Rice for kharcho bears a special responsibility when preparing a dish. Every housewife wants to please her family with something special. So she can pay attention to the recipe for kharcho soup. The moderately spicy taste and pleasant aroma make this dish popular not only in Georgia. Many have become fans of kharcho. In addition, now you can find many variations of the dish.

The best choice of rice for the national Georgian dish

Kharcho is a Georgian soup that has a spicy, distinctive taste. There are no difficulties in preparing it. But there are specifics that must be observed. They can be traced at every stage of cooking. First you need to choose the right ingredients.

Features of the choice of ingredients:

1. Meat. The classic recipe uses beef. It must be with a bone and fatter. These are the main requirements for meat.
2. Tkemali. Without this it is impossible to cook kharcho. Moreover, we are not talking about the sauce, but about plums. They can be used either fresh or dried. The latter tend to be stored for a long time, so you can purchase the ingredient in advance. Just 2 pieces of this ingredient are enough to give the dish its signature taste.
3. Rice. Starchy varieties should be chosen. The steamed or crushed version will only spoil the soup.

To make a delicious kharcho, you will need to take crushed nuts. They are cleaned and crushed with a rolling pin until a characteristic nutty aroma appears. For a richer flavor, they can be fried. Then all the nutty flavor will be revealed in the soup.

The main part of kharcho soup is spices. Their variety is quite wide. If bay leaf and black pepper are available in every home, then other spices will have to be purchased separately. These include cumin, coriander, and cardamom. You will need to take a legume with a specific smell - fenugreek. You also need to buy basil, cilantro, hot peppers and saffron. All spices are freely available.

It is the right combination of all ingredients that will make the soup aromatic and unique. You will need to know exactly how much seasoning to add so that the taste is not too spicy or too bland.

IN traditional recipe you will have to put two handfuls of rice. This volume is needed to provide the necessary consistency. The product itself must contain a large amount of starch to make the soup thick and rich.

Buying rice for soup: round or long

A tasty and rich kharcho soup can only be obtained if all the rules are followed. Secrets will also help in cooking experienced chefs. Every ingredient matters here. Especially rice, which can completely ruin the kharcho.

For cooking, it is better to take a 2 liter pan. For this amount of water, 200 g of rice is enough. For large families, use 5 liter containers. You also need to take half a kilo of meat ( better beef, if the recipe is classic). First, prepare the broth by placing the meat in liquid. This will take 2 hours. It is necessary to constantly monitor the water and remove the resulting foam. Gradually add spices and fried onions.

Only after this is rice added to the broth. It is important to know how to cook it correctly. To do this, a number of successive steps are followed. Then it will be guaranteed that the rice will not boil over, but will reach moderate readiness.

Features of cooking rice:

1. You need to choose the right variety of rice. Oval and round varieties are suitable for kharcho. You can buy the option you like best, there are no strict rules. Here you can give in to your personal preferences.
2. First you need to sort out the rice. Then it is washed and soaked for 20 minutes.
3. Only washed rice and a product that has stood for a certain time can be added to the broth.

You can add crushed nuts to the dish along with the rice. Three tablespoons is enough. This will add its own flavor to the dish.

At the final stage of cooking, tomato paste is added to the soup. The readiness of the dish is checked by the degree of cooked rice. If it is ready, then the soup can be safely eaten. But it’s better if the dish sits for 5-10 minutes. At this time, you can add greens, tkemali and garlic to the soup, which will need to be finely chopped.

Rice cooking time

The overall cooking time for soup is influenced by several factors. Much depends on the choice of ingredients. So for soup can be used different types meat. The classic recipe involves using beef. Then the average cooking time is 2-2.5 hours.

Many chefs believe that it is better to take round rice for a traditional Georgian dish. This is what goes perfectly with kharcho. But this is optional.

You can correctly distribute how long a dish will be cooked if you first familiarize yourself with the duration of each cooking period. First, put water with meat on the fire and bring it to a boil. After this, the broth should be cooked for 2 hours. Next, you need to cut the finished beef and, together with the carrots and tkemali sauce, put it back into the pan and cook for another half hour.

It takes five minutes to roast the walnuts. Separately, fry the onions and tomatoes for 10 minutes. Together with the rice, this mixture goes into the soup and cooks for 10 minutes. At the same time, add nuts and cook the kharcho for another 29 minutes. At the final stage, add spices and boil the soup for 10 minutes under a closed lid.

Proportions of water and rice

The main feature of kharcho soup is its taste. It is moderately spicy with sour notes. The dish itself is quite aromatic due to the abundance of spices. Tomatoes are always used in kharcho. The rice should be ready, but not overcooked.

You can get properly prepared kharcho soup only if you follow all the proportions. Only the right ratio will make it possible to get a quality dish.

The initial stage of preparing kharcho resembles ordinary rice soup. But it is quite thick, with a lot of meat and rice, which is not typical for a regular stew. Typically, 100 g of rice is used for 0.5 liters of water. In some places the kharcho will resemble kulyash. You can add certain spices to the broth almost immediately.

Seasonings that can be immediately added to the soup:

• Bay leaf;
• Ground black pepper;
• Hot red pepper – you can use it either ground or not.

The signature taste of kharcho is ensured by frying. For this you can use olive, sunflower and butter. You need to fry the tomato paste with the addition of broth and spices. The main thing is that all seasonings are spicy.

It is better to take the meat out first, cut it into pieces and put it on a plate. Thanks to this, its color will be preserved and it will look better on a plate. Herbs and sour cream can serve as an addition to kharcho. The ingredients are placed in a bowl as a decorative component. You can also add olives.

To prepare traditional Georgian soup, you need starchy rice. It should be placed in a dish based on the amount of water. The rice can be long or round, but it doesn’t matter which one you take here. But still, the last option is determined to be the best. The main thing is that it is well boiled. The average cooking time for rice is 20 minutes. These tips will help you cook delicious kharcho.

Step 1: Prepare the pork.

Wash the pork thoroughly under running water warm water to remove any possible bone fragments and place on a cutting board. Using a knife, we clean the meat from veins, films and excess fat. Now cut the component into small pieces and transfer to a free plate.

Step 2: prepare the onions.

Using a knife, peel the onion and rinse well under running water. Then place the component on a cutting board and cut in half. Chop each part into thin half rings and immediately transfer to a clean plate. Important: We put the chopped half of one onion in a separate container, since we will need it to prepare the meat broth.

Step 3: prepare meat broth for kharcho.

Place the pork pieces in a large saucepan and fill with clean cold water. Next, place the container on medium heat and wait for the liquid to begin to boil. Closer to this, foam will appear on its surface. Be sure to remove it with a slotted spoon and throw it in the sink, otherwise the broth will come out cloudy.
Then screw on the burner and add it to the pan 1/2 part chopped onion and salt to taste. Mix everything thoroughly with a tablespoon and cook the broth for 1–1.5 hours until the meat is tender. Meanwhile, prepare the remaining ingredients.

Step 4: prepare the rice.

Pour the rice into a sieve and rinse thoroughly under running warm water until it becomes clear. Now pour the cereal into a small cauldron or saucepan, fill it with regular cold liquid from the tap so that it covers the component by two fingers, and put it on medium heat. When the water boils, turn the burner as tight as possible, pour one pinch of salt into the container, mix everything well with a tablespoon and do not completely cover the pan with a lid. Let the rice cook for about 10–12 minutes. Attention: it should be half-cooked. Immediately after this, turn off the burner and set the container aside so that the cereal does not continue to cook. If desired, the component can be poured into a sieve to drain excess liquid.

Step 5: prepare the tomatoes.

Wash the tomatoes well under running warm water and place on a cutting board. Using a knife, remove the stalks and then chop the vegetables into cubes. Transfer the finely chopped ingredients to a free plate.

Step 6: prepare the garlic.

Place the garlic on a cutting board and lightly press with the tip of a knife. Then clean hands We peel the cloves and then rinse them under running water.
Place the ingredients back on a flat surface and chop finely. Pour the chopped garlic into a free saucer and leave aside for a while.

Step 7: Prepare the walnuts.

Pour the walnuts into the deep bowl of a blender and grind at high speed until fine crumbs. Then pour the chopped ingredients into a clean plate.

Step 8: Prepare the greens.

Wash parsley or cilantro well under running water, shake off excess liquid and place on a cutting board. Using a knife, finely chop the greens and immediately pour them into an empty plate. Attention: components are not required. Well, this is if you don’t like fresh herbs in soups. I usually add it before serving to give the kharcho a more expressive aroma.

Step 9: prepare kharcho with rice.

Pour a small amount of vegetable oil into the frying pan and place on medium heat. Let it warm up well. Then add all the chopped onions and, stirring from time to time with a wooden spatula, fry until transparent. Next, add chopped tomatoes and tomato paste to the container. Turn on the burner and continue to simmer the ingredients until they form a sauce. It takes me approximately 5 minutes.

In the meantime, we should already have the meat broth cooked. Let's check for doneness by piercing the pork with a fork. If the equipment easily fits into the component, then you can start preparing the kharcho itself. If not, then it’s worth extending the time further for 5–7 minutes. After this, pour semi-cooked rice, chopped walnuts, and also add vegetable sauce, a couple of bay leaves, “khmeli-suneli” seasoning, “mixture of ground peppers,” Svan salt and regular salt to taste. When the soup boils again, check 7–8 minutes and let it cook over low heat. At the end, add chopped garlic to the pan and turn off the burner. Attention: We don’t serve kharcho immediately dining table, and cover with a lid and let it brew for another 15–20 minutes.

Step 10: serve kharcho with rice.

When the kharcho is infused, use a ladle to pour it into deep plates, sprinkle with finely chopped herbs and serve to the dinner table along with bread, pita bread or flatbread. The soup turns out very tasty, rich and incredibly aromatic. In general, everything is as it should be in Georgian cuisine!
Enjoy your meal!

Before chopping the tomatoes, you can also peel them. To do this, place the vegetables in a medium bowl and fill completely with hot water. Let them blanch for 5–7 minutes. Then carefully drain the liquid, place the tomatoes on a cutting board, peel them, cut off the stems, and only then finely chop them into cubes;

If you don’t have a blender at hand, don’t worry, because nuts can be chopped in another way. Place the components on one sheet of paper and cover with another. Now, using a rolling pin, we simply roll it over the nuts several times;

To make your kharcho truly Georgian, be sure to use seasonings by weight, which can be purchased in specialized stalls at food markets. For example, a mixture of spices from Svaneti is very good. This is Svan salt, which is included in the ingredients of the recipe.

This soup is the pride of Georgia. Properly cooked soup always turns out rich and aromatic. If you cook kharcho according to the classic recipe with rice, you will be able to prepare food for your loved ones, just like in a Georgian restaurant. Made from beef. But with other types of meat, you can cook a tasty, rich dish. There is no strict preparation recipe in Georgia. Regions differ in preparation from each other, so it is possible to choose one step by step recipe whichever one you like best.

This recipe is suitable even for those who are just starting to get acquainted with Georgian cuisine. The cooking method is incredibly simple. Kharcho with beef rice according to this recipe is spicy and tasty.

Ingredients:

• rice – 120 g;
• beef brisket – 370 g;
• onions – 3 pcs.;
• prunes – 4 pcs.;
• garlic – 4 cloves;
• dill – 20 g;
• hot chili pepper – 1.5 pods;
• vegetable oil – 20 ml;
• parsley – 20 g;
• tklapi – 1 tbsp. spoon;
• water – 8 glasses;
• cilantro – 20 g;
• tomato puree – 70 g;
• hops-suneli - 1 tbsp. spoon;
• salt.

Preparation:

1. Wash the meat, cut into pieces. Place in a saucepan. Pour 500 ml of water. The beef should be completely submerged in liquid. Boil.
2. Chop the onion.
3. Chop the garlic.
4. Mix chopped cilantro with tomato paste.
5. Place in one container and stir.
6. Pour in suneli hops. Fry for two minutes.
7. Transfer to beef.
8. Add pepper, tkemali, rice and prunes. Pour in the remaining water. Add salt. Boil on maximum heat.
9. Add chopped greens. Let it brew.

Cooking in Georgian

This Georgian recipe uses only beef. The hallmark of this soup are walnuts.

Ingredients:

• fatty beef on the bones – 750 g;
• cilantro – 30 g;
• garlic – 5 cloves;
• onions – 3 pcs.;
• parsley – 20 g;
• tomato puree – 70 ml;
• ground red pepper – 7 g;
• tkemali sauce – 75 ml;
• walnuts – 150 g;
• rice – 225 g;
• peppercorns – 7 g;
• hops-suneli – 7 g;
• bay leaf – 3 pcs.;
• hot red pepper – 3 pods.

Preparation:

1. Place the beef in water and bring to a boil. The resulting foam must be constantly removed.
2. After boiling, switch the burner to the middle position. Boil for an hour if the meat is young. If the beef is old, it will take two hours.
3. When the meat is cooked, remove and cool. Separate from the pit.
4. During cooking, small bones may remain in the liquid, so the broth should be strained.
5. Grind the meat into small pieces. Transfer to broth.
6. Remove the skins from the onions and chop.
7. Peel the garlic and crush it with a rolling pin.
8. Chop the cilantro, then the parsley.
9. Add the washed rice to the broth.
10. Place greens and onions.
11. Boil for a quarter of an hour.
12. Pour in tkemali sauce, add garlic.
13. Add salt and suneli.
14. Chop the nuts. Add to the broth along with bay leaf and pepper.
15. Boil for a few minutes until the rice is done.

With rice and lamb

If you don't like beef, you can replace the meat with lamb. According to the classic recipe, lamb kharcho turns out just as tasty.

Ingredients:

• lamb brisket on the bone, not fatty – 900 g;
• onion – 3 large heads;
• hot red pepper – 0.5 teaspoon;
• carrots – 1 pc.;
• tomato – 6 pcs.;
• garlic – 8 cloves;
• cilantro – 70 g;
• black pepper – 5 peas;
• medium grain rice – 130 g;
• apple cider vinegar – 1 teaspoon;
• ghee - 1 tbsp. spoon;
• coriander – 2 teaspoons;
• salt.

Preparation:

1. Remove films from meat.
2. The brisket is cut into pieces, each containing 2 ribs.
3. Cut the peeled onion into rings.
4. Finely chop the cilantro.
5. Finely grind pepper, coriander, and salt into a mortar.
6. Place oil in a pan and fry the ribs. Sprinkle with vinegar. Place the onion and add spices. Fry.
7. Grate the tomatoes using a large grater, reserving the juice.
8. Mix cilantro with grated tomatoes. Place on meat.
9. Boil. Pour boiling water in a volume of two liters.
10. Peel the carrots and cut into cubes. Add to other products.
11. Cover with a lid. Cook for an hour.
12. Leave the washed rice grains in water for an hour. Pour into soup. Boil the cereal until soft.
13. Sprinkle cilantro leaves. Add garlic. Let it brew.

Kharcho soup cooked with beef

This soup is prepared from the simplest and most affordable ingredients that can be found in the refrigerator. It will take three hours to cook kharcho, so start cooking in advance.

Ingredients:

• beef on the bone – 1300 g;
• carrots – 2 pcs.;
• water – 3 l;
• bay leaf – 5 pcs.;
• potatoes – 5 pcs.;
• garlic – 6 cloves;
• tomato paste – 6 tbsp. spoon;
• onions – 2 pcs.;
• dried parsley – 2 tbsp. spoons;
• khmeli-suneli;
• Sunflower oil – 7 tbsp. spoon;
• black pepper – 5 peas;
• Red pepper;
• rice - half a glass;
• salt;
• adjika.

Preparation:

1. Pour water into a four-liter saucepan.
2. Cut the meat and put it in water.
3. Place peeled carrots in liquid.
4. Add peeled onions to the meat, then bay leaves and peppercorns.
5. Add salt.
6. Turn the burner to low. Close the lid. Boil for two hours.
7. Get vegetables and meat. Strain the liquid and pour into another pan.
8. Crush the peeled garlic with a knife, you should get a paste.
9. Grate the peeled carrots on a coarse grater.
10. Cut the onion into quarters.
11. Pour oil, tomato paste into a frying pan, add garlic. Fry.
12. Add onion and stir.
13. Once the vegetable is golden and soft, add the carrots.
14. Fry for five minutes.
15. Pour 100 ml of broth into the frying pan and add salt.
16. Once everything is soft, transfer to a saucepan.
17. Remove meat from bones and cut into pieces.
18. Cut the peeled potatoes into bars.
19. Rinse the rice grains.
20. Place potatoes, meat, rice into the broth.
21. Omit the bay leaf, parsley and spices.
22. Cook until all ingredients are soft.

Step-by-step pork recipe

Kharcho with rice and potatoes can be prepared from the most affordable products without using tklapi sauce, which can easily be replaced by tomatoes. With their help, the desired sourness will be obtained, and seasonings will add spiciness.

Ingredients:

• pork on the bone – 700 g;
• rice – 5 tbsp. spoon;
• Bay leaf;
• onions - 4 turnips;
• khmeli-suneli;
• tomato – 5 pcs.;
• cilantro – 30 g;
• potatoes – 3 pcs.;
• salt;
• garlic – 2 cloves;
• basil;
• allspice.

Preparation:

1. Prepare a three-liter saucepan. Put meat in it.
2. Boil for an hour and a half with the lid on.
3. Chop the peeled onion into small pieces.
4. Heat a frying pan, add oil, fry the onion until soft.
5. Remove and cool the meat. Remove from bone. Cut into pieces. Place on onion.
6. Cook for five minutes.
7. Set the burner to minimum setting. Pour three tablespoons of broth over the onion and sauté.
8. Wash the tomatoes, pour boiling water over them, remove the skins. Cut the fruits.
9. Add to pork. Simmer for 10 minutes.
10. Place the fried foods into the broth and bring to a boil.
11. Peel the potatoes and cut them.
12. Rinse the rice and add to the broth. Boil.
13. Add spices, chopped herbs, crushed garlic.
14. Cook at low boil for 5-10 minutes. Let it brew.

Cooking chicken kharcho with rice

Ingredients:

• rice – 3 tbsp. spoons;
• chicken breast – 1 pc.;
• ground black pepper;
• salt;
• tomato paste – 200 ml;
• onion – 1 pc.;
• cilantro;
• garlic – 5 cloves;
• lavrushka

Preparation:

1. Boil chicken in salted liquid.
2. Rinse the rice grains until the water runs clear.
3. Remove chicken. Add rice.
4. Sauté diced onions.
5. Pour in tomato paste and 50 ml of broth. Fry.
6. Remove meat from bone and chop. Place back into the pan.
7. Transfer the mixture from the pan.
8. Add grated garlic to the broth.
9. Finely chop the cilantro.
10. Add bay leaf, suneli hops, pepper, cilantro and salt. Boil.

If you want to get a rich taste, add more suneli hops. If you like a spicy dish, add dried chili to the soup. To prevent the soup from turning into porridge, do not overdo it with rice.

Classic recipe in a slow cooker

A multicooker allows you to save time and simply prepare kharcho with lamb rice.

Ingredients:

• lamb – 550 g;
• rice – 1 multi-glass;
• onions – 2 pcs.;
• black pepper;
• parsley;
• garlic – 7 cloves;
• cilantro;
• tomato paste – 200 ml;
• bay leaf – 2 leaves;
• bell pepper – 2 pcs.;
• potatoes – 3 pcs.;
• carrots – 2 pcs.;
• salt;
• vegetable oil for frying.

Preparation:

1. Cut the lamb across the grain into small pieces.
2. Remove the skins from the onion and cut into half rings.
3. Chop the peeled potatoes.
4. Peel the bell pepper from seeds and cut into cubes.
5. Grind the peeled carrots on a coarse grater.
6. Remove excess starch from rice cereal by rinsing it several times. Georgians are washed seven times.
7. Pour oil into a bowl and add lamb. Turn on the “Baking” mode.
8. Set the timer for 20 minutes.
9. Simmer the onions for 10 minutes.
10. Add bell pepper and carrots. Cook for seven minutes.
11. Switch to the “Extinguishing” mode. Put potatoes, rice. Fill with water to the maximum. Add some salt. Add spices. Set a timer for two hours.
12. Season the soup with chopped herbs and garlic.

Kharcho soup cooked in a cauldron

Ingredients:

• beef ribs – 750 g;
• tomato – 3 pcs.;
• pomegranate juice – 2 tbsp. spoons;
• rice – 250 g;
• utskho-suneli;
• parsley – 25 g;
• lemon – 1 pc.;
• sweet red pepper – 1 teaspoon;
• cilantro – 25 g;
• hot pepper – 1 teaspoon;
• walnut – 50 g;
• khmeli-suneli;
• salt;
• dill – 25 g;
• garlic – 4 cloves.

Preparation:

1. Pour water into the cauldron and place the ribs. Close the lid.
2. Boil, removing the foam, cook for an hour.
3. To avoid a bitter taste, adjust the heat by adding more or less wood. It shouldn't boil too much.
4. Add a whole onion and two bay leaves. Add some salt.
5. Chop the greens.
6. Pour boiling water over the tomatoes and remove the skins. Slice.
7. Squeeze the lemon.
8. Crush the garlic.
9. Chop the nuts.
10. Mix. Pour in pomegranate juice. Stretch with your hands.
11. Place rice cereal into the prepared broth. Boil for about an hour.
12. Add dressing and spices. Add salt.
13. Stir. Boil.
14. Boil for half an hour.

Recipe 1. Real kharcho soup with rice

Ingredients

10 g hops-suneli;

Fresh herbs;

Five cloves of garlic;

Sea salt;

Three onions;

Red hot pepper;

150 ml tkemali sauce;

Carrot;

Half a kilogram of beef with bone;

200 g long grain rice;

100 g walnuts.

Cooking method

1. We wash the beef, cut off the films and veins. Place in a cauldron and fill with boiled water. Place it on the fire and bring it to a boil. Carefully and very carefully remove the foam. Reduce the heat to low and add the peeled onion and whole carrot to the broth. Take some parsley and dill, rinse and tie the greens into a bunch. We send it to the broth. Simmer the broth for an hour and a half.

2. Remove vegetables and beef from the broth. Cool the meat and tear it into small pieces. We throw away vegetables; they will no longer be useful to us.

3. Rinse the rice thoroughly under running water and place in the broth. We also add the meat to the soup.

4. Peel and finely chop two onions. Fry it until golden brown in a small amount of oil. Transfer the roast into the soup.

5. Grind the nuts in a blender and add them to the broth with rice. We also put tkemali sauce, khmeli-suneli seasoning, pepper and salt here. Peel the garlic cloves and pass them through a garlic press directly into the soup. Stir and cook for seven minutes. Pour the finished kharcho with rice into plates and sprinkle with fresh herbs.

Recipe 2. Lenten kharcho with rice

Ingredients

Four potatoes;

Parsley and basil;

Two carrots;

Half a glass of walnuts;

Two onions;

Half a glass of rice;

Five cloves of garlic;

Half a glass tomato paste;

Allspice, salt, cinnamon and ground hot pepper;

Third st. vegetable oil;

Parsley root;

Two bay leaves.

Cooking method

1. Peel and wash all vegetables. Finely chop the onions and parsley root. Coarsely grate the carrots. Cut the garlic cloves into thin slices.

2. Boil the potatoes in their jackets until tender. Cool, peel and cut into small cubes. Rinse the greens, dry and finely chop.

3. Place the cauldron on the fire, pour in oil and heat it well. Add tomato paste to the oil and fry for seven minutes. Now add the garlic and onion and fry everything until soft.

4. Add chopped nuts, parsley root and carrots to the cauldron. Season everything with spices and add a pinch of cinnamon. Fry, stirring constantly, for five minutes.

5. Pour two liters of boiling water into the cauldron. Add pre-washed rice and cook until done. Add potatoes to the broth with rice. As soon as the soup boils, add finely chopped herbs and crush two cloves of garlic here. Bring to a boil and turn off the heat. Infuse, covered, for at least half an hour.

Recipe 3. Kharcho with rice and white wine

Ingredients

100 g rice;

Sea salt;

500 g lamb;

3 g ground coriander;

2 potatoes;

2 g freshly ground pepper mixture;

1 onion;

1 pod of red hot pepper;

1 carrot;

50 ml dry white wine;

5 cloves of garlic;

30 ml vegetable oil;

100 g of tomatoes in their own juice.

Cooking method

1. Take the lamb shoulder with ribs. Wash the meat well, dry with a paper towel and cut into fairly large pieces.

2. Heat the oil in a thick-bottomed saucepan or cauldron. Place the meat in a cauldron and fry it over high heat on both sides. Five minutes each.

3. Cut the peeled onions and carrots into small cubes. Add the vegetables to the meat, stir and fry everything together for five minutes.

4. Pour in the wine and stir. Season everything with a mixture of peppers, red hot pepper and coriander. Add some salt. Mash the tomatoes with a fork and place in a cauldron. Stir and simmer for ten minutes.

5. Pour two liters of boiling water over everything and cook the soup over low heat for half an hour. Sort the rice, rinse well in several waters and soak for half an hour.

6. Peel the potatoes, cut into cubes and place in the broth. Once it boils, add the soaked rice. Cook for another half hour.

7. Rinse the green cilantro, dry and finely chop. Peel the garlic cloves and chop into small pieces. Place the greens and garlic in the kharcho with rice, turn off the heat and leave to steep, covered, for ten minutes. Sprinkle generously with cilantro before serving.

Recipe 4. Kharcho with rice and fresh tomatoes

Ingredients

Two kg of beef on ribs;

Three glasses of walnuts;

Two liters of spring water;

50 ml tkemali sauce;

Six onions;

Five fresh tomatoes;

Two bunches of parsley;

Two pods of red hot pepper;

Two bunches of green cilantro;

Eight cloves of garlic.

Cooking method

1. Rinse the beef under the tap, cut off all the films and veins. Place the meat in a cauldron and fill with spring water. Put on fire, bring to a boil and skim off the foam. Add salt, cover and cook over low heat for about three hours.

2. Crush the nuts in a mortar. Garlic hot peppers Peel and remove the membranes and seeds from the pepper. Place them in a blender and grind.

3. Peel the onions and chop them into thin feathers. Place the onion in a frying pan with heated oil and fry until golden brown.

4. Pour boiling water over the tomatoes and remove the peels. Cut them into small pieces. Add the tomatoes to the onions, add salt, season with spices and mix. Simmer for about five minutes.

5. Remove the meat from the broth, cool it and disassemble it into small pieces. Wrap two bunches of parsley and cilantro with thread, rinse under the tap and place in the broth for a quarter of an hour. Then remove the greens and discard.

6. Lightly fry the meat in a separate pan. Place the beef in the soup, add nuts, salt, season with spices and crushed garlic. Pour the aromatic soup into bowls. You can serve sour cream with kharcho.

Recipe 5. Kharcho with rice and wasabi

Ingredients

1 l 600 ml chicken broth;

5 g coriander;

1 carrot;

2 g red hot pepper;

1 onion;

1 bay leaf;

4 potato tubers;

60 g rice;

2 g allspice;

30 ml vegetable oil;

2 bunches of greenery;

30 g Wasabi powder;

1 clove of garlic;

60 ml tomato paste.

Cooking method

1. Pour the chicken broth into a saucepan and place it on the stove. We wash the rice grains several times and fill them with drinking water for half an hour.

2. Clean and wash the vegetables. Finely chop the onion and coarsely grate the carrots. Heat in a frying pan vegetable oil and fry the vegetables in it until soft. Pour 100 ml of chicken broth into the fried vegetables and add wasabi. Mix well and add tomato paste. Mix everything again and simmer for another three minutes.

3. Cut the peeled potatoes into cubes and place them in boiling chicken broth. Followed by the washed rice.

4. When the potatoes are almost cooked, add the tomato sauce and stir. Salt, pepper and continue cooking until the potatoes are completely cooked. Finely chop the greens and garlic and add to the broth. Place a bay leaf. Cover with a lid, turn off the heat and leave to steep for ten minutes.

Recipe 6. Kharcho with rice and pomegranate juice

Ingredients

One and a half kg of beef brisket;

3 g freshly ground hot red pepper;

A third of a glass of rice;

Four cloves of garlic;

150 g walnuts;

1 bunch of cilantro;

Two onions;

Freshly ground black pepper;

1 pomegranate;

2 bay leaves;

8 g khmeli-suneli.

Cooking method

1. Cut the beef brisket into pieces and rinse under the tap. Place in a cauldron, add lightly salted water and bring to a boil. Skim off the foam and cook over low heat for two hours. Remove the meat and cool, and strain the broth.

2. Peel the vegetables and finely chop them. Fry the onion in oil until golden brown, add flour and stir quickly. Place the roast in a blender and grind.

3. Rinse the rice well under running water. Place chopped meat, fried onions, rice and bay leaf into the broth. Season everything with black pepper and cook for about 20 minutes. When the rice is almost cooked, add chopped nuts.

4. Squeeze the juice from the pomegranate and pour it into the soup. Add finely chopped cilantro and season with suneli hops, crushed garlic and hot red pepper. Cook for a couple of minutes, remove from heat and leave, covered, for five minutes.

Kharcho with rice - tips and tricks

The most delicious kharcho with rice is made with fatty beef brisket.

To add piquancy and a more expressive taste to the soup, add Satsibeli or Tkemali sauce instead of tomato paste.

A mandatory ingredient in kharcho with rice is walnuts. Without them it is impossible to prepare this soup.

The more herbs and garlic you put in the soup, the tastier the kharcho with rice will be.

Kharcho soup is a well-known Georgian dish. It is cooked in beef or lamb broth with meat. A classic kharcho recipe with rice must contain tkemali (a type of sour plum), herbs, and a large amount of seasonings. The thick consistency makes the soup look like a stew, so the issue of classifying it as a first or second course is controversial.

Traditional kharcho soup recipe with potatoes and rice

At home, the dish is prepared more simply: instead of plums, tomatoes or pasta are placed, and potatoes are added. However, this version of the recipe is not classic, but it has taken root well in Russian cuisine and is traditional for it.

The entire process of preparing kharcho with potatoes (including preparing the ingredients) takes one and a half to three hours. The indicated volumes of products are designed for 6 standard servings.

Ingredients for the recipe for kharcho soup with rice:

• 5 liters of water;
• 500 g of any meat;
• 5 tbsp. rice;
• 2 potatoes;
• 4 tbsp. tomato paste (or 4-5 medium tomatoes);
• 2 onions;
• 2 tbsp. olive oil(other is possible);
• 1 tooth garlic;
• parsley and dill to taste;
• green onions to taste (optional);
• spices to taste;
• salt to taste.

If desired, lovers of liquid first courses exclude potatoes. And those who want to make kharcho traditionally, as close as possible to the Georgian recipe, also increase the volume of rice by 2-3 times. As a spice and seasoning, add suneli hops along with salt to the kharcho soup - this mixture will add real Georgian notes to the soup.

If you have ever cooked kharcho with rice, you will definitely want to repeat this process again and again. Tasty and kharcho, prepared in Russian, will not leave indifferent any person who tries it. Even if this person turns out to be the most demanding gourmet.

Processing components

The first stage of preparing kharcho soup with potatoes and chicken is the preparation and processing of all components:

1. Rinse the meat and cut into large pieces (approximate size - 5-7 cm) and dry, placing on a paper towel that absorbs moisture.
2. Peel and wash carrots and onions. Cut the carrots into strips or grate them on a coarse grater - this is not for everyone. Chop the onion randomly.
3. Wash the potatoes, peel them, cut them into cubes of the desired size.
4. Rinse the rice under running tap water until the water in the bowl runs clear.
5. If you decide to use tomatoes instead of tomato paste, you need to wash them well, pour boiling water over them, then peel and chop them.
6. Rinse the greens well under the tap and chop finely.

When all the ingredients are ready, you can proceed directly to preparing the dish.

Cooking soup on the stove

Kharcho with tomatoes will taste best in a cauldron, but you can cook it in a regular saucepan on the stove.

The cooking process consists of the following steps:

1. Place the chopped meat in a saucepan and add the required amount of water.
2. Place over high heat and bring the broth to a boil.
3. Reduce gas power; remove the formed foam until it stops appearing.
4. Boil the broth for 40 minutes (this stage can take up to two hours - it all depends on how quickly the meat cooks).
5. When the broth looks rich and the meat in it becomes soft, it will be considered ready. In this case, you need to pour the potatoes into the pan with the broth and cook them for 10-15 minutes.
6. After this time, add rice, and after 5-7 minutes add salt and spices. Cook everything together over medium heat for 15-20 minutes.

At this stage, lovers of traditional Georgian cuisine add a special tklapi dressing - this is a sour cherry plum pastille, which is often replaced with cherry plum decoction or tkemali sauce. If you decide to use tomatoes or tomato paste, this component is added to the vegetable frying.

While the broth with rice and spices is cooking, fry the vegetables.

Frying some food

The secret lies not only in correct selection products for its preparation, but also in the fact that some components must be fried.

The frying stages are as follows:

1. Heat a frying pan over a fire, pour in vegetable oil.
2. Once the oil is hot, add and lightly fry the onion.
3. Add carrots to it and saute for 3-5 minutes until the vegetables acquire an appetizing rosy hue.
4. Add tomato paste or chopped tomatoes and fry together.
5. Place the garlic in a special press and pour the chopped garlic into the frying pan.
6. Simmer everything together for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly.

After the vegetable frying is ready, turn off the heat and set the pan aside

Final stage

The final stage of the recipe for kharcho with potatoes consists of several simple steps:

1. You need to add fried vegetables to the well-boiled kharcho soup.
2. Wait until it boils and add chopped herbs.
3. Check the dish for saltiness and sufficiency of seasonings, if necessary, adjust to the desired taste.
4. Bring to a boil again, let simmer for 1-2 minutes, turn off the gas.

After cooking for 10-20 minutes, the kharcho should sit. And then you can serve it to the table and surprise your loved ones with its unique taste.

What kind of meat is kharcho prepared with?

The name of the dish is translated from Georgian as “beef soup”; traditionally it is prepared from beef brisket. The closest thing to the Georgian version would be the preparation of lamb kharcho soup.

But there are many recipes that allow you to cook soup from the meat that is currently available:

• Pork;
• Chicken;
• Turkey;
• Sturgeon.

It is advisable to take the meat with the bone - this will make the dish even more satisfying, more aromatic and healthier. If the soup is pork kharcho, then ribs will do; from lamb or beef - brisket, shoulder or neck; from chicken - thighs, breast. But soup made from pulp or fillet is no less tasty.

The freshest and highest quality meat is selected. Before cooking the broth, it is separated from films and tendons. If the broth is made from meat on the bone, then after cooking it is filtered, the meat is separated, cut into pieces and returned to the broth.

Cooking secrets

Each dish has its secrets, and even more so if it belongs to traditional cuisine a certain people. Of course, only a few people would agree to cook Kharcho soup in Georgian style. But when preparing it (even according to the Russian version of the recipe), housewives will need tips that will help them achieve excellent results.

The secrets lie in the following cooking features:

• There should not be a lot of red pepper, despite the involvement of kharcho in Caucasian dishes. This pepper, like all other spices, should only emphasize the spiciness and give the dish a moderate aroma.
• Cilantro – you need to be careful with this spice. Not everyone will like its specific smell and taste. Therefore, if you decide to use cilantro, do not add too much. Chopped cilantro should be added to the soup not during cooking or even after cooking, but before serving. And it’s better to serve individually on plates for those who wish.
• The order in which ingredients are introduced is very important when cooking kharcho. Experiments are allowed, but within reasonable limits.
• “Khmeli-suneli” is a spicy seasoning that is difficult to do without if you want to experience the taste of kharcho close to the real thing. A mixture of peppers and adjika cannot replace it.
• Carrots are optional. This vegetable is not included in the traditional Georgian recipe.
• Onions should be added in large quantities: 2-3 times more than for regular soup. It is better to cut it not finely, but into half rings. In addition to the special taste due to the abundance of onions, such cutting will give an interesting look to the dish.
• It is better not to put the garlic through a press, but to chop it finely: then all the juice will be preserved inside each small piece. In addition to the amount of garlic that goes into the broth, you can add a few cloves. Their crushed ones are thrown into a plate before serving.
• Parsley, so familiar and “at home” to Russian cuisine, is not included in Georgian recipes. It is better to use more chopped dill, which Georgian cooks advise not to boil, but to pour into a plate before serving.

The most important thing is to season the soup with care and love. When a dish is prepared with soul, it will definitely turn out the most delicious and unique!

Conclusion: Kharcho soup according to the classic recipe with rice can be prepared with any meat product.