Kharcho (Georgian Beef and Walnut Soup)
Local name: ხარჩო
In short: A thick Georgian soup of beef, rice and ground walnuts with garlic, coriander and a tart plum note, warming and deeply savory. It takes about 2 h 30 min in total and makes 6 servings.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 2 h 5 min
- Total
- 2 h 30 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 485 kcal
Kharcho is the best-known Georgian soup, a thick beef broth with rice, ground walnuts and a sour note from plums or tomato, finished with garlic and fresh coriander. It is warmly spiced, deeply savory and thick enough to eat as a stew. Georgian cooks use sour plum sauce or dried plum paste called tklapi for tartness. Serve it hot with corn or wheat bread on a cold day.
Instructions
- Put the beef, water, bay leaf and whole onion in a large pot. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam, then simmer partly covered for 1 1/2 hours, until the beef is tender. Remove the onion and bay leaf.
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the chopped onions for 12 minutes until golden. Stir in the tomato paste, khmeli suneli, coriander and cayenne for 2 minutes.
- Add the onion mixture and the rice to the pot. Simmer for 15 minutes, until the rice is nearly cooked.
- Mix the walnuts and garlic with a ladle of hot broth to make a paste, and stir it into the soup with the tkemali and salt. Simmer gently for 10 minutes. Do not boil hard.
- Stir in the cilantro and rest the soup for 10 minutes, then serve hot with bread.
Tips
- No tkemali or tklapi? Use 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses, or 1 extra tbsp tomato paste plus the juice of half a lemon, to get the tart note.
- Keep the soup below a hard boil after adding the walnuts, or the oil from the nuts separates and floats on top.
Questions and answers
Is kharcho spicy?
It is warmly spiced but not fiery. Adjust the cayenne to taste, and Georgian cooks sometimes add a chopped fresh chili for more heat.
Can I use lamb or chicken in kharcho?
Yes. Beef is traditional, lamb works well, and chicken needs only 40 minutes of simmering instead of 1 1/2 hours.
Can I freeze kharcho?
Yes, for up to 3 months. It thickens on standing, so thin it with hot water or broth when reheating.
How long does it take to make Kharcho (Georgian Beef and Walnut Soup)?
About 2 h 30 min in total: 25 min of preparation and 2 h 5 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Kharcho (Georgian Beef and Walnut Soup)?
About 485 kcal per serving, with 29 g of protein, 20 g of carbohydrates and 32 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 485 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 29 g |
| Carbohydrates | 20 g |
| Fat | 32 g |
| Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 8 g |
| Sodium | 750 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
