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Beef Soup Kharcho (pronounced harcho), is a hearty beef soup in tomato broth with a wonderful blend of spices and plenty of fresh herbs. The beef is fall-apart tender and just melts in your mouth – delicious!All it needs is a thick slice of fresh crusty bread.
This beef stew also reheats really well and I was pleasantly surprised that my 1-year old loved it! This recipe also made a soup Kharcho lover out of my husband.
Kharchois Georgian in origin but has beenadopted and well loved by Ukrainians for many years. This recipe was loosely adapted from The New Ukrainian Cookbook.
Ingredients for Beef and Tomato Soup (Kharcho):
3 lb beef stew meat
3tsp salt (I used fine sea salt)
4 Tbsp light olive oil (or any cooking oil), divided
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
4 cups beef broth +4 cup filtered water
28 oz can diced tomatoes
2 dry bay leaves
1tsp groundcoriander seeds
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1/2 cup uncooked white rice (I used Jasmine)
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (from 1 mediumlemon)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped, plus more to serve
1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped, plus more to serve
How to Make Beef Soup (Kharcho):
1. Sprinkle meat with 3tsp salt and stir. Heat a dutch oven or soup pot over medium/high heat and add 2 Tbsp oil. Once oil is hot, add beef in 2 batches,sautéing until browned on all sides (don’t worry about cooking it through). Remove from pot and set aside.
2. Add chopped onion and celery with more oil as needed. Saute 5 minutes until softened.
3. Add canned tomatoes with their juice, 4 cups broth, 4 cups water, 2 bay leaves and browned beef. Bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until beef is tender.
4. Add 1/2 cup white rice, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 2 pressed garlic cloves, 1 tsp coriander, 1 tsp paprika. Cover and simmer 20 minutes or until rice is tender.
5. Remove from heat and add 1/4 cup parsley and 1/4 cup dillthen cover and let sit off heat another 10 minutes before serving. Season to taste with salt and pepper if needed and serve with more fresh herbs as desired.
Beef Soup (Kharcho)
Beef Soup Kharcho (pronounced harcho), is a hearty beef soup in tomato broth with a wonderful blend of spices and plenty of fresh herbs.
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Prep Time: 15 minutes mins
Cook Time: 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Total Time: 2 hours hrs 45 minutes mins
Ingredients
Servings: 12 cups of soup
- 3 lb beef stew meat
- 3 tsp salt
- 4 Tbsp light olive oil, or any cooking oil, divided
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
- 4 cups beef broth + 4 cup filtered water
- 28 oz can diced tomatoes
- 2 dry bay leaves
- 1 tsp ground coriander seeds
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed
- 1/2 cup uncooked white rice, I used Jasmine
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, from 1 medium lemon
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped, plus more to serve
- 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped, plus more to serve
Instructions
Sprinkle meat with 3 tsp salt and stir. Heat dutch oven or soup pot over medium/high heat and add 2 Tbsp oil. Once oil is hot, add beef in 2 batches, sautéing until browned on all sides. Remove from pot and set aside. Don't worry about cooking it through.
Add chopped onion and celery with more oil as needed. Saute 5 min until softened.
Add canned tomatoes with their juice, 4 cups broth, 4 cups water, 2 bay leaves and browned beef. Bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until beef is tender.
Add 1/2 cup white rice, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 2 pressed garlic cloves, 1 tsp coriander, 1 tsp paprika. Cover and simmer 20 min or until rice is tender.
Remove from heat and add 1/4 cup parsley and 1/4 cup dill then cover and let sit off heat another 10 min before serving. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with more fresh herbs as desired.
Nutrition Per Serving
253kcal Calories11g Carbs27g Protein11g Fat3g Saturated Fat70mg Cholesterol1045mg Sodium612mg Potassium1g Fiber2g Sugar370IU Vitamin A11mg Vitamin C60mg Calcium3mg Iron
- Full Nutrition Label
- Nutrition Disclosure
Nutrition Facts
Beef Soup (Kharcho)
Amount per Serving
% Daily Value*
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Russian
Keyword: beef soup, soup kharcho
Skill Level: Easy/Medium
Cost to Make: $$
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Natasha Kravchuk
Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the blogger behind Natasha's Kitchen (since 2009). My husband and I run this blog together and share only our best, family approved and tested recipes with YOU. Thanks for stopping by! We are so happy you're here.
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FAQs
If you are adding meat to a soup, sear or brown it in a sauté pan before you add it to the soup. This adds a deeper savory flavor to the whole soup.
Where is Kharcho soup from? ›
Kharcho is a beef soup from Georgia. It's also great when made with chicken, veal, or lamb.
How do you fix tough beef in soup? ›
Slow Cooking and Simmering: A Gentle Approach
One of the most reliable methods for softening tough meat in stew is to cook it slowly over low heat. Using a slow cooker or simmering your stew on the stovetop for an extended period can break down the collagen and create tender and flavorful meat.
How to make meat in soup tender? ›
Slow and Low: The Cooking Technique
The key here is to employ the slow and low cooking technique. Cooking stew meat over low heat for a longer duration helps to break down collagen, resulting in irresistibly tender meat. To cook your stew meat: Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
What is the most flavorful beef for soup? ›
What is the best cut of beef for soup? The best cut of meat for beef soup is either a chuck roast, chuck shoulder, chuck-eye roast or top chuck – with chuck roast being my personal favorite. These are the most tender cuts.
How to make soup really flavorful? ›
"Ground paprika, turmeric, nutmeg, ground ginger, and other powdered spices add a touch of color and spiciness to broths," she says. As a general rule, use fresh herbs at or near the end of cooking and dried herbs and spices early on. This helps you get the flavors you're looking for in the right balance.
Is Kharcho good? ›
Beef Soup Kharcho (pronounced harcho), is a hearty beef soup in tomato broth with a wonderful blend of spices and plenty of fresh herbs. The beef is fall-apart tender and just melts in your mouth – delicious!
How many calories are in Kharcho soup? ›
Product description
Net weight: | 50 g | with water: 350 g |
---|
Calories (kKal): | 140 | 280 |
Calories (kJ): | 586 | 1172 |
Fats (g): | 0,5 | 1 |
Saturated Fat (g): | 0 | 0 |
7 more rows
What is Kharcho Suneli? ›
Kharchos Suneli as the mix of spices used in Kharcho soup is often called in Georgia is. a traditional Georgian mixture made exceptionally for the Kharcho soup. The Kharcho. Suneli consists of the following ingredients: Uktsho Suneli – aka Ulumbo aka blue fenugreek, a member of the legume family, ground.
What liquid makes beef tender? ›
Tenderizing with a baking soda solution is faster than using a saltwater brine. Meat only has to sit in a baking soda solution for 15 to 20 minutes, but a brine solution can take at least 30 minutes to start working.
How to make Beef Soup. The key step here is to brown the beef well – aggressively is the term that I use. This adds a ton of flavour to the beef itself and the broth, from the brown bits on the bottom of the pot that dissolves into the broth.
How long to boil beef until tender? ›
Bring to a simmer, then lower heat to maintain a very gentle simmer. Cook, skimming occasionally, until each cut of beef is fork-tender, at least 2 hours and up to 4 hours, depending on the cut and animal your beef is from.
How do restaurants get their meat so tender? ›
There are several ways to velvet, but at its most basic level, it involves marinating meat with at least one ingredient that will make it alkaline. This is what tenderizes the meat, especially cheaper, tougher cuts. “People go for either egg white or baking soda as they are both alkaline ingredients.
How do you make beef so soft and tender? ›
There are a few methods, but this is the easiest way: Sprinkle 3/4 tsp baking soda (bi-carbonate soda) on 250g / 8oz sliced economical beef cuts. Toss with fingers, leave for 30 minutes. Rinse, pat off excess water.
How long to soften beef in soup? ›
Bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pot with a spoon to dislodge any brown bits from cooking the steak. Reduce the heat, cover pot, and simmer for 1-2 hours (the more the merrier – especially for tenderizing the meat and seasoning the broth).
How do you fix bland beef soup? ›
The best way to ensure a flavorful soup is to brown the beef and onions in the beginning. If the soup tastes bland at the end of cooking, add more spices and herbs. After adding, allow the soup to cook a little longer so the flavors to meld together.
What enhances the flavor of beef? ›
Beef tastes great when seasoned with oregano, rosemary, sage, garlic or a combination of these seasonings. Poultry gets an added burst of flavor with spices like paprika, lemongrass and saffron. Fish can be made more flavorful with dry mustard powder, thyme and turmeric.
How to make beef taste more beefy? ›
Fish sauce, soy sauce, peanut butter, anchovies, Worcestershire, maggi all add extra depth. The maggi in particular amps up the meaty umami.
How do you deepen beef stew flavor? ›
Add spices such as turmeric, coriander and cumin at the early stage of cooking, when you are frying onions and garlic, to enhance the taste of the beef stew. Fresh herbs like coriander and bay leaves also contribute a distinct flavour without making the dish too spicy for the younger members of the family.