Kharcho soup - a classic homemade recipe

Kharcho soup is a national Georgian dish, distinguished from other soups by its thick consistency and abundance of fragrant and aromatic seasonings. To prepare traditional kharcho, beef is mainly used, however, aromatic and rich soup is also prepared from chicken, lamb and pork. Following the time and step-by-step cooking scheme will allow you to get an excellent dish with an incomparable taste.

How long to cook kharcho soup until done

Kharcho is a Georgian dish of meat cooked in a sauce made from grated walnuts. Kharcho soup is a very nourishing and thick dish, the main ingredients of which are beef, rice, plum sauce (tkemali), ground walnuts (100 grams per 2 liters of broth). In kharcho you can put a lot of herbs to taste, as well as various hot seasonings and garlic. Preparing kharcho soup is not difficult, you just need to follow the cooking sequence and choose quality ingredients for the dish.

The total cooking time for kharcho soup is approximately 2 hours 30 minutes. Cooking begins by boiling the meat. For kharcho, it is recommended to use brisket or ribs, since such meat is fattier and the broth is richer. The meat is cut into medium-sized pieces, poured with cold water and cooked over moderate heat for about 1-2 hours (readiness time depends on the age of the animal and the selected piece of beef). While the meat is boiling, prepare the frying using pre-peeled vegetables (onions, tomatoes, carrots) and seasonings. The frying takes about 15 minutes to prepare.

The finished meat is removed from the pan, bones are removed, and cut into pieces. The meat must be well cooked so that it can be easily separated into fibers. Put the meat back into the strained broth, rice pre-soaked for 15 minutes, fry it, put the pan on low heat and cook for 20 minutes, adding hot pepper, peeled from seeds. During this time, the rice boils and gives the soup thickness. Chopped herbs and garlic are mixed and added to the pan 3 - 5 minutes until the soup is completely ready. Before serving, it is recommended to let the soup sit for 10 minutes under a closed lid.

Soup ingredients

• Ingredients;
• 400 grams of beef on the bone;
• 4 tablespoons rice;
• 3 tablespoons of tkemali (or a piece of tklapi ¼ A4 sheet);
• ½ cup walnuts;
• 1 head of garlic;
• 1 bunch of parsley;
• 1 bunch of cilantro;
• 1 teaspoon khmeli-suneli.

How to choose products for kharcho soup

Begin preparing kharcho soup by selecting ingredients. Beef for broth for real kharcho should be only the freshest and highest quality. Very fatty beef, as is usually written in recipes, should not be used, it is not entirely healthy and excess fat will not allow the flavor to fully develop.

Broth for a cook can be compared to a canvas for an artist. A perfect portrait will look ugly if the canvas is poorly primed. The purpose of the broth is to convey to the guest the range of emotions that the chef put into his culinary masterpiece.

For rich kharcho soup, it is better to choose beef on the bone. The meat should be dense and elastic, and free of foreign odors. In natural light, beef has a light red color without a grayish or greenish tint. The broth from the meat of an old animal is more flavorful, but the meat itself is tougher.

Bouillon recipe

There are two completely opposite views on the same product - the first broth for kharcho. All cooks are divided into two camps: those who believe that during the first cooking, meat releases all the most harmful substances into the water, and those who believe that the first one tastes richer and contains the most beneficial amino acids and trace elements. Everyone chooses their own camp. Only one recipe can be considered universal; if you are not 100% sure of the quality of the beef, then it is better to drain the first one.

Rice recipe

You can use any rice, but short-grain rice is best suited for kharcho. The grains of this rice, round and thick, boil well. Due to the peculiarities of processing, the grains undergo mechanical grinding, after which fine rice dust remains on the grains. The layer of dust from the grains must be washed off by rinsing the rice well in water 5-6 times or soaking it for 20 minutes.

Tkemali

Nowadays it is almost impossible to taste Georgian kharcho soup cooked with real tklapi. An excellent substitute for tklapi is tkemali sauce. It is easy to prepare at home, but you can also use ready-made one. Vinegar or citric acid are the simplest, but not the most delicious and healthy, products that can add sourness, which is mandatory for Georgian kharcho soup.

How to cook kharcho soup at home

If you have the right ingredients on hand, you can prepare real kharcho soup at home. Cooking time is approximately 2 hours 30 minutes. To prepare a classic version of homemade kharcho soup you need to take:

• 500 g beef on the bones;
• 2 pcs onions;
• 6 tbsp. l. round rice;
• 100 g walnuts;
• 250 g tomato sauce;
• 30 g each of tkemali and adjika;
• 3 cloves of garlic;
• 20 mg vegetable oil;
• 10 g each of suneli hops and paprika;
• herbs, salt, peppercorns and bay leaf to taste.

Cooking sequence:

1. The beef with the bone is thoroughly washed, divided into pieces, placed in a saucepan and filled with 3 liters of water.
2. The meat is cooked over medium heat. The resulting foam is removed with a slotted spoon, then the heat is reduced, salt is added (it is recommended to add a small amount of salt, since adjika can be salty) and continue to cook under a closed lid until fully cooked, about 2 hours.
3. The onion is peeled, washed, cut into cubes, sauteed in a frying pan in vegetable oil until transparent.
4. Add tomato sauce, adjika, plum sauce (tkemali) to the onion and mix. The resulting composition is simmered over low heat for 10 minutes.
5. The finished meat is removed from the broth. Add roast and spices to the strained broth, check the soup for salt, and add salt if necessary.
6. It is recommended to soak the rice in cold water for 15 minutes before adding it to the soup. Rice can also be added unsoaked by rinsing it several times in cold water.
7. The beef is separated from the bones; if a large piece of meat was used, it is divided into small portions and placed back into the soup.
8. Walnuts are fried in a dry frying pan, then crushed in a mortar.
9. The greens are washed, drained in a colander to allow excess water to drain, then finely chopped and mixed with chopped garlic.
10. Add nuts and a mixture of herbs and garlic to the soup, bring to a boil and turn off the heat. The kharcho is left to stand so that the flavors mix well.

Classic kharcho soup can be served with Georgian bread (shotis-puri). This is a hearty dish that can be served on a holiday table, especially when lovers of distinct tastes and spicy foods gather at the table.

How to cook pork kharcho

Kharcho has become a part of many people's diets. Every housewife probably has her own personal recipe for this wonderful soup. Some cook with the addition of beef, others with a lot of aromatic spices and hot additives, and still others know the option without potatoes. Below is a recipe for kharcho with pork. It’s easy to prepare, even an inexperienced housewife can handle it. And when finished, it turns out incredibly aromatic, rich and incredibly appetizing. The composition is inexpensive and accessible to everyone.

Ingredients:

• short grain rice – 60 g;
• pork meat - a small piece;
• potatoes – 3 pcs.;
• onion – 1 pc.;
• carrot – 1 pc.;
• garlic – 7 cloves;
• vegetable oil – 70 ml;
• tomato paste – 40 g;
• spicy adjika – 1 tbsp. l.;
• chili pepper – 1 pinch;
• salt - to taste;
• dill greens - 3 sprigs.

For this recipe, meat must be taken with a small amount of fat, so the dish will be more rich and tasty.

Step-by-step preparation:

1. Place pork in a saucepan, add cold water, and place over moderate heat. After boiling, boil the meat for 15-20 minutes, then drain the water, pour clean meat over it and cook after boiling until soft.
2. Peel the onion, carrot, wash it, chop the onion into crumbs, chop the carrot on a coarse grater.
3. Peel the potatoes, wash them, cut them into small squares.
4. Chop the peeled garlic with a knife (you can use a garlic press).
5. Heat oil in a frying pan, add chopped onion, fry until light golden brown.
6. Add the onions and carrots to the pan, mix everything, fry for another 7 minutes.
7. Add tomato paste to the fried vegetables, stir, heat for about 3 minutes.
8. After the vegetables and tomato paste have warmed up, add spicy adjika. Mix everything and heat a little over low heat. Instead of spicy adjika, it is permissible to add any spices you wish, aromatic or spicy. It all depends on personal preference.
9. Add chili pepper to the fried vegetables, mix everything (can be replaced with regular red ground). Warm the mass a little and turn off the heat, the frying for the kharcho is ready.
10. Remove the soft meat from the pan, cut into small pieces, put back into the broth, add potatoes at the same time, lightly add salt, and cook for 10 minutes.
11. Place the fried vegetables in the kharcho, boil lightly and add rice, cover the pan with a lid, and simmer for about 6 minutes. When cooking rice, be sure to remove the foam. Rice groats should be slightly hard, since after infusion they will become fully cooked on their own.

12. After adding the vegetable frying, you need to adjust the kharcho well for salt and spices, if it is not enough, add another small portion.
13. At the very end, add dill, chop with a knife (you can dry or frozen), garlic, boil the kharcho for another 1 minute. Turn off the fire.

Cover the kharcho with a lid and leave for 15 minutes. Can be served.

How to cook beef kharcho

Today we will prepare a delicious, hearty kharcho soup. Walnuts and other spices are usually added to the classic Georgian soup, but we will change the recipe a little.

Ingredients:

• beef shoulder - 0.5 kg;
• 3 boiled eggs;
• rice - 4 tbsp;
• onions - 2 pcs;
• khmeli-suneli seasoning;
• fresh herbs (cilantro, dill);
• garlic, bay leaf;
• ground black and red pepper;
• salt;
• tkemali sauce (or tomato paste).

Step by step recipe:

1. Kharcho has a rich, thick broth, so for these purposes we used beef shoulder. We wash the meat and cut it into large pieces. After that, put them in cold water.
2. Pour 2 liters of water into a pan and take 0.5 beef. When the broth boils, remove the foam, turn down the heat and leave it to cook for another 1.5 hours.
3. While the broth is cooking, take unpolished rice, rinse it thoroughly, and fill it with cold water. It will stand for about 1.5 hours filled with cold water.
4. While the broth is cooking, cut the onion into small cubes and fry it together with black and red pepper in a frying pan. Fry it over low heat.
5. Pour any vegetable oil into a preheated frying pan and add onions to it. By the way, to make the onions fry faster, you can add 1 tablespoon of broth to the frying pan.
6. Finely chop parsley, cilantro and dill. Grind the walnuts in a meat grinder using a small sieve. Take tomato paste (70 grams), dilute it with hot broth and add a little onion. Let's put everything out for another 5 minutes.
7. Add a little red and black pepper to the diluted tomato paste. Literally a pinch of each. Mix everything and add to the onion. 1.5 hours have passed - the broth is ready. We take out the meat from it, you can throw away the onion.
8. Strain the beef broth and pour the entire contents into a large saucepan.
9. Throw in the rice. Unpolished rice will take 30 minutes to cook, and regular rice will take 20. Add chopped beef to the rice and leave to cook for 20 minutes.
10. Now you can add our dressing - onions with tomato paste. Let the kharcho boil thoroughly for 10 minutes and now you can add ground nuts and seasoning.

11. Khmeli-suneli is a spicy seasoning, so you should try it first. And so you need 2 teaspoons.
12. Mix the kharcho. Throw in 2 bay leaves and garlic.
13. At the end, add salt, add garlic, herbs and turn everything off.
14. The beef kharcho needs to sit for 15 minutes and you can safely pour it into plates.

How to choose the right products

1. To choose high-quality and fresh meat for soup, you should go directly to the butchers at the market early in the morning. The cutting takes place before your eyes; you can ask to select a piece specifically for kharcho.
2. In winter, finding fragrant greens is not always easy. Therefore, you can freeze several chopped bunches of cilantro and parsley. The greens keep well, and they don’t need to be thawed before adding them to the soup.
3. Original sauces can be found in national grocery stores or from grandmothers who prepare pickles and preserves. When choosing tkemali in the supermarket, pay attention to its composition. Often the taste of vinegar or citric acid predominates in it.
4. Instead of pure meat, you can use beef ribs with a good layer of meat. In this case, you will need 700 g of product.
5. Plum paste can be replaced with tkemali sauce in equal proportions.
6. When choosing rice, pay attention that it is not chopped or steamed cereal. The most common varieties will do, including Jasmine and Basmati.

How to cook lamb kharcho

It is impossible to imagine Georgian cuisine without the famous kharcho soup. The thick and very satisfying soup was traditionally prepared only from beef. But nowadays, many people are now replacing beef with chicken, pork or lamb. To make the broth meaty and rich, it is recommended to use meat on the bone. Here is one of the recipes for delicious lamb kharcho.

Ingredients:

• lamb (shoulder, neck or front leg) – 500-700 g;
• onions - 2 pcs;
• carrots - 1 piece;
• rice - 200-250 g;
• garlic - 1 clove;
• greens (cilantro, dill, parsley);
• spices “Caucasian herbs”;
• tomato paste;
• salt and pepper to taste.

Cooking method:

1. Peel the carrots, onions and garlic in advance.
2. Wash the lamb and cut it into small pieces. Fry for 10-15 minutes in a small amount of sunflower oil, stirring occasionally so that the meat does not burn.
3. While the meat is frying, put a pan of water on the fire.
4. The meat should be fried just by the time the water in the pan boils.
5. Transfer the meat to boiling water. During the cooking process, do not forget to remove the foam with a slotted spoon. The cooking time for lamb should not be less than 1 hour.
6. Chop onions and carrots. Then fry the vegetables in sunflower oil until golden brown. Then we put them in a pan with meat.
7. Now let's put the rice to cook.
8. At the same time, you can start preparing the dressing for the kharcho. Pre-washed and dried greens and a clove of garlic are finely chopped and fried in sunflower oil. 5 minutes will be enough. Be sure to stir.
9. Add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste and 1 tablespoon of Caucasian herbs seasoning to the greens.
10. Mix everything thoroughly and simmer over low heat for 5-10 minutes. If the dressing starts to burn a little, add a little water.
11. Place the prepared dressing into the pan.
12. Cook the rice until half cooked. Place it in a colander and be sure to rinse it well.
13. Add salt and pepper to the kharcho to taste.
14. Now all that remains is to add rice to the kharcho, controlling its thickness.
15. As soon as the contents of the pan boil, reduce the heat and cook for 5-7 minutes.

Appetizing and aromatic lamb kharcho is ready!

Kharcho in a slow cooker

Pamper your household with Georgian soup today and prepare for them aromatic, fresh, rich kharcho in a slow cooker! Ingredients:

• Beef (ribs) - 0.5 kg.
• Walnut kernels - 100 gr.
• Rice (not scalded) - 250 gr.
• Onions (medium size) - 2 pcs.
• Garlic - 3 cloves.
• Tkemali sauce - 100 gr.
• Tomatoes - 3 pcs. medium size.
• Water - 2 liters.
• Sunflower oil - 2 tbsp. spoons.
• Bay leaf - 2 pcs.
• Red pepper (ground) - 1 teaspoon.
• Salt and ground black pepper - to taste.
• Parsley - 1 bunch.
• Preparation:

Preparation:

1. We wash the rice and vegetables well, peel them (including tomatoes).
2. Finely chop the onion; Cut the potatoes into small cubes or slices. Grind the walnuts.
3. Pour oil into the multicooker bowl and turn on the “Baking” mode. We send the sliced ​​onions along with the beef ribs to fry. The duration of the process is 15 minutes.
4. Switch the multicooker to the “Stew” or “Soup” mode (depending on the device model) for 1 hour and add: rice, potatoes, tomatoes, add bay leaves, nuts, pepper, salt. Fill it all with two liters of water.
5. 15 minutes before the end of the programmed time, you need to add finely chopped (or squeezed) garlic and tkemali sauce.
6. After the signal, let the kharcho soup brew a little in the heating mode: 10-15 minutes will be enough.
7. Now you can pour into plates. Be sure to generously supply each serving with chopped parsley. Be sure to eat it with lavash!!