How to make Kharcho soup at home

Kharcho soup is considered a traditional Georgian dish. Generous housewives serve him to the table, wanting to please the guests. The first course recipe flew over many countries and was firmly rooted in the kitchen book of many families. According to tradition, kharcho is prepared on the basis of beef with the addition of chili peppers. However, for those who do not like spicy, you can exclude the burning component. Housewives use pork, chicken and lamb as meat, it all depends on personal preferences. Consider the popular cooking technologies in order.

Features of making kharcho soup

1. Kharcho is translated from the Georgian language as “beef”. It is easy to guess that the soup is prepared on the basis of cow meat. However, as such, the canon does not exist. At the mention of kharcho soup, it is often explained on the basis of which meat the dish is prepared. Many housewives vary the recipe at the discretion of the family, which does not make the soup less tasty.
2. As a rule, the first dish is characterized by sourness and pungency, which is achieved by adding chili peppers. As the acidic component, the so-called "tklapi" is used. It is made from unripe cherry plum, often growing in the southern regions. Due to the unique technology of obtaining tklapi, the composition is also called lavash based on cherry plum. Plums and cornel are mashed, then with a thin layer are laid out on a baking sheet covered with parchment. After that, the composition is dried in the oven or under the sun.
3. An alternative way to add sourness to a kharcho dish is to add tkemali - cherry plum sauce to the composition. As a rule, it is difficult to get the basic components in other countries. In most cases, the ingredients can be purchased in traditional Georgian shops or knead on their own. If it is not possible to use an acidic component, replace it with tomato paste, cherry plum pulp, lemon (put in soup when served), pomegranate juice, adjika, and purchased tkemali.
4. Chili pepper will help to add spicy piquancy to the soup, while both dried crushed composition and a fresh copy will do. In the latter case, caution should be exercised. The moment you start shredding a vegetable, inflammation may appear on your hands. For this reason, gloves are recommended.
5. If kharcho is prepared on the basis of rice, it is preferable to use a composition of long rather than round grain (not forbidden). It is important that the rice is not steamed. Before cooking, pour the cereal with cold water, let it brew for about 3 hours. During this period, the liquid sucks the starch. If there is no time for soaking, rinse the product 10 times. Such a move will provide the soup not a cloudy, but a translucent texture without a whitish hue.
6. Georgian chefs are very generous, they never spare products. In kharcho soup, you can not save on meat and greens, other behavior indicates the greed of the hostess. It is preferable to use fresh bunches of dill, parsley, celery. Some chefs prefer to supply the dish with mint leaves (in moderation).
7. If we talk about seasonings, they are added taking into account personal wishes. A must-have spice is suneli hops. The bulk composition includes dried laurel leaves, red peppers (chili), lemon balm, fenugreek, etc. Some recipes include the addition of suneli-uzo. After adding seasoning to hot dishes, a characteristic aroma of nutmeg appears.
8. If we talk about the consistency of kharcho soup, it is so thick that the product most likely refers to sauces or main dishes of a different kind. As a rule, according to tradition, dumplings are dipped into the composition.If we talk about tomatoes added to kharcho, they first remove the skin (a procedure called blanching). To do this, make an incision with a cross on the surface of the tomato, then scald the vegetable with boiling water.
9. As mentioned earlier, kharcho is prepared on the basis of beef. However, experienced housewives prefer to replace it with pork, chicken, lamb. Choose meat with fatty layers to make the dish rich. By tradition, garlic is added to the kharcho. It can be passed through the press or used in its entirety, it all depends on individual preferences.

Kharcho soup: a classic of the genre

• onion - 3 pcs.
• rice (preferably long-grain) - 60 gr.
• beef meat - 550-600 gr.
• carrots - 1.5 pcs.
• walnut - 45 gr.
• fresh dill - 40 gr.
• fresh parsley - 20 gr.
• Tkemali - 40 gr.
• garlic - 5 cloves
• seasonings
• chili pepper - 1/3 of the pod
• fresh mint - 1 sprig

1. First you need to cook the broth. To carry out the procedure correctly, wash, dry and chop the brisket into cubes (size about 3 * 3 cm.). Make sure that no fatty pieces are present in the soup.
2. Send the product to the container, fill with filtered cold (!) Water, bring the composition to a boil at low power. Cook the soup for about two hours.
3. At this time, start processing vegetables. Chop the onion into thin half rings, then chop into small slices. Peel the carrots and cut into thin strips.
4. Do not rush to send onions with carrots to the broth, first the tkemali flows. Scoop 40 gr. sauce, mix, wait 10 minutes. Send chopped vegetables to the pan, cover, cook for half an hour.
5. Take walnuts, fry them in a hot pan without adding vegetable oil. The duration of the heat treatment is usually 5-7 minutes. After this, the kernels need to be passed through a blender, making flour from them.
6. Pass the garlic teeth through a press, combine with nuts, add to the soup. Send washed or soaked rice here, cook until grains swell. Once this happens, pour in your favorite spices.
7. Evaluate the taste of the soup, salt and pepper if necessary, add more suneli hops. Send in a third of the chilli, languish the composition for 5 minutes. If kharcho is not acidic enough, add pomegranate juice or tomato paste.
8. Wash and chop the greens, season the soup with it. Do not rush to turn off the burner, otherwise the kharcho will quickly turn sour in the presence of fresh herbs. Continue heat treatment for 5 minutes. At the end of the period add a sprig of fresh mint, cover, let it brew for half an hour.

Kharcho soup with fish

• peas - 5 pcs.
• laurel leaf - 6 pcs.
• onions - 1 pc. (large)
• salt to taste
• parsley root - 1 cm.
• celery root - 1 cm.
• long-grain rice - 160 gr.
• sea ​​fish (any) - 350 gr.
• garlic - 3 prongs
• Tkemali - 45 gr.

1. Fish for kharcho soup is cooked in vegetable broth, choose marine inhabitants with the maximum degree of fat content. Pour 1.5-2 liters into the pan. filtered water, add peas, salt. Grate celery root and parsley, mix to the total mass.
2. Send bay leaf, garlic, squeezed through a crush, to the pan. Peel the onion, cut it into 2 or 4 parts, send to the broth. Cook the composition at medium power for about 25 minutes.
3. Gut the fish, cut the fins and remove the scales until the broth reaches readiness. Wash, chop into large slices, place in the broth. Depending on the size, the fish must be cooked for 20-30 minutes.
4. 10 minutes after the start of processing the fish, send washed or soaked rice to the pan. Cook kharcho soup until rice grains are cooked. Complete the procedure by adding tkemali (5 minutes before turning off the burner).
5. Experienced housewives prefer to decorate fish kharcho with mint leaves and fresh herbs. Absolutely everything will do: cilantro, dill, parsley, celery.

Kharcho soup with chicken

• boneless chicken - 350 gr.
• onions - 2 pcs.
• garlic - 4 prongs
• walnut (peeled kernels) - 120 gr.
• tomatoes - 6 pcs. medium size
• salt to taste
• seasonings - at the discretion
• fresh parsley - 30 gr.
• fresh dill - 40 gr.

1. Chicken fillet can be replaced with legs to ultimately get a rich broth. Some housewives prefer to cook kharcho based on domestic duck or broilers. Choose parts that have the maximum amount of fatty streaks.
2. Wash the meat, cut it into small cubes, marinate in salt and spices. Pour vegetable oil into the pan, fry the chicken until golden brown. After this, pour a little filtered water into the pan, simmer the product for another 10 minutes.
3. The broth can be prepared after preliminary frying. To do this, move the entire contents of the pan to a thick-bottomed pan, fill it with water, cook for 35-60 minutes. The duration of languishing depends on the shape of the meat, "home" copies are prepared longer.
4. Chop the onion in half rings or small squares. Pass the garlic through a press, add to the onion. Sauté until brown. Make sure that the composition does not burn.
5. Make an X-shaped incision on the tomatoes, dip in cool boiling water and leave for 40 seconds. After this period, remove the peel, chop the tomatoes into cubes, add to the broth.
6. Sauté the walnut kernels in a dry pan for 7 minutes. After that, grind the composition into dust with a blender or garlic crusher. Send the nut to the soup, after 10 minutes, supply the first dish with salt and seasonings.
7. Chop fresh herbs; optionally use parsley and dill. Cilantro, celery, etc. are also suitable. After adding greens, cook the soup for another 3 minutes, turn off the stove and let the kharcho brew for half an hour. Serve with a leaf of mint.

Kharcho soup with lamb

• lamb (brisket) - 550 gr.
• parsley root - 20 gr.
• onions - 1 pc.
• ground black pepper - to taste
• salt to taste
• rice - 145 gr.
• Tkemali - 35 gr.
• adjika liquid - 30 gr.
• tomato paste - 20 gr.
• garlic - 4 heads
• fresh parsley - a third of the bunch
• fresh dill - 1 bunch
• dry chili pepper - on the tip of a knife
• olives or olives (for decoration)

1. Lamb-based kharcho soup is made from low-fat tenderloin, brisket is best suited. Rinse the product with running cold water, dry with napkins or towels, chop into small pieces (size 3 * 3 cm.).
2. To prevent meat from losing juice during the cooking process, fry the pieces in a pan with the addition of vegetable or butter. It is enough 5 minutes of heat treatment (for this period the lamb will be crusted).
3. 2 minutes before cooking, add the parsley root, after rubbing it on a fine grater. Transfer the meat to the pan, fill it with warm drinking water and send to the stove. Chop onions, send it to the meat.
4. Salt, pepper, add dry chili pepper, mix. Cook the broth for 1 hour, then pour in washed or soaked rice. Pour in liquid adjika, tkemali, tomato paste.
5. Pass the garlic through a crush, mix with chopped dill, parsley and cilantro (optional). Cook until rice is cooked, then let the soup brew under the lid for another half hour. Serve with a slice of lemon and olives.

Kharcho soup with pork

• rice (any, but not steamed) - 140 gr.
• pork pulp - 550 gr.
• walnut (peeled kernels) - 80 gr.
• onions - 3-4 pcs.
• Tkemali - 50 gr.
• garlic - 4 prongs
• dill (fresh) - half a bunch
• parsley (root) - 10 gr.
• seasoning to taste

1. Wash the pork, dry it with paper towels, chop the meat into cubes. Pick up an enameled pan, send the meat into the cavity and pour 2 liters. water. Simmer the tenderloin for 2 hours. Throughout the longing, remove the foam with a slotted spoon.
2. After the specified period, remove the meat, pass the broth through 2 layers of gauze, then boil again. Send the pork in, pour the previously soaked or washed rice. Chop the onion, grate the parsley root, send the vegetables to the broth.
3. After 10 minutes, season the seasonings. Fry the walnut kernels in a dry hot skillet, mash in a mortar. Mix the mass with tkemali sauce, toss in the soup. Cook for a quarter of an hour, then add the minced garlic.
4. Kharcho will be ready in 10 minutes. Grind the greens, sprinkle with it the finished dish, let it brew for half an hour. Some housewives prefer to supply the soup with pork leaves of mint and a slice of chili pepper.

Kharcho soup: a recipe for a slow cooker

• garlic - 7 cloves
• carrots - 1 pc.
• vegetable oil - for frying
• Bulgarian red pepper - 2 pcs.
• onions - 1 pc.
• chicken fillet - 0.5 kg.
• long-grain rice (not steamed) - 150 gr.
• potatoes - 3 tubers
• fresh parsley - 1 bunch
• fresh dill - 1 bunch
• bay leaf - 5 pcs.
• ground black pepper - on the tip of a knife
• salt to taste

1. Wash the chicken, dry with paper towels, remove the film. Chop the fillet into small cubes, peel and chop the onion in half rings. Grind carrots into strips, do the same with bell pepper. Remove the peel from the potato, chop into cubes about 1.5 * 1.5 cm in size.
2. Rinse the rice 7-10 times to make the water completely clear. If desired, you can pre-soak the grains, leaving them for 4 hours in cool water. Pour the vegetable oil into the multicooker bowl, send the onion half rings, chopped carrots and bell pepper into the cavity.
3. Turn on the “Roast” mode, set the timer for 10 minutes. Constantly stir the composition so that it does not stick. When the vegetables are fried, remove them, do the same with chicken pieces (processing time is 25 minutes).
4. Mix chicken with vegetables, add chopped potatoes, rice. Pour warm filtered water, set the function "Quenching", cook soup for 1.5 hours. An hour after the start of cooking, add chopped herbs and garlic, salt, pepper, pour spices.

Kharcho soup is considered to be a traditional Georgian dish. It is served at the table for family events, and is prepared as a main course for lunch or dinner. Consider recipes based on pork, beef, lamb, fish, chicken. Add chili peppers as you like, replace tkemali with pomegranate juice, sour tomato paste or cherry plum sauce. Pour your favorite seasonings, the most suitable are marjoram, saffron, suneli hops, a bay leaf, black ground pepper.

Video: principles of cooking kharcho