Kharcho Soup

Kharcho Soup

Kharcho is a thick, tangy Georgian beef soup with rice, walnuts and spices. The traditional sourness comes from tklapi — a dried sheet of plum puree — or from tkemali. The recipe adapts this part to a product you can buy in Israel without replacing it with tomato paste alone.

Prep time: 25 minutes · Cooking time: about two hours · Yield: 8 large bowls · Difficulty: medium

The rice goes in only when the meat is almost tender

Rice needs about 20 minutes, not two hours. Adding it early breaks it down and thickens the soup into porridge. Cook the beef first, add the rice at the end and bear in mind that the soup will keep thickening in the fridge.

Ingredients (for 8 servings)

• 900 grams beef for long cooking, shoulder (Israeli cut no. 5) or shank (cut no. 8), in cubes
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 3 medium onions, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, crushed
• 200 grams white rice, rinsed
• 200 grams ground walnuts
• 200 ml tkemali sauce plus 1.8 liters water
• 100 grams tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon ground fenugreek, 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon chili, to taste
• A bunch of chopped cilantro
• Salt and black pepper

Choosing ingredients and substitutes

Tkemali is sold in delis run by immigrants from Georgia and in chain stores. Check the saltiness, sugar and kashrut; if it is not available, use 250 grams of pitted sour plums, 2 tablespoons of lemon and extra water. Don’t add cream — the soup is a meat dish and the walnuts provide body.

Allergy warning: the recipe contains a significant amount of walnuts; do not serve it to anyone with a nut allergy, and prevent cross-contamination on utensils and work surfaces.

Method

1. Brown the meat. Heat the oil in a heavy pot and brown the cubes in batches. Remove them and fry the onion for 8 minutes.
2. Bloom the base. Add the tomato paste, garlic and spices and fry for 2 minutes. Return the meat and pour in the water and tkemali.
3. Tenderize. Bring to a boil, skim the foam, partially cover and cook at a low simmer for 75–100 minutes, until the meat is almost tender.
4. Add the rice. Add the rice and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add the walnuts. Mix the walnuts with a ladle of liquid, pour into the pot and cook for another 8–10 minutes, until the rice is tender.
6. Finish. Add the cilantro, taste for sourness and salt and turn off the heat. Let stand 15 minutes; thin with boiling water if too thick.

Nutrition facts and calorie estimate

The calculation includes all the oil and walnuts. A lean cut of beef can cut about 50 calories per bowl. Bread is not included.

Variations and tips

• The soup thickens when chilled; keep boiling water on hand to thin it when reheating.
• Tkemali varies greatly between brands. Start with 150 ml and taste before adding the rest.
• Keeps for 4 days in the fridge or two months frozen, though the rice softens.

Summary

Kharcho is balanced between meat, walnuts and plum sourness; it is not an ordinary tomato soup. A large bowl is about 595 calories. See also khinkali and the rest of Georgian cuisine.