Beef Kharcho Soup: Recipe and Ingredients

Georgian dishes always have a special taste and aroma. Many people, when asked what dishes of Georgian cuisine they know, will call Kharcho soup the very first. In this they will be right. This soup is the most popular Georgian dish. The beef kharcho recipe is not very complicated, so it will not be difficult for experienced housewives to cook a dish. For beginners, soup will also seem simple if you follow a step by step recipe. There are many recipes for this dish - with a variety of meat, tomatoes and even nuts. The obligatory component of the soup is precisely the spices that are placed in it.

Recipe Description

Everyone knows that the classic beef kharcho soup comes from Georgia. This soup differs from other first courses in its ingredients. Of course, you will not surprise anyone with beef or lamb, but not every soup can find nuts. Another feature of this Georgian kharcho is cherry plum puree. This puree is called tkemali. The taste of the dish also depends on the seasonings added. In principle, each housewife can cook a different soup according to the same recipe.

The recipe for beef kharcho or any other meat can be slightly adapted to various conditions. So, for example, in places where cherry plum does not grow, tkemali was replaced with tomato sauce. Some cooks use pomegranate juice instead of tomato. Despite the fact that in the classic recipe, nuts are added to the dish, many do not use them at all. However, onions and rice are the constant components of this soup.

To get a more piquant taste, sprigs of dill, parsley and various spices are added to the soup. Be sure to have cilantro in it. Sun hop hops are added to most Georgian dishes.

Classic recipe

First you need to purchase the necessary products to cook beef kharcho. The classic recipe of the dish requires the following components:

• beef - 0.3 kg;
• 100 g of rice;
• a couple of onions;
• 150 g sauce;
• walnuts - a glass;
• garlic - 2 cloves;
• 3 bay leaves;
• a couple of spoons of suneli hop;
• salt, spices to taste;
• greens.

The sauce is used tkemali, but it can be replaced with ordinary satsebel. Apparently, there is nothing complicated to cook beef kharcho. The classic recipe does not require special (except tkemali) ingredients.

How to cook

When all the ingredients for the soup have been prepared, you can start cooking:

1. The first step is to put the beef to cook. Also add carrots, onions, peppers to the broth. Meat is cooked for a long time - at least two hours.
2. In the process of cooking, remove foam from the broth.
3. While the meat is cooked, you need to chop onions, carrots and chop nuts.
4. The next step is chopped greens, washed rice.
5. Onions are fried in a pan, tomato paste, suneli hops and garlic are added to it.
6. Cooked beef is diced.
7. Rice and beef are added to the broth. Also in the pan should be added ready frying and nuts.
8. Cook the soup before making rice.

Ready-made dish is recommended to let it brew, and only then serve.

Hot soup

There is another recipe for beef kharcho - spicy soup. This dish will surely appeal to lovers of spicy food. All the ingredients that are needed for cooking can be purchased at any store. So, for acute kharcho you will need these products:

• beef - 0.6 kg;
• 100 g of rice;
• two onions;
• sauce;
• salt, spices to taste;
• greens;
• garlic - 2 cloves;
• 3 bay leaves;
• tomato paste - a couple of spoons.

Cooking the soup takes 3 hours.

How to cook

Step-by-step preparation of beef kharcho:

1. The first step is to cut the meat into small slices.
2. Put it to cook. Still in the pan should be added lavrushka and spices. The cooking time is at least two hours.
3. The next step is to cook the rice. First, it should be washed a couple of times, and then put on fire.
4. Cut the garlic into thin slices, add the chili pepper to it and put in a pan with tomato paste, water and spices.
5. Then finely chopped onion. It, along with cooked rice, should be added to the meat pan.
6. The resulting mixture must be boiled for several minutes, then add frying to it.
7. After the dish is cooked for another 10 minutes.

Before serving, the soup needs 25-30 minutes to brew.

Dish in a slow cooker

Now many recipes adapt to the multicooker. Beef kharcho soup with rice was no exception. A crock-pot is an excellent assistant for every housewife, because you can cook the first, second, and even dessert in it. So, to cook kharcho soup in a slow cooker, you will need the same ingredients as for the classic recipe:

• rice
• meat;
• sauce;
• salt, herbs, spices.

The very principle of cooking is no different:

1. The first step is to cut the meat into pieces, put it in the bowl, and turn on the "Cooking" mode.
2. The second step is to fry the onions, tomato paste and sauce.
3. Rice is washed with water.
4. The next step is to add rice, frying and necessary spices to the meat of the multicooker.
5. All this needs to be mixed and put to cook in the "Cooking" mode.

Ready beef kharcho soup with rice is recommended to sprinkle with herbs.

What meat to choose

It is better to choose fatty meat for the first dishes, since soups need a thick and satisfying fat. Particular attention should be paid to meat quality. It should not have a foreign smell, sprawl, be pale in color. Meat should definitely be chosen young and chilled. The best for soups, including Georgian, are calf ribs. If necessary, beef can be replaced with any other.

Some expert advice

To get the most delicious soup, you must follow the recommendations of experienced chefs.

1. Meat for soup can not only be boiled, but also fried in a pan with onions and carrots. In this case, the dish will get a richer flavor.
2. Instead of tkemali, you can add fresh cherry plum to beef kharcho soup. This will give the dish more piquancy.
3. Some do not like greens, but as mentioned above, a rather large amount is always added to kharcho. In order not to spoil the taste of the dish, greens are recommended to be added individually to each plate.
4. When cooking, it is important to ensure that rice is not digested. You need to pay attention to its amount in the soup. If there is too much rice, then the soup will turn into porridge.
5. In order for Georgian beef kharcho to be rich and tasty, meat for the dish should be bought fat and on the bone. It is acceptable to replace the calf ribs for soup with any other fresh meat.
6. If purchased meat is put in the soup, then as soon as the water boils, the broth should be drained from it. So you can get rid of harmful substances that may be contained in the product.
7. To degrease a little dish, add a few slices of lemon or a couple of spoons of pomegranate juice.
8. Cooking is recommended in aluminum utensils.

The beef kharcho recipe is very simple to implement, almost everyone will cope with it. Any of the proposed recipes can be adapted to certain taste preferences. Those who like the dish hotter are advised to add more pepper. If you want to cook not too fat soup, then beef can be replaced with chicken. The main thing is not to be afraid to experiment.