Mujdei
“A pungent Romanian garlic sauce of raw garlic pounded with salt and loosened with oil or water (sometimes broth), used as a fiery condiment for grilled meats, fried fish, polenta and roast chicken.”
Where it comes from
Mujdei is the pungent garlic sauce of the Romanian table, its name from must de ai, 'garlic juice' — crushed garlic loosened with oil, water or broth. A fierce companion to grilled meat and fish, it is country cooking's answer to a sauce.
On the plate
Raw and ferociously garlicky, it hits sharp and hot up front, then the oil rounds it into a creamy, savory slick. A little goes a long way; smeared on grilled meat it cuts through fat with a bracing pungency.
How it works
Crushing garlic ruptures its cells so the enzyme alliinase generates pungent allicin, and pounding with salt both grinds the cloves and draws out their juices into a paste. Oil emulsifies the sauce and mellows the raw bite while carrying the aroma.
Variations
Thinned with broth for serving over fish; made richer with mashed boiled potato or a little bread; some add vinegar or hot pepper for extra bite.
On the Palate
Ingredients
Serves 6How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓10 min active · 15 min waiting
How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓- 14 min
Peel a generous quantity of fresh garlic cloves.
- 21 min
Add a good pinch of coarse salt to act as an abrasive.
- 35 min
Pound the garlic and salt in a mortar into a smooth, sticky paste.
- 43 min
Drizzle in oil little by little while pounding, working it into the paste.
- 52 min
Loosen to a pourable sauce with water or warm broth, mixing well.
- 62 min
Taste and adjust salt, and add a splash of vinegar if a tangier sauce is wanted.
- 715 min
Let it stand a few minutes for the flavors to meld and mellow slightly.
- 81 min
Serve at room temperature alongside grilled meats, fried fish or polenta.
