Lamb kharcho - general principles and methods of preparation
Kharcho is a traditional Georgian dish, a spicy soup with rice, the main ingredient of which is lamb or beef. As a rule, a large number of spices, seasonings and herbs are added to kharcho. In addition to the Suneli hops, garlic, basil, tarragon, onion, dill, parsley, cilantro, ground black and red pepper are used.
Lamb Kharcho - product preparation
Special preparation of products for kharcho is not required, it is enough to thoroughly rinse the meat, pour it with cold water and start cooking. Vegetables for soup are cut into small enough pieces, while it is important that the pieces are about the same size, as an alternative, you can skip through the meat grinder.
Lamb kharcho - cooking utensils
Georgian soup is cooked in a conventional pan; a pan for frying vegetables is also required.
Recipe 1: Lamb Kharcho Soup
Traditional kharcho is cooked for 1.5-2 hours, it necessarily includes seasonings, vegetables and sweet peppers.
Ingredients:
- 500 grams of lamb (brisket);
- 500 grams of tomatoes;
- 2 sweet peppers;
- 2 onions;
- 1 carrot;
- 1 parsley root;
- 10 pieces of pepper peas;
- 1/2 head of garlic;
- 2 tablespoons of rice;
- 2-3 lavrushki;
- salt.
Cooking method
Cut the breast along the ribs, fry the meat in a pan, adding finely chopped onions, carrots and parsley root. Transfer the lamb to the pan, fill with water (cold), add salt and cook. After the brisket is well cooked, put in the kharcho, tomatoes and bell peppers, passed through the meat grinder, a little later - rice (make sure that the rice is not digested, the ideal option is to take steamed and ground). A few minutes before cooking, add lavrushka, peppercorns (pre-crush for a larger flavor), finely chopped or crushed garlic.
Recipe 2: Lamb Kharcho with Walnuts
Walnuts add zest to the kharcho.
Ingredients:
- 500 grams of lamb;
- 2-3 tablespoons of tomato paste;
- 2 pieces of onion turnips;
- 2 tablespoons of rice;
- 1 tablespoon of temka sauce (in the absence can be replaced with ripe plums);
- 100 grams of walnuts;
- ground black pepper;
- red ground pepper;
- hops-suneli;
- 1/2 head of garlic;
- a few pieces of laurel pepper;
- cilantro;
- salt.
Cooking method
The meat is boiled on the bone, then thinly sliced onions (half rings), unpolished rice, lavrushka and pepper are placed. Tkemali and tomato sauce are put not earlier than 10 minutes before readiness.
Spices should be grinded, chopped nuts or minced and put in a soup, the addition of garlic and salt becomes the end.
Usually, the meat is removed from the bone before serving and cut into small pieces, which are laid out on a plate and filled with kharcho. Be sure to sprinkle the soup with herbs.
Recipe 3: Lamb Kharcho with Prunes
Prunes add sweetness and piquancy to the soup, while the kharcho turns out to be slightly milder than when dried fruits are not used.
Ingredients:
- 500 grams of lamb (brisket);
- 100 grams of prunes;
- 2-3 tablespoons of rice;
- 2 onions;
- 8-10 cloves of garlic;
- 200 grams of tomato paste;
- hops-suneli;
- 1/2 tablespoon of black pepper powder;
- 1/4 tablespoon of red pepper;
- 1 teaspoon adjika;
- salt.
Cooking method
The meat should be cut into small pieces and put them in water (the broth will be rich if you put the brisket in cold water, in the case of boiling water the broth will be almost lean. However, in fairness, it should be noted that lamb itself is rather lean than fatty meat, so it is better to put it in cold water.
Cook the lamb for about an hour, then you need to add small pieces of prunes and cook for about 20 minutes. Next, add rice and chopped garlic. After the rice is cooked, add the dressing of onion and tomato sauce (finely chop the onion and fry in vegetable oil until it becomes golden, then add the tomato paste and fry on low heat for another 5-7 minutes )
Next, put black and red ground pepper, salt and herbs in the pan. Boil the soup for another 5 minutes, then turn off the fire, cover the kharcho with a lid and let the soup brew for half an hour.
Lamb Kharcho - tips from experienced chefs
It is very important for kharcho to use polished and steamed rice, it should not be boiled, in which case the soup will be really tasty. You should also not abuse rice, 1/3 cup is enough for a large pot, otherwise the kharcho will turn into porridge.
Garlic should be added when the kharcho is ready, then the aroma of the soup will be especially pleasant.
After the pan is removed from the heat, the soup should be covered with a lid and let the dish brew for 15-20 minutes.
Some chefs of oriental cuisine recommend throwing onions, sliced into thin rings, not into the pan, but directly into the plate, first scalding with boiling water and letting it brew for several minutes.
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