Kharcho soup stew

Earlier, I shared one of the classic recipes for Kharcho soup. But I also enjoy another method of preparing this traditional Georgian dish. This version comes from western Georgia and has some notable differences. In it, rice or polenta is cooked separately and added to the finished soup, and the onions are not sautéed on their own—instead, an onion-nut paste is prepared.

Ingredients (for a 3 L / 12-cup pot):

Beef on the bone – 1 kg (~2.2 lb)
Rice – 300-400 g (~1½–2 cups)
Bulb onions – 2
Walnuts – 100 gr.
Garlic – 3 cloves
Tomato paste – 2 tbsp
Hops-suneli (khmeli syluneli) seasoning – 1 tsp
Ground fenugreek – 1 tsp
Ground chili pepper – to taste
Cilantro greens – bunch
Vegetable oil (or butter)
Salt

Cooking process

1. Broth: Place the beef in a pot and cover it with cold water. Cook the broth over low heat, skimming off any foam that forms. Simmer for at least 1.5 hours, until the meat is tender and easily separates from the bone.

2. While the broth is cooking, prepare the pasta dressing for the soup. In a food processor, combine the onions, walnuts, cilantro stems, khmeli suneli, and fenugreek. For a bit of heat, you can add a pinch of chili flakes. Process until you get a thick, smooth, and homogeneous paste.

3. In a frying pan, melt the butter (or heat the vegetable oil) and add the tomato paste. After a few minutes, stir in the onion-nut paste. Mix well and cook over low heat for 10–15 minutes, stirring constantly.

4. While preparing the other ingredients, cook the rice (or polenta) separately. We’ll add the cooked rice to the soup later.

5. Once the broth is ready, remove the beef from the pot. Separate the meat from the bone and cut it into cubes.

6. Bring the remaining broth in the pot to a medium heat and simmer for another 30 minutes to reduce it slightly.

7. Reduce the heat. Add the chopped meat and the onion-nut paste from the pan to the pot. Stir well, season with salt to taste, and add the chopped garlic. Cook for 1 minute.

Serve the finished Kharcho with finely chopped cilantro and the cooked rice. By adjusting the amount of rice to your preference, you can make it more like a soup or a thicker stew.