Kharcho

Ingredients

• 1½ lbBeefcut into bite-sized pieces
• 10½ cupswaterfor the broth
• 3½ ozricerinsed, sometimes pre-soaked
• 8¾ ozonionfinely diced
• 4 clovesgarlicpressed or crushed with salt in a mortar
• 3½ ozwalnutsfinely ground or pounded
• 10½ oztomatoespeeled and puréed, alternatively canned
• 2 tbsptomato paste
• 2¾ ozTkemali plum saucesouring element
• 1 tbspkhmeli suneli
• 1 tspblue fenugreek
• 1 tspground coriandersometimes dried cilantro leaf instead
• 1 tspground marigold
• 1chili pepperseeded, finely chopped
• 2bay leaf
• 1 bunchcilantrostems cooked with the base, leaves at the end
• 1 bunchparsleyfinely chopped
• 2 tbspvegetable oilfor sautéing
• 1 ozbutterinstead of or in addition to oil (optional)
• 1 tbspAjikaas a hot seasoning paste (optional)
• 1carrotsimmered in the broth or in the sautéed base (optional)
• 1⅓ ozcelerystalk or root (optional)
• saltsometimes Svan salt or smoked salt
• black pepperground, sometimes also peppercorns

Method

1. Rinse the beef, cut it into bite-sized pieces, cover with cold water and bring to a boil, skimming off the foam carefully as it rises.
2. Turn the heat down and let the broth simmer gently for 1.5 to 2 hours, until the meat is tender; if you like, drop in a whole onion, a carrot, celery, the bay leaves and a few peppercorns to cook along.
3. Strain the broth, discard the vegetables that cooked in it, lift out the meat and cut it small or pull it off the bone. Meanwhile, wash the rice several times, soak it for 15 to 40 minutes if you wish, and drain it.
4. Sweat the finely diced onion in vegetable oil or butter until soft and golden, then add the peeled, puréed tomatoes, the tomato paste and the finely chopped hot pepper and let everything cook down for a few minutes.
5. Grind or pound the walnuts finely, mix them with the garlic, the cilantro stems and the spices, and stir in a little hot broth to make a smooth paste.
6. Return the meat to the strained broth, bring it back to a boil, scatter in the rice and cook for 10 to 20 minutes.
7. Stir in the onion-tomato base, the walnut paste and the tkemali, and let the soup simmer quietly for 10 to 15 minutes.
8. Season with khmeli suneli, blue fenugreek, ground coriander, Imeretian saffron, salt and pepper, and add the crushed garlic; for more heat, stir in a spoonful of adjika.
9. Fold in the chopped cilantro leaves and parsley, take the pot off the heat and let the soup stand covered for 10 to 30 minutes. Serve hot with bread.

Tips and variations

Kharcho leaves plenty of room to move: instead of pieces of meat you can brown ground beef along with the base or roll it into small meatballs, and chicken or veal work just as well as beef. The sourness can come from tkemali, from soaked tklapi (dried fruit leather), or from tomato and tomato paste alone; you can also leave the walnuts out entirely and let the tomato and spices carry the body. Some cooks sear the meat hard before simmering, bind the walnut paste with cornmeal, or cook the rice separately and add it at the very end. Done the Mingrelian way, it becomes a thick stew without rice, thickened with flour. Serve it hot with bread, flatbread or slightly stale white bread, and scatter over pomegranate seeds and fresh herbs like basil, dill or spring onion if you have them.