Beef soup Kharcho is a traditional dish of the Republic of Georgia and is known well outside of Georgia itself. There is a good reason for that - the soup is exceptionally delicious and has a characteristic rich flavor thanks to the spice mix that goes in it. This soup is traditionally made of fatty cuts of beef - chuck or brisket. As a result, the soup is rich and comforting. To balance out the richness of the soup sour plum sauce called Tkemali is traditionally added, which can be substituted by tomato puree or red wine vinegar. For a cold, wintry day I can't think of a much better dish than a bowl of this delicious soup.
This soup has two key and quite unfamiliar to Westerners ingredients that will likely intimidate most of us. But, fear not, I will explain how to easily get or substitute them so you can enjoy this soup they way it has been enjoyed for centuries.
Spices for Kharcho
To really appreciate the depth of the traditional Kharcho flavor, you must use the spice mix known in Georgia as khmeli-suneli. This is a traditional spice mix that is added to many Georgian dishes. You can buy it at most ethnic Caucasian or Russian grocery stores. Amazon also sells khmeli-suneli. You can also make your own mix using the following easy formulations.
Short version of the spice mix
Combine equal parts (about a teaspoon) of ground coriander seeds, dried basil, dried marjoram, dried dill plus a small pinch of red hot pepper powder (about 2%) and one strand of saffron (about 1/10%).
Full version of the spice mix
To make the full version, simply add equal parts of fenugreek, bay leaf, mint, celery and parsley to the ingredients listed above.
That's it. The first key ingredient with a funky sounding name is done. I can guarantee you, most of us have all of the spices necessary for both short and long version in our kitchens.
Acidic ingredients for Kharcho
As I mentioned above, Kharcho is a rich soup and adding some acidity helps balance its taste out. Traditionally, cherry plum purée called Tkemali is added for acidity. But it's not uncommon to see tomato puree or red wine vinegar used as substitutes. My personal favorite approach is to use a combination of the two. I use pureed tomatoes in combination with two tablespoons of Tkemali or red wine vinegar. So there you have it, the second key ingredient that seemed so hard to acquire has actually been sitting right there in your kitchen all along. Alternatively, you can buy it on Amazon or from a local ethnic grocery store.
A few final notes on how to make proper Kharcho
- Beef chuck or brisket are the only two beef cuts that will make superb Kharcho. That is, you want the meat that is beefy, rich and fatty. You can trim some excess fat off, but leave some. It's part of the soup's character. Lean meat will not make a great Kharcho. Kharcho in this respect is akin to a great burger, which must have at least 20% fat to taste great. Lean Kharcho, just like a lean burger, is a waste of time.
- Just like chili, this soup only benefits from low and slow cooking. You want to simmer the meat over a gentle heat. Don't try to boil it and make the soup ready in half an hour. It won't work. Take your time, let the the meat simmer slowly until it's melt-in-your-mouth tender. Then add the rest of the ingredients and slow simmer for a little longer. You will be rewarded with one of the most amazing tastes and textures that you will ever experience in you life.
- Now, some of you may say that the real Kharcho also uses walnuts. Yes and no. This soup has many variations and this classic version of the soup is just as popular as the one with walnuts.
What to serve Kharcho with?
You don't need anything other than a piece of freshly baked, crusty sourdough bread, pampushki, obi non (Uzbek flat bread), or a slice of country flaxseed bread.
This recipe was translated and adapted with minor changes from the 'Georgian Dishes' book that came out in Georgia back in 1959.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs beef (traditionally chuck or brisket)
- 2 medium onions (finely chopped)
- 1/2 cup rice (uncooked, rinsed in 5 waters)
- 2 large tomatoes (peeled and pureed in a blender)
- 2 Tbsp Tkemali sauce (or 1-2 Tbsp red wine vinegar)
- 8 twigs fresh parsley (2 whole, 6 finely chopped)
- 8 twigs fresh cilantro (2 whole, 6 finely chopped)
- 1 Tbsp khmeli-tsuneli spice mix (see notes)
- 2 cloves garlic (pressed)
- 2 red hot chili peppers (whole and undamaged)
- Kosher salt (to taste)
- Black pepper (to taste)
- More chopped parsley and cilantro for garnish when serving.
Instructions
- Cut beef chuck or brisket into bite size pieces, place in a large boiling pot, add 8-10 cups of water and bring to a boil. Remove scum, turn the heat to low, cover and simmer for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, until the meat is tender.
- After 1 1/2 - 2 hours, add the rinsed rice, chopped onions, two twigs of parsley and two twigs of cilantro. Continue simmering for another 20 more minutes.
- Add the finely chopped parsley and cilantro, pressed garlic, whole red hot chili peppers, spice mix, Tkemali sauce or red wine vinegar, pureed tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste, and continue cooking for another 15 minutes.
- Serve hot, garnished with more fresh chopped parsley and cilantro.
Teresa says
I'd give 10 stars for this recipe! I made it using a rack of pork ribs, and two beef ribs. Simmered them for about 5 hours, until it was "fall off the bone". I didn't have any red wine vinegar, but found that the pomegranate molasses has a sweet/mostly sour flavour. It worked out nicely! It was a hit with the whole family. I bought the spice mix pack at an Eastern European market. Next time I'm there, I'll look for the Tkemali sauce.
victor says
Oh my, that sounds fantastic. I've got to try this soup with pork and beef ribs! Long simmer makes insanely good broth. So worth it if you have the time. Pomegranate molasses are in a way similar to Tkemali sauce, just a slightly different flavor profile. It was good idea to use it in place of Tkemali. Thank you for your feedback. Enjoy!!!
Kendra says
I have made this soup twice and love the flavor of it. However, it hasn't turned out very appealing looking. With the small amount of tomato and rice, the soup ends up a pink color. Any recommendations how to make it more brown looking like in your photos. Would using beef broth instead of water help?
victor says
Hi Kendra, glad you liked this soup, one of my favorite ones. Tkemali sauce is what give it the color. I assume you did not use it. If you live in or near a large metro are, try to find an Eastern European grocery store, they always have tkemali. You can also order Tkemili from Amazon. Using the original plum sauce will give you the color and the original flavor, which can't be replicated. That said, if you want to improve the color without Tkemali, you can try other dark sauce, like BBQ sauce, soy sauce, Worcestershire, etc. Those will introduce different flavors but will give a better color. It's a compromise. Hope this helps.
Kendra says
Yes you are right I haven’t made with tkemili. I will try finding. Thanks!
Peter J Pawinski says
"Always" is a bit strong. I have several Eastern European groceries near me (Chicago), and I have yet to find tkemali. I've seen adjika on the shelves before, but that's long gone. Most of the Eastern European stuff around here is Polish, Lithuanian, Czech-Slovak, and South Slav (Croatian, Bulgarian, Serbian). Some Ukrainian stuff, as well.
I'll have to check out the Western suburb/Northwest Side shops, which are also mostly Polish, but will bleed into some Russian populations. Maybe I'll get lucky there.
Anyhow, I made this soup without tkemali and added vinegar for tang, at it was really good. I added some homemade adjika and topped with a lot of fresh herbs (and then I decided a squeeze of lemon), it hit the spot. I put it in the recipe book for the rotation. I don't know if that lemon is traditional at all, but it really brightens up the flavor and cuts through some of that richness. Thanks!
victor says
Thank you for your detailed feedback, Peter. Interesting, I've seen it many Russian grocery stores in several cities so I assumed most, if not all would have it. But, as you noted, even with a substitute this soup is really good. I recently made it with 'chahohbili' sauce and it turned out great, even though chahohbili sauce is traditionally used in Georgian cuisine in poultry dishes. Happy cooking!
Holly B says
Excellent and tastes like you're really in Tbilisi!
victor says
Thank you for the compliment 🙂 Enjoy!
Meelis says
I love it
victor says
Happy to hear it, Meelis. Enjoy!
Tony says
Do you have to put the rice in this? Could I leave the rice out, or if a starch is required, add some cubed potato towards the end?
victor says
Tony, I've never made this soup without rice, that's how it's made traditionally and I don't mind rice. I am also a big proponent of 'make it how you like it' so I often change recipes to suit my taste. If you don't like rice, don't add it. I imagine it will be thinner without rice so adding some starch back makes perfect sense to me. Good luck and enjoy! Oh, if you like soup, I highly recommend trying my mulligatawny and chicken lentil soups, those are really good, my favorites.
Isabel says
I loved it very much.
Pete says
Hi, I was wondering with the Tkemali sauce if it mattered if it was the red or green sauce?
Thanks
victor says
You can use both interchangeably, I do. It's the same sauce except the green tkemali is made with green, not fully ripe plums whereas the red one is made with fully ripe plums. The green one is slightly more tart, the red one has sweeter notes.
Michael says
Mine tasted too much of Cilantro.
victor says
Consuming lots of cilantro and other greens is very traditional in Georgia but you can always adjust to your taste. I love Central-Asian and Caucasian cuisine but I modify some dishes to my taste, nothing wrong with that.
Larisa says
A great recipe, the way you explain things is so easy to follow and everything makes perfect sense. I’m so glad I found your website!
victor says
Glad I could help, Larisa. Happy cooking!
Jean Kamens says
This soup! Very easy to make and just delicious. I love to cook but own an essential business and very little time to enjoy my kitchen so appreciated the tasty result. The fresh cilantro and khmeli-tsuneli spice mix (I blended my own) comes through in big ways and the dish overall really delights. I'm going to try this with some fresh basil & mint next time to really make the taste buds sing. I'm going for the salmon thai next. I'm thinking of hosting a "family soup day" with a close group of friends and including this dish.
Finding Craving Tasty is a win!
victor says
Enjoy!
Ailene Oliver says
This soup is absolutely delicious. It is easy to make and so tasty! I followed the recipe exactly and it was pure Perfection!
Kris Barber says
This recipe looks delicious.
I have a question about the full spice mix recipe. Am I supposed to grind the the "additional" ingredients? And are you speaking of dried celery seeds? dried parsley and mint?
Thanks1
victor says
Hi Kris, yes, all spices should be ground, you can use a coffee grinder or grind in a mortar. Dried parsley or mint flakes will work as-is, not need to grind then but you can if you want.
Az says
Is there no broth added? Another recipe I was comparing had 4 cups of beef broth plus 4 more cups water.
Thanks!
victor says
It's a good question, I've reviewed a number of Georgian books with traditional kharcho recipes and none of them called for beef broth. If you think about it, simmering chuck or brisket for 2 hours will, in fact, produce a good quality beef broth. Perhaps those recipes that call for beef broth are of a 'quick' type so using broth would add the missing flavor. In this recipe, it would be redundant IMHO.
Az says
Thanks!
Bern says
What kind of red chili pepper do you use?
victor says
It depends on what I can find, but typically it's Thai red chili peppers, the ones that are larger than the Bird's eye peppers.
Michelle Belan says
Looking forward to making your version of this soup. Any idea how big the serving size is? I'm tracking my eating and it's hard to know how many cups/grams are in a serving so I can accurately record it. Thanks!
victor says
Michelle, I never actually measured precisely how many cups I get but I would estimate it's about 2 - 2.5 cups per serving. The simplest thing to do would be to use the ingredients in the recipe, measure how many cups you get in total then divide by 8. That will be your serving for which you have the calories calculated below the recipe.
Nina says
First time making this soup. Followed your recipe word for word and my kharcho turned out terrific! My father used to make this soup and it reminded me of his cooking. Great recipe!
victor says
Thank you for the feedback, Nina. Glad you liked it.