as a hanger.

Mix the sugar and flour in a bowl, add 500 milliliters of grape juice and mix with a spatula. When combined, blend with a blender to obtain a completely smooth consistency.

Put the remaining juice in a deep saucepan and carefully pour the flour mixture, stirring constantly.

Heat and cook until the mixture thickens. Once it boils, reduce the temperature and cook for 8-10 minutes. The sauce should thicken and not taste like flour.

When a thick sticky consistency is reached, it is time to carefully dip the nuts, holding on to the thread. Help yourself with a wooden spoon to cover them well with the glaze.

Remove the nuts by pulling on the thread. If the consistency is correct, the glaze should drip, but at the same time it should cover the nuts well. If you want a thicker fruit layer, dip again.

Hang high where there is no danger of the pod touching foreign objects, and let it dry for 3-4 days.

You can consume it when it hardens, or wrap it in a towel and store it for 2-3 months, during which time a thin layer of sugar will form on it, which is normal.

For the Bulgarian version, increase the amount of sugar to 1 teaspoon, and replace the flour with 1 packet of starch, add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, and the rest is in the same steps.

How To Cook Churchkhela - Recipe

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