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Recipe: Megrelian Kharcho, A Hearty Beef-and-Walnut Stew

Name: Megrelian Kharcho, A Hearty Beef-and-Walnut Stew
Cuisine: Tbilisi
Ingredients: 600 grams of boneless beef or veal, cut into bite-sized cubes200 grams (or about 1 large cup) of shelled walnuts 6-7 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 1 large tomato, roughly chopped 1 large onion, thinly sliced 1 large bay leaf 1 heaped teaspoon of coriander powder 1 heaped teaspoon of powdered Marigold flowers 1/2 teaspoon of utskho suneli or blue fenugreek (1/4 teaspoon if using fenugreek seeds)1/2 teaspoon of khondari or summer savory (although not necessary, we like to add it for extra flavor)Oil Salt to taste Dried chilli flakes to taste

By Pearly Jacob

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Ingredients

600 grams of boneless beef or veal, cut into bite-sized cubes

200 grams (or about 1 large cup) of shelled walnuts

6-7 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 large tomato, roughly chopped

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1 large bay leaf

1 heaped teaspoon of coriander powder

1 heaped teaspoon of powdered Marigold flowers

1/2 teaspoon of utskho suneli or blue fenugreek (1/4 teaspoon if using fenugreek seeds)

1/2 teaspoon of khondari or summer savory (although not necessary, we like to add it for extra flavor)

Oil

Salt to taste

Dried chilli flakes to taste

Preparation

Heat oil in a thick-bottomed pan and brown the meat in batches. Remove from pan.

Add some more oil to the pan if needed and fry the onions and garlic.

Add chopped tomatoes and cook until all juice evaporates and oil separates. Alternatively, you can also use a tablespoon of tomato paste, but we prefer fresh tomatoes.

Add bay leaf and browned beef back to pan. Add enough water to cover the beef. Reduce heat and let the beef simmer until cooked. We were happy with the texture of the beef after one and half hours of slow cooking, but the longer the better for tender, fall-apart beef.

While the stew is cooking, add walnuts to a blender along with the dry spices and blend until it forms a thick, smooth paste. Add water from the stock of simmering beef if needed to blend the mixture thoroughly.

Once beef is nearing preferred consistency, add the walnut and spice paste to the stew and let it simmer for another 20-30 minutes until the mixture thickens and the beef absorbs some of the walnut and spice flavor. Here you can also add chilli flakes as and if desired. We opted out of it so our kids could also tuck into the dish, spice-free.

Garnish with fresh coriander if desired and serve with corn grits or rice. As we are not big fans of ghomi we prefer to eat this with a short-grain starchy rice such as sushi rice. And like all stews, if there are any leftovers, it’s always more delicious the next day. Gemrielad Miirtvit! (“Bon appetit” in Georgian.)

Written & photos by Pearly Jacob

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