Kharcho: Georgia's Spiced Beef and Walnut Soup

Kharcho is the soup Georgians argue about. Not whether it's good — that's settled — but what goes in it. Ask ten cooks and you'll get ten recipes, each one the "real" version. The common thread: beef that's been simmered until it falls apart, a broth thickened with ground walnuts, sour plum paste that cuts through the richness, and enough spice to warm you from the inside out. It arrives at the table dark, fragrant, and thick enough that a spoon stands up in it. In a country of extraordinary soups, kharcho might be the king.

Why This Soup Matters

Kharcho occupies a strange place in Georgian cuisine. It's simultaneously one of the most famous dishes and one of the most misunderstood. Outside Georgia, it's often lumped in with generic "beef soups." Inside Georgia, it's treated with a reverence that borders on religious. Every family has a recipe. Every region claims theirs is the original. The debates can get heated.

The name itself — ხარჩო — comes from the Georgian word for "beef" (though etymologists argue about this). The full traditional name, dzrokhis khortsis kharcho, literally translates to "cow's meat kharcho," which tells you everything about priorities. This is, first and foremost, a beef dish. The walnuts thicken it. The sour plum sharpens it. The spices perfume it. But the beef is the star.

What separates kharcho from, say, a good Hungarian goulash or a French pot-au-feu is the walnut-sour plum axis. Ground walnuts give the broth a velvety, almost creamy body without any dairy. Tklapi — dried sour plum leather — or tkemali sauce adds a tart, fruity acidity that keeps the richness in check. It's the kind of balance that takes centuries to figure out, and Georgian cooks nailed it.

The Great Kharcho Debate

Before we get to the recipe, you need to understand that "kharcho" is really a family of dishes, not a single recipe. The main split:

This recipe gives you the classic version — a proper soup with rice, walnuts, and sour plum paste. It's the one you'll find in most Tbilisi restaurants and the one most Georgian grandmothers would recognize as "real" kharcho. The Megrelian stew version is worth knowing about (and I'll cover the differences), but start here.

Ingredients

Serves 6 generously. Kharcho is not a dish you make in small quantities — it gets better the next day, and you'll want leftovers.

Equipment

Step-by-Step Recipe

Step 1: Simmer the Beef (1.5–2 hours)

Cut the beef into 3–4 cm chunks. Place in your pot, cover with 2 liters of cold water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. You'll see a lot of grey foam rise to the surface — skim this off with a spoon. This is protein scum and leaving it makes the broth cloudy and bitter.

Once skimmed, add the bay leaves and a teaspoon of salt. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer — you want lazy bubbles, not a rolling boil. Cover and cook for 1.5 to 2 hours, until the beef is very tender and starts pulling apart with a fork. Check occasionally and add water if the level drops below the meat.

Step 2: Build the Base (15 minutes)

While the beef simmers (or once it's tender), heat a tablespoon of sunflower oil in a separate pan. Cook the diced onions over medium heat until soft and translucent — about 8 minutes. Don't rush this. The onions should be sweet and almost jammy, not browned.

Add the tomato paste and stir constantly for 2 minutes. The paste will darken and caramelize slightly. Add the diced fresh tomatoes and cook until they break down and release their liquid, another 5 minutes.

Step 3: Add the Walnuts and Spices (5 minutes)

In a small bowl, combine the ground walnuts, khmeli-suneli, ground coriander, blue fenugreek, ground marigold, cayenne, and minced garlic. Add this mixture to the onion-tomato base and stir for 2 minutes over medium heat. The kitchen will smell extraordinary at this point — toasted walnuts meeting warm spices is one of those smells that makes you understand why Georgians take their cooking so seriously.

Step 4: Combine and Finish (30–40 minutes)

Scrape the entire onion-walnut-spice mixture into the pot with the beef and broth. Add the rinsed rice and the tkemali sauce (or tklapi, dissolved in a bit of warm broth). Stir everything well. If using tklapi, tear it into small pieces and let it dissolve — it'll take a few minutes.

Bring back to a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered for 25–30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The rice will absorb liquid and the walnuts will thicken the broth. You're looking for a consistency thicker than a regular soup but thinner than a stew — the spoon should leave a brief trail when dragged through it.

Finely chop the cilantro stems and stir them in during the last 10 minutes. Taste and adjust salt, pepper, and sourness (add more tkemali if you want more tang). Remove the bay leaves.

Step 5: Rest and Serve

Turn off the heat and let the kharcho sit for 10–15 minutes. Like most stews and thick soups, it improves with a short rest as the flavors meld and the rice absorbs just a bit more liquid.

Ladle into deep bowls. Pile fresh cilantro leaves on top. Serve with crusty Georgian shotis puri (or any good bread) and, if you're feeling traditional, a glass of dry red Saperavi.

Tips for the Best Kharcho

Common Mistakes

Variations

What to Serve Alongside

Where to Eat Kharcho in Tbilisi

Georgian Spice Guide for Kharcho

If you're cooking Georgian food outside Georgia, sourcing the right spices is half the battle. Here's what you're looking for:

Nutrition

Storage and Leftovers

Frequently Asked Questions