Pork kharcho soup
Kharcho (Georgian: ხარჩო) is a Georgian meat dish, somewhere between a soup and a stew in thickness, served with walnuts or rice, if desired. Hearty, hot, and flavorful, kharcho can be made with beef, lamb,...
- Pork ribs
- Water
- Onions
- Carrot
- Tomato
- Refined vegetable oil
- Garlic
- Hot capsicum
- Cilantro
- Parsley
- Walnut
- White rice
- Tkemali
- Ground black pepper
- Salt
- Make the kharcho broth. Wash the pork and place it in a saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Skim off any foam and simmer over low heat for 2 hours. Strain the broth into a clean saucepan. Remove the meat from the bone.
- Peel and finely chop the onion. Peel, wash, and coarsely grate the carrots. Wash and halve the tomatoes for the kharcho. Grate them coarsely, holding the tomatoes by the convex part (discard the skins).
- Heat oil in a frying pan. Add the onion and carrot and fry for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add the prepared tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
- Rinse the kharcho rice thoroughly until the water runs clear. Bring the broth to a boil. Add the rice to the broth along with the meat and simmer for about 10 minutes over medium heat.
- Peel and chop the garlic. Halve the pepper lengthwise and remove the seeds. Chop the flesh. Wash and dry the cilantro and parsley. Place in a blender. Add the garlic, hot pepper, and nuts and process until smooth.
- Add the stewed vegetables to the broth with the meat and rice and bring to a boil. Then add the nut mixture and tkemali sauce. Bring to a boil again and simmer for 3 minutes. Season the kharcho with salt and pepper.
- Remove the kharcho from the heat and cover. Let it sit on the hot stove for about 15 minutes. Then ladle the kharcho into individual bowls and serve. Garnish with chopped herbs.
They say lamb kharcho was invented in the Soviet Union. It was invented in the Kremlin kitchen, and solely at the request of People's Commissar Anastas Mikoyan, who detested the taste of beef but loved hearty, hot soups. So, the chefs had to use their creativity and satisfy the high-ranking official's desire. The lamb kharcho recipe then spread throughout the country, and many people simply believed that this soup was meant to be made just like this. It must be said that the dish is truly quite delicious. See for yourself!
Cooking beef kharcho at home is possible and even necessary! Especially if you have a good, tried-and-true recipe (like ours!). And please, forget everything you knew about kharcho. Stop arguing about which is "more correct": beef or lamb, because this dish can even be made with chicken and sturgeon. Also, know that kharcho is not a soup at all, but rather a thin stew. Each region of Georgia prepares this dish differently. Megrelians omit rice, replacing it with walnuts, while Imeretians may omit the nuts and instead add corn flour for a thicker consistency. Tklapi, tkemali, tomatoes, and spices are all added to kharcho depending on the season and the specific preferences of the housewife.
Do you know how to properly prepare delicious kharcho soup? We're sure there are plenty of cooks, whether amateur or professional, who would agree. However, as is usually the case, there's no consensus on this matter. Some will say the dish is unthinkable without tkemali sauce, while others will overlook this, insisting on a broth made exclusively from beef. Still others will point out that the main "highlight" of the dish is the walnuts, and without them, kharcho soup simply wouldn't work. We've decided to present our own version, which doesn't claim to be authentic, but is certainly worth considering.
Anyone can make kharcho soup in a saucepan: the key is to have a reliable, tried-and-true recipe on hand. That's exactly what we offer you today! All the key elements of the classic kharcho approach are adhered to here, resulting in a uniquely aromatic and delicious dish. We also tried to make the soup as filling as possible by including both rice and walnuts. And we were right! We guarantee that after this kharcho for lunch, you'll be able to comfortably make it to dinner without burdening your body with unnecessary snacks.
Lagman is a hearty and nutritious Central Asian dish traditionally made with lamb. We suggest substituting it with pork, as it's easier to find and cooks faster. Lagman consists of three main ingredients: noodles, meat, and broth. Regarding the broth, the classic recipe naturally calls for a homemade version. But we believe that finding good lagman noodles or simply using high-quality wide noodles will make the dish just as delicious. The success of pork lagman also depends largely on the right spices and vegetables. Another wonderful feature of the dish is that it can be served as either a first or second course: it all depends on the proportions of the broth and other ingredients.
Pork soup is a wonderful dish, especially for the colder months. If you look closely, you'll find pork soup recipes invariably found in countries where winter is common...
If you've never made pork shurpa at home, try it using our detailed instructions. Of course, some will argue that this meat is in no way suitable for a dish that originated in the Muslim East. But we believe that in the modern world, including the culinary world, variations are possible, especially since this is how new recipes are born, through large or small changes in ingredients. There's nothing particularly unusual about this shurpa, other than the pork itself. And since this meat is more affordable than beef, it's definitely worth trying as a base for this beloved soup.
Pork beshbarmak is, of course, a Russified version of a traditional Kazakh dish, as it's well known that this meat is taboo for Muslims. If you don't have any restrictions for these or any other reasons, be sure to check out our recipe. Pork is a favorite in our country: it's tender, more affordable than beef, and cooks quite quickly. So if you like the idea of beshbarmak, make it your own! We'd like to point out that this dish is flavorful, filling, and, of course, delicious.
