Spices for kharcho: composition and proportions, classic kharcho recipe, chef's advice

From this article you will learn everything about spices for kharcho, how to cook delicious Georgian soup correctly, what components are included in its composition, cooking technology and a recipe with video.

Georgian cuisine is known all over the world - some national dishes are considered the heritage of the country.

Their specificity is that they are rich in seasonings, spices, and often flavored with thick and aromatic sauces.

Soups that are easy to prepare at home also have an original taste. The question of how to choose spices for kharcho will be discussed below.

What is remarkable about Georgian cuisine?

Georgian cuisine has some specific features that, for certain reasons, were not reflected in other regions of Transcaucasia.

Georgians have a high tolerance for different types of meat, poultry and fish. There are recipes where these products are combined in different combinations, but dishes with the isolated use of animal products with a unique combination of spices have received greater recognition in world practice. For example, classic chanakhi is made from lamb, and chakhokhbili is made from poultry.

A variety of nuts is another feature of Georgian cuisine. At the same time, they are often used not as spices, but as the basis of sauces, which is well manifested in satsivi. In general, nuts are present in almost all recipes of Georgian cuisine.

The most subtle, but most noticeable feature of cooking in Sakartkvelo is the sour base of first courses. This allows you to achieve a high density of soups, with minimal inclusion of vegetable components in their composition. At the same time, the acidic environment is formed not by ordinary vinegar, but exclusively by fruit and berry sauces obtained from blackberries, pomegranates, cherry plums, tkemali, and barberries by evaporating their juice.

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Fresh herbs are always present on the table during meals. And dried spices in various combinations distinguish Georgian cuisine from the culinary traditions of Transcaucasia.

Products for 2.5 liters of water:

500 g fatty beef;
2 medium sized onions;
1 medium carrot;
a little less than half a glass of rice (it is better to choose long grain);
half a glass of shelled walnuts;
2 tbsp. l. tkemali (can be replaced with natural pomegranate juice in the same proportions);
garlic - 5 cloves and a bunch of cilantro, parsley;
Classic kharcho cannot be prepared without seasonings - take a teaspoon of salt and the same amount of hops-suneli, 2 bay leaves, 2/3 spoon of ground coriander and a pinch of red pepper, saffron.

Important! Some photos of the classic recipe for kharcho soup may give the wrong idea about its consistency. This dish turns out thicker than borscht and any other soup.

What is kharcho soup?

The combination “kharcho soup” itself sounds as illiterate as “shchi soup” or “rassolnik soup”. The classification of this dish more clearly emphasizes the tautology.

Kharcho is a soup of traditional East Georgian cuisine, in which the required ingredients must be:

Walnuts;
Beef (or veal);
Tklapi (sour base);
Rice;
A set of spices for kharcho.

In this case, the first two components cannot be replaced! The ancient Georgian name for kharcho is “dzrokhis khortsi kharchshot”, literally translated as “beef soup”.

But the point is not even in the name, but in the combination of different flavors that form a complex organoleptic range of sensations. Unleavened rice in soft beef broth is saturated with the natural sourness of tkemali, slightly offset by the astringent taste of nuts and complemented by seasonings for kharcho - a soup that cannot be confused with any other dish.

Tklapi is evaporated and dried cherry plum pulp. This spice is rarely found outside of Georgia, and it is more rational to use tkemali. But you can replace it with another sour base, for example, cherry plum berries, unsweetened plums, pomegranate or lemon juice. Variation with herbs is also allowed, as this does not distort the traditional taste of kharcho.

History of the dish

According to researchers, the history of kharcho begins a little more than 3 thousand years ago, in the ancient state of Diaokha, which was located on the territory of modern Georgia. It was then that the unchangeable foundation of kharcho was formed: beef + tkemali + nuts. Of course, the spices necessary for kharcho were also present, but among them were not those seasonings that were introduced into Transcaucasia after the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries, such as black and red pepper, basil.

Rice was also not in the original composition of the classic soup recipe; it was supplied from Byzantium only from the 5-6th century, was expensive, and was not widespread among the population. It is more likely that chumiza or even millet was added to the kharcho.

Other seasoning options for kharcho

In addition to the seasonings listed above, there are recipes for soup in which a little tkemali sauce and corn flour are added. The spice set additionally includes:

a small amount of cinnamon;
cumin, allspice or pink pepper;
saffron, dill seeds.

For this Georgian soup there are practically no seasonings that can spoil its taste. Each spice gives its own nuance in a huge bouquet of tastes and aromas.

The only rule for those who want to cook kharcho: you don’t need to add too many seasonings. There should be just enough of them so that you can feel the taste and smell of the original product: meat, tkemali, rice.

At the same time, it is important and necessary to enjoy the rich flavor that seasonings for kharcho provide. Most of them need to be added just before the end of cooking.

You should not overdo it with bay leaves: it is better to add less of it. Otherwise, the dish will not have an original taste.

You should always buy only original seasonings. To do this, it is better to visit specialized stores. Cheap spices can even ruin the taste of the dish.

The best spices for kharcho soup

In the classic recipe, spices for kharcho must not only be selected correctly, but also added in a timely manner.

Important! Spices are not added immediately, but in three stages. At different stages of preparing classic kharcho, they add their own mixture of spices.

In Georgia, special sets of spices are sold - “Kharchos-suneli”, just for home cooking, so as not to collect them yourself. The complete set of all flavoring additives looks like this:

Khmeli-suneli;
Coriander seed;
Black pepper;
Red pepper;
Bay leaf;
Imereti saffron (Knikus);
Cilantro;
Basil;
Parsley root and greens;
Garlic.

The spices necessary for kharcho soup can be replaced or even excluded. For example, Imeretian saffron is not a spice, but a seasoning. It is added in tiny doses, and its absence can only be noticed by a professional taster. Basil can be replaced with celery, and cilantro with dill.

There should be a lot of herbs! For 3 liters of soup, about a third of a glass.

Spice, spices, seasonings - is there a difference?

These terms refer to different categories of culinary additives:

Seasoning affects only the taste, does not have a strong aroma and does not change it in the dish. Responsible for five tastes and their combination. Seasonings can act as independent dishes, for example, tomato paste, tkemali or pomegranate juice.

Spices have an individual and specific aroma, are used in very small quantities, and almost always have a pungent taste. They enhance the secretion of the gastrointestinal tract, increase appetite, food digestibility and have a positive effect on the psycho-emotional state. It is thanks to the spices that the finished dish receives its unique aroma and aftertaste.

Spices is a general, everyday name for spices and seasonings most widely used in cooking.

Kharcho with vinegar and tomatoes

Ingredients:

Lamb on the bone - one kilogram.
Rice - 100 grams.
Fresh tomatoes - six pieces.
Carrots and onions - one each.
Cilantro - medium bunch.
Garlic - a whole head.
Apple cider vinegar - one teaspoon.
Ground red and black pepper, salt, coriander, suneli hops to your taste.
Ghee butter - two tablespoons.

Cooking method:

Cut onions and carrots into rings.
Finely chop the cilantro and garlic.
Make a puree from the tomatoes.
Cut the meat into small pieces and fry in oil in a deep pan for about 10 minutes until lightly browned.
Next, pour vinegar over the lamb, add vegetables and all the spices, and stir. Simmer for a couple of minutes.
Now fill the mixture with tomato puree and add half the greens. Bring everything to a boil.
Fill everything with two liters of water, put the heat on low and cook for an hour from the moment it boils.
About 10 minutes before cooking, add well-washed rice.
At the end of cooking, add the garlic and the remaining half of the cilantro. Turn off the heat and leave the soup covered for a quarter of an hour.

Classic kharcho recipe

Cooking time 2.5-3 hours, volume 2.5-3 liters.

Ingredients:

Juicy beef or veal - 0.5 kg. The ideal option is brisket.
Tkemali - 50 gr., or 10 cherry plum berries, or 100 gr. sour pomegranate juice.
Long grain rice - 150 gr.
Onions - 4 medium heads.
Walnut – 150 gr.
Wheat flour - 30 gr.
Seasonings and spices for kharcho:
Coriander seed - 0.5 tsp.
Black pepper - 10-12 peas.
Red pepper - 0.5-1 tsp (depending on the heat).
Bay leaf - 3 pcs.
Imereti saffron (Knikus) - on the tip of a knife. Use is recommended, but not required.
Cilantro - 1 tbsp. l.
Basil - 0.5 tbsp. l.
Parsley root - 1 pc.
Parsley - 2.5 tbsp. l.
Garlic - 1 head.

You need to prepare kharcho in three stages:

The meat is cut into pieces the size of half a matchbox or a little larger, filled with cold water and placed on medium heat. After boiling, reduce the heat intensity slightly and leave the brew for 2 hours.
Place the meat on a plate and remove the foam from the broth (you can strain it). Heat to a boil again and add pre-washed rice.
As soon as the broth boils, dip the meat into it and leave on low heat for 10 minutes.
During this time, you should fry the onion, cut into thin half rings, until golden brown with flour. After 10 minutes, introduce the first part of the spices:
- Fried onions;
Black pepper (crush the peas!);
Coriander.

After another 5 minutes, add chopped walnuts and bay leaves.

The addition of the sour base should occur approximately 10 minutes after introducing the rice. Tkemali is diluted with a small amount of broth, the cherry plum is rubbed through a strainer, pomegranate juice can be poured in in a thin stream while stirring.
Together with the sour base, the second share of spices is added:
- Khmeli-suneli;
Parsley;
Imereti saffron (if available).

The maximum time spent on the stove after introducing tkemali is 5 minutes! Immediately after removing from the heat, add the last seasoning for kharcho:

Cilantro;
Basil;
Crushed garlic;

Cover the pot with soup and let it brew for 10 minutes.

Chef's Tips

Daria Sakharovskaya

Founder and owner of the House of Spices and Herbs "World of Spices".

Ask a Question

Question to the expert

At what stage do you add walnuts?

10-15 minutes before cooking, together with herbs, if the composition of the spices for the kharcho is selected independently.

What parts of chicken are suitable for Georgian soup?

Any (back, thighs, legs, breast). However, poultry is rarely used for soup, usually by those who need dietary nutrition.

How to remove the unpleasant smell of lamb?

Soak in water with a little vinegar added.

Features of cooking with other types of meat

Kharcho made from pork, or from any other meat, is the same culinary misunderstanding as beef stroganoff from lamb, chicken stew or horse meat soup.

As described above, the meaning of kharcho is precisely the sour-based beef broth with nuts. In principle, no one forbids replacing ingredients; every housewife is a Napoleon in her kitchen.

But the specific features of other types of meat change the taste and aroma of real Georgian kharcho soup so much that Waterloo may seem on the horizon.

Lamb has more refractory fat and a specific taste. Lamb kharcho will require increasing the amount of sour sauce and spices. Their volume is determined empirically.

Chicken kharcho should be cooked half as much so that the structure of the meat does not collapse. The broth will not be as rich; you will need to reduce the acidic component and experiment with spices. To thicken the finished dish, take twice as much flour and rice.

Pork will require the least changes to the classic kharcho recipe. But there will be much more fat, so you need to add twice as much garlic and increase the volume of red and black pepper by a third.

How to make lamb soup tastier?

Gourmets love lamb dishes and prefer kharcho made from this type of meat. Although in fairness it must be said that real kharcho soup is made from beef, and not from lamb. Lamb has a specific taste and smell.

The meat is cooked for about 2 hours. Only after this the necessary spices and other ingredients are added. There must be a small fire.

If you fry the lamb before, the cooking time of the broth is significantly reduced. To soften the specific smell of this meat, the following spices are added to the soup:

garlic, onion, cumin;
cilantro, pepper, parsley.

If you need to make the soup more spicy, add hot pepper, which is cut into slices. Its quantity is reduced or a ground version of the seasoning is used if the finished dish should be of moderate spiciness.

How to cook tklapi

The original taste of sour lavash with plums, pieces of which are added to kharcho, gives a unique flavor to the Georgian dish. To prepare tklapi you need sour plums, the Ugorka variety. The cooking process is quite simple; even a novice housewife can easily prepare the original plum pita bread.

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What to do:

Wash the fruits thoroughly, remove the seeds, cut lengthwise into 2 parts;
place the plums in a saucepan, add water so that the liquid level is one or two fingers higher than the fruit mass;
boil the base for tklapi, simmer for a third of an hour over low heat until the plums become soft;
Place the fruit mixture in a colander to drain excess liquid;
Line a baking sheet or large cutting board with parchment, spread the plum base so that the layer is thin;
place the baking tray with sour puree in the sun;
After two days, the fruit pita bread is ready. The original flatbread is used not only for kharcho, but also for salads and main courses.

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