Kharcho soup is a classic of Caucasian cuisine. So beloved by Soviet public catering, it is indeed extremely tasty and healthy.

Real kharcho, like pilaf or shish kebab, is always prepared from lamb.

Only this meat, according to Caucasians, can saturate the broth of spicy mountain soup with the necessary aroma and taste.

Classic lamb kharcho - general cooking principles

Like any soup, kharcho will turn out richer if you use a piece of meat with a bone to prepare the broth. You should choose not the pulp, but the shoulder part or ribs.

There is an obligatory subtlety in preparing lamb broth - the meat is dipped only in boiling water. In the future, it is prepared as with any other meat: over low heat, without letting it boil too much, and always with the lid closed.

Lamb on the bone is boiled for at least two hours; if using the pulp, it will take an hour and a half.

Classic kharcho is prepared with pearl barley, but soups with rice are sometimes preferable, especially if you are cooking for children. They choose ordinary, round-grain rice, although often the so-called rice cut - ground rice - is also added to kharcho.

Spicy lamb kharcho soup “Classic” with nuts

Young lamb ribs - 1.2 kg;

A glass of long grain rice;

Three large onions;

A spoonful of very spicy adjika;

Two large tomatoes;

Two spoons of khmeli-suneli;

Peppercorns;

A handful of walnuts;

A pair of bay leaves;

Spoon of tomato paste;

Ground paprika - half a teaspoon;

Dried basil;

Large head of garlic;

Refined oil - 2 tbsp. l.;

Fresh cilantro.

1. Fill a large saucepan with water and set it to the highest heat setting. Once it boils, add the lamb, peppercorns and onion. Wash the meat thoroughly beforehand; there is no need to cut it.

2. Bring the broth to a boil, then reduce the heat and leave to cook, covered, for two hours. During the boiling process, be sure to remove all foam. After about an hour from boiling, add a spoonful of salt, but do not add salt at the beginning, otherwise the lamb will be tough.

3. When the broth is cooked, add the meat. To remove small bone fragments, onions and peppers, strain the broth using a sieve and pour into the same pan. Don’t forget to wash it; plaque always accumulates on the walls when cooking meat.

4. Over medium heat, bring the broth to a boil, add the pre-washed rice. Add a spoonful of suneli hops and leave to cook, setting the heat to medium.

5. Remove all the meat from the bones. Puree the tomatoes in a blender. Add the remaining suneli hops, basil and saffron, stir. If you don’t have a blender, remove the skins from the tomatoes and simply grind the pulp on a grater.

6. Cut the onion into half rings, and if the head is large, then into quarter rings. Fry the onion strips in oil until golden. Add paprika and chopped tomatoes. Add a spoonful of pasta, adjika and crushed nuts. Stir and leave to simmer covered for six minutes.

7. Place the finished roast into the broth with the finished rice. Bring to a boil, simmer at low temperature for about five minutes. At the end, add crushed garlic and mashed herbs, stir the soup well, turn off the stove.

Lamb kharcho: classic recipe with potatoes

Half a kilogram piece of lamb with bones;

Short grain rice - 4 tbsp. l.;

Three large onions;

Half a kilo of potatoes;

Three spoons of Tkemali sauce;

400 gr. fresh tomatoes;

Greens: parsley, cilantro and dill - in small bunches;

Allspice and black pepper;

Dried basil - a few pinches.

1. Rinse the lamb. Remove films and remaining tendons, cut into medium-sized oblong pieces.

2. Quickly boil 2.5 liters. water and dip the pieces of lamb into it. While waiting for it to boil again, carefully skim off the foam. As soon as it starts boiling, turn down the heat slightly and simmer the broth for an hour and a half.

3. Place the lamb in a bowl and add the diced potatoes into the broth. Immediately add the washed rice, stir and leave to cook on low heat.

4. Fry onion half rings in vegetable oil until transparent. Place pieces of boiled meat on it, season with Tkemali sauce. Add the grated tomatoes, stir and leave to simmer for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally and make sure the roast does not burn.

5. When the rice and potatoes are ready, add the roasted tomatoes to the broth. Add all the spices to the kharcho and add salt to your taste. After boiling over low heat for about a quarter of an hour, add finely chopped garlic and fresh herbs to the kharcho. Simmer with the lid closed for about three minutes and remove from the stove.

Lamb kharcho “Classic”, with prunes

Lamb brisket - 400 gr.;

50 gr. dry, large rice;

Khmeli-suneli seasoning;

Two onions;

Large head of garlic;

Pitted prunes - 100 gr.;

A third of a spoonful of ground pepper, red and black;

180 gr. mild tomato;

Fresh herbs;

Two teaspoons of spicy adjika, maybe with khmeli-suneli.

1. Cut the brisket washed with water and place in boiling water. Wait until the contents of the pan begin to boil again. Without waiting for intense bubbling, skim off all the foam. Cook the lamb by lowering the heat to medium.

2. Cut the washed prunes into thin strips and dip them into the broth after an hour has passed from the moment of boiling.

3. After boiling for twenty minutes, add rice and chopped garlic. Rinse the cereal first with cold water. Cook until the rice is soft.

4. While the rice cereal is cooking, pour two tablespoons of oil into the frying pan and heat it well over low heat. Then lay out the onion half rings, and when they are well browned, add the tomato and adjika. Stirring, cook for seven minutes, then transfer to the pan with the cooked rice.

5. Season the suneli hops, adjust the taste of the kharcho with salt. Add the herbs, set aside and let sit for about half an hour.

Lamb kharcho classic recipe with plums, Georgian style

Lamb on the bone - 400 gr.;

Four onions, medium-sized;

100 gr. round grain rice;

Five large plums;

Five small cloves of garlic;

100 gr. walnuts;

A tablespoon of flour;

A little fresh cilantro;

Three tablespoons of lean, aromatic oil;

Spices - to taste;

A third of a tsp. hot pepper, ground.

1. Rinse the lamb under running water. Immediately cut the meat into portions and pour boiling water over it. At maximum heat, skimming off the foam, bring to a vigorous boil. Then set the heat so that the pan is boiling, but not intensely. Cook the meat for one and a half hours.

2. Finely chop the onion and heat in oil until softened. Add flour, continue cooking, stirring constantly, until golden brown.

3. Prepare plum sauce. Rinse the fruits, immerse them in cold water and place on low heat, boil until softened. Place the plums in a sieve and grind, removing skins and seeds.

4. Transfer the prepared plum puree into a frying pan, push the garlic into it, and stir. Heat the sauce over low heat and stir regularly until it thickens.

5. Remove the meat from the finished broth and strain it into a clean saucepan. Place the lamb pieces back into the pan and place it back on the heat. When it boils, add the cereal. Add the nuts crushed in a blender, add to the soup, onions fried with flour and plum sauce. Cook, without letting it boil, until the rice is done.

6. Place the chopped herbs into the pan and simmer the soup for another five minutes.

Recipe for classic lamb kharcho soup, for a slow cooker

Lamb brisket - about 700 grams;

Half a glass of rice;

Two tablespoons of unsalted, thick tomato;

Half a head of garlic;

Khmeli-suneli - a couple of spoons, to taste;

Hot pepper marinade (if available);

Three onions - two for frying and one for broth.

1. Having programmed the stewing mode and indicating the duration of two hours on the timer, pour in water and lower the onion head into it along with the meat.

2. Meanwhile, fry two chopped onions in a frying pan on the stove. At the very end, add tomato paste.

3. When the program has stopped, remove the lamb, remove the meat from the bones, chop if necessary and return it back to the broth. Add onion fried with tomato, then washed rice. Stir and add greens.

4. Start the stewing mode, wait about five minutes, and add suneli hops to the dish. Now you need to close the lid and cook the kharcho in the same mode for another hour.

5. Add chopped garlic to the soup, add salt, and take a sample. Add the hot pepper marinade to taste and leave on heat for up to half an hour.

Classic lamb kharcho soup with tomato

Half a kilo of lamb trimmings;

Medium carrots;

Large onion;

Three pods of bell pepper;

A glass of large unparboiled rice;

Three spoons of tomato;

Fresh dill is a must, parsley leaves and young cilantro are optional.

1. Having prepared the multicooker for the frying mode, generously grease the bowl with oil and place the lamb cut into pieces into it. Fry the meat for a quarter of an hour.

2. Cut the pepper into strips, and after washing and peeling the carrots, grate them into large shavings. Add vegetables to the meat as soon as the first stage is completed.

3. Set the same operating mode for another ten minutes and fry the vegetables for half of this time. During this time, cut the onion into quarters of rings and, together with the tomato, put them in a slow cooker. Stirring occasionally, wait for the program to complete.

4. Add washed rice to the rest of the products and add the required amount of boiling water. We start the processor for an hour and a half, programming “Quenching”.

5. Put peeled and mashed garlic into the finished kharcho, heat it in a special mode for about 15 minutes. At the same time, add cilantro, basil or other greens with a strong taste.

Classic lamb kharcho soup - cooking tricks and useful tips

The broth turns out great in a pressure cooker, although there is another great option - simmer it in the oven using a clay pot.

If you don’t have a blender, you can chop the nuts with a regular mashed potato masher; finely chopped kernels with a knife will also work.

Cook the broth. To do this, rinse the lamb well, place it in a saucepan, add cold water and place on low heat. Meat for broth should always be brought to a boil over low heat, then all the juices will slowly pass into the broth, and it will be very aromatic.

After boiling, remove the foam and add peeled and washed vegetables - one onion, one carrot and a stalk of celery. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for an hour and a half over such low heat that it barely maintains a boil.

You can also make wonderful lamb broths in a slow cooker. Incredibly rich and aromatic. If I cook the broth this way, then I immediately put meat and vegetables into the bowl and set the Soup mode for 2 hours.

Place pepper, paprika, coriander in a mortar and crush thoroughly.

Peel the onion and garlic and chop very finely. In a second pan (in the first we cook the broth), heat the olive oil and fry the onion and garlic.

Peel the carrots and grate them. Add carrots, spices, tomato sauce to the pan, stir and cook for 5 minutes.

Blanch the tomatoes. To do this, make a cross-shaped cut on each bottom, put it in a bowl and pour boiling water over it, after one minute, drain the boiling water and add very cold water. After this procedure, removing the skin will not be difficult. Cut the tomato pulp into small pieces and add to the rest of the vegetables. Cook for 5 minutes.

Rinse the rice well.

Add rice to the pan with the vegetables, mix well, cover with a lid and leave on the heat for 5 minutes. During this time, the rice will absorb the aroma of the spices.

Place a sieve on the pan and strain the broth through it. Increase heat, bring to a boil and simmer until rice and vegetables are cooked through, about 10-15 minutes. 2 minutes before the end of cooking, pour tkemali sauce into the kharcho. Add salt to taste.

Remove the meat from the bones, cut into small pieces and return to the soup.

Serve lamb kharcho sprinkled with chopped cilantro. Those who don't really like its aroma can replace cilantro with parsley.

Lamb kharcho is one of the most popular options for preparing this dish. Although traditional Georgian soup includes beef, many people prefer to use meat that is more familiar to mountain residents. The broth turns out just as rich, and the ingredients of the dish remain virtually unchanged. At the same time, the amount of fat in the treat is reduced, so Lamb kharcho is recommended for those who are watching their figure. It should also be remembered that it is not advisable to introduce dishes with this meat into a child’s diet, since it is quite heavy for a growing body.

Lamb kharcho is prepared with rice and plenty of fresh herbs. A wide variety of vegetables are also often added: onions, carrots, sweet peppers, hot peppers, tomatoes, potatoes and garlic. The dressing for lamb kharcho is traditionally Georgian tkemali sauce, but if you can’t get it, cooks often use sweet tomato paste. In this case, the soup must be seasoned with aromatic spices. Among them are cilantro, oregano, bay leaves, black and allspice, suneli hops, etc.

To prepare kharcho, choose boneless lamb and with a small amount of fat. To obtain the broth, the meat is cooked for quite a long time - at least one and a half hours. This allows you not only to make it softer, but also to get rid of the specific smell that lamb most often has (especially if the meat from an older animal is taken).

Ready lamb kharcho is served hot. This dish does not require any special additions, but a piece of pita bread or sour cream would be useful.

Secrets of preparing the perfect lamb kharcho

Lamb kharcho is a rich meat soup with interesting flavor combinations. This delicacy is often served in Georgia, but for us it still remains an unusual delicacy. At the same time, to understand how to cook lamb kharcho, absolutely any housewife can do it, just remember the following important features of the dish:

Secret No. 1. Lamb kharcho is best served not immediately, but about an hour after cooking. All this time the soup should be kept covered.

Secret No. 2. Before cooking kharcho with lamb, be sure to wash the meat and remove all films, small bones and excess fat.

Secret No. 3. Lamb kharcho can be made either liquid or thick. It is enough to simply change the amount of water in the desired direction.

Secret No. 4. The best choice for kharcho is a leg of lamb, brisket or shoulder.

A combination of lamb, rice and fresh tomato sauce will help add a little variety to your everyday menu. The taste of the finished dish will appeal to all family members, and its aroma will make everyone gather at the table even before the invitation. In this recipe, all specific products are replaced with more affordable analogues, so that everyone can prepare lamb kharcho without any hassle in finding the necessary ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 800 g lamb;
• 700 g tomatoes;
• 2 onions;
• 2 bell peppers;
• 1 carrot;
• ½ head of garlic;
• 1 parsley root;
• 4 bay leaves;
• 6 tbsp. l. rice;
• 30 ml vegetable oil;
• 12 black peppercorns;
• Greenery;
• Salt pepper.

Cooking method:

1. Wash the lamb thoroughly and cut into medium-sized pieces.
2. Place the meat in a saucepan and add two liters of cold water and put on fire.
3. When the water boils, remove the foam and reduce the heat slightly, simmer the broth for 1 hour.
4. Place the parsley root, as well as salt and pepper to taste, in a saucepan, cook for another 30 minutes, then remove the parsley from the broth.
5. Cut the onion into small cubes, scald the tomatoes in boiling water and carefully remove the skin.
6. Place the onion in a heated frying pan with vegetable oil and fry until golden brown.
7. Cut the tomatoes into cubes and add to the onion, simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.
8. Pour the resulting sauce into the pan with the lamb, rinse the rice thoroughly.
9. When the broth boils again, pour the rice into it, boil again and cook for 7 minutes.
10. Add salt to the kharcho, add bay leaves, peppercorns and other spices to taste.
11. Cook the lamb kharcho until the rice is ready, then pour the chopped garlic and herbs into the saucepan.
12. Cook the soup for another 2 minutes, then remove from heat and let simmer.

Interesting from the network

If you and your household are tired of monotonous bland soups, it’s time to cook lamb kharcho according to this recipe. It turns out not only tasty, but also very spicy, which is very rare in other first courses from the daily diet. Many housewives prepare such a delicacy for a festive dinner, because the finished kharcho with lamb also looks very appetizing.

Ingredients:

• 400 g lamb;
• 3 tbsp. l. tkemali sauce;
• 4 tbsp. l. rice;
• 3 onions;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• 4 potatoes;
• 400 g tomatoes;
• 1 bunch of cilantro;
• 1 bunch of parsley;
• 1 bunch of dill;
• 2.5 liters of water;
• 2 bay leaves;
• 4 peas of allspice;
• 4 black peppercorns;
• 1 tsp. khmeli-suneli;
• 1 tsp. dried basil;
• 3 tbsp. l. vegetable oil;
• Salt pepper.

Cooking method:

1. Wash, peel and cut the lamb into small cubes.
2. Pour the specified amount of water over the lamb, add a little salt and bay leaves.
3. Cook over medium heat until the water boils, then remove the foam and reduce the heat.
4. Cook the broth for an hour and a half.
5. Meanwhile, chop the onion, garlic and herbs, cut the potatoes into cubes.
6. Peel the tomatoes and chop them into small pieces.
7. Rinse the rice thoroughly, remove the lamb from the broth and place in a bowl.
8. Add potatoes and rice to the broth and cook for 20 minutes over low heat.
9. Fry the onion in vegetable oil until translucent, add meat to it, and season everything with tkemali sauce.
10. Add tomatoes to the pan, simmer for 20 minutes, then transfer the frying to a pan with rice and potatoes.
11. Pour all the spices and salt to taste into the kharcho, cook for 15 minutes
12. Add garlic and herbs, cook for another 3 minutes with the lid closed.

Now you know how to cook lamb kharcho according to a recipe with a photo. Bon appetit!

Kharcho soup with lamb is a very tasty, thick and rich soup that came to our kitchens from Georgia. It will warm you in cold winter even in the most severe frosts. In many culinary reference books you can find that real kharcho is prepared only from beef. Perhaps they are prepared on the basis of beef, and this is true for the inhabitants of the plains. But where could a Georgian shepherd get a cow in the mountains? Of course, he prepared kharcho soup only with lamb. This kharcho has a unique taste, it is very fatty and is in no way inferior to the classic recipe with beef. It’s easy to prepare kharcho soup with lamb at home, write down the simplest recipe!

To prepare kharcho soup with lamb and rice you will need:

• For 6 liters of soup: 500 grams of lamb ribs with loin (this is a must);
• 2 large onions;
• 2 carrots;
• 150-200 grams of tomatoes in their own juice (can be replaced with fresh tomatoes or tomato paste,
• diluted in 150 grams of cold water);
• 3-4 potatoes (optional);
• 200 grams of rice (rinse and soak in advance);
• butter for frying;
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce;
• 2-3 cloves of garlic;
• 2 tablespoons of any wine (for aroma);
• a bunch of greens (dill, cilantro, parsley);
• khmeli-suneli;
• hot pepper (optional);
• salt.

How to cook lamb kharcho at home:

Cooking meat
Prepare the ribs: wash and dry with a towel. Cut into portions, reserving the fat. It's a must in this soup. Therefore, it is the brisket that is used for cooking.
Take a thick-walled pan. Heat a tablespoon of butter in it. Place lamb ribs fat side down. Add soy sauce and wine. Sprinkle with spices, suneli hops and hot pepper (the latter is optional, for lovers of spicy kharcho soup). Fry the ribs with spices.

Preparing vegetables for lamb kharcho
Meanwhile, prepare the onions and carrots. They need to be washed, peeled and chopped into strips. Add to the fried ribs one at a time and, stirring, simmer for about 20 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
Grind the tomatoes in their own juice into a puree. Do the same with fresh tomatoes, just remove the skin first. If necessary, dilute with water. Simply dilute the tomato paste with water. Add to the pan with the meat and vegetables. Stir and simmer for another 15 minutes so that all the products are saturated with the tomato spirit.

Now add water to about half the pan. Bring to a boil and add diced potatoes.
Do you need potatoes in kharcho? It is completely optional to put it there. But for those who cannot imagine soups without it, its addition is forgivable.

Cooking delicious lamb kharcho
As soon as the soup boils, add the washed rice. Close the lid tightly and cook for another 15-20 minutes until the potatoes and rice are soft. It's easy to check with a spoon. If you press them against the wall, they will easily be crushed.

Chop the garlic and add to the broth. Chop a lot of greens and add to the soup. Georgian dishes are simply unthinkable without it. Salt the prepared kharcho with lamb meat, close the lid and let it boil.

Turn off the fire. But don't rush to open the lid. Even if you are choking on saliva from the aroma, it is worth waiting for 20 minutes. After this, the kharcho soup with lamb will be full, saturated with meat, vegetable aromas and spices and will be fully ready to reveal its taste.

Step 1: Prepare the broth.

The first step is to wash and cut the meat. Therefore, we take the lamb and carefully cut it into small pieces across the grain. Place it in a two-liter saucepan, fill it with water, and put it on the fire to cook the broth.
Keep an eye on the broth: as soon as the water boils, you need to remove the foam. Then reduce the heat so that the water in the pan bubbles slightly. Let the lamb broth simmer for an hour to an hour and a half. Do not cover the pan with a lid. And half an hour before the broth is cooked, you can put a little parsley in the pan and salt the broth to taste.

Step 2: Prepare the frying.

While the lamb broth is cooking, we peel and finely chop the onions. We put a frying pan on the fire to heat up, after pouring vegetable oil into it. Once the pan is hot, add the onion and fry it until golden brown. Then add a couple of tablespoons of broth to the onion and leave the onion to simmer over low heat. At this time, prepare the tomatoes. The choice between tomatoes and tomato paste depends on the season. But, if you have the opportunity to use fresh tomatoes, be sure to take advantage of it.
So, wash the tomatoes, put them in a bowl and pour boiling water so that the water covers the vegetables. This way we can remove the skin from the tomatoes. Then cut them into cubes and put them in a frying pan with the onions and broth. Continue to simmer covered for another 10 minutes.

Step 3: Cook lamb kharcho.

At this time, our meat should be almost cooked. We take our ready-made roast and add it to the future soup. As soon as the broth boils again, immediately add rice to it. After it boils again, reduce the heat on the stove to medium. After five minutes, we begin to add spices to the broth. Add allspice peas, bay leaf, basil.

Step 4: Serve lamb kharcho.

Lastly, literally a few minutes before the end of cooking, add crushed garlic, finely chopped parsley, dill and cilantro. Let the lamb kharcho soup brew under the lid for at least an hour and serve with pita bread or bread. Note that you can add crushed walnuts to the kharcho soup along with the rice - this is how kharcho is cooked in many regions of Georgia. The broth can also be made from chicken or turkey. It is only important to remember the cooking technology and the order in which the products are added. Bon appetit!

If for some reason you missed the right moment and the foam has settled to the bottom of the pan, add a glass of cold water there and turn the heat up to high. When the colder water boils again, the foam will rise to the surface again and you can easily skim it off.

After cooking, you can add the meat to the fried onions and simmer it. So, stewing meat with onions gives kharcho soup a unique aroma and taste.

You can use round rice, you can use long-grain rice, but in no case crushed cereal.

Cilantro has a very specific taste, which is unpleasant to many, and if you have not tried this herb before, it is better not to put it in the broth, but simply sprinkle the kharcho soup before serving.

Initially, kharcho soup was made from lamb, but nowadays it is increasingly made from beef. Let us note that when talking about Georgian cuisine, one cannot mean strict recipes for main dishes, which all residents of the country strictly adhere to. The cuisine of Eastern Georgia differs from the cuisine of Western Georgia; each region of the country boasts its own version of preparing the main dish. But the basic recipe for lamb kharcho remains unchanged in all regions of Georgia.