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Cholent

Cholent / hamin (חמין): overnight Shabbat stew of beef, beans, barley and potatoes

Cholent, called hamin by Sephardic families, is the slow stew that Jewish homes in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Bnei Brak put on before Shabbat begins on Friday afternoon, so it can cook gently overnight without anyone touching the stove and be eaten hot at Saturday lunch. Beef, dried beans, pearl barley, potatoes and onions cook for 12 hours or more in a paprika-scented broth, often with whole eggs in their shells that turn brown and creamy. Chef's tip: add enough water to just cover everything; too little and it dries out overnight, too much and it is soup.
Total time
750 min
Difficulty
hard
Serves
8
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Ingredients

Serves8

For the stew

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What you'll need

Fresh ingredients (7)

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Method

0/6 done
  1. Step 1: Drain 10 ½ oz dried mixed beans (kidney, haricot, chickpeas), put in a pan of fresh water, boil hard for 10 minutes and drain (this makes kidney beans safe).

    15 min
  2. Step 2: Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a large heavy ovenproof pot and brown 2 ¼ lb beef brisket or chuck for 8 minutes. Lift out, add 3 onions and cook for 8 minutes until golden.

    16 min
  3. Step 3: Layer the pot: the onions, 1 ¾ lb potatoes and 1 sweet potato around the sides, the beans and 3 ½ oz pearl barley in the middle, then the beef, 2 beef marrow bones, 6 cloves garlic and 6 eggs in shell nestled in.

    10 min
  4. Step 4: Mix 2 tbsp sweet paprika, 1 tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp ground turmeric, 2 tbsp honey or date syrup, 2 ½ tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper with 8 ¼ cups boiling water and pour it over until everything is just covered. Bring to the boil on the hob.

    10 min
  5. Step 5: Cover tightly and cook in a 95–200°F oven (or in a slow cooker on low) for 12–16 hours, overnight. Keep the stew above 145°F the whole time; never cook it on a heat so low that it sits warm but not hot. A common mistake is opening the pot often; peek once before bed and add a cup of boiling water if it looks dry.

    660 min
  6. Step 6: Next day, shell the eggs, slice the beef and serve everything from the pot. Cool leftovers within 2 hours and refrigerate.

    5 min

Nutrition per serving

Calories
640 kcal
Protein
46 g
Carbs
62 g
Fat
22 g
Fibre
13 g

Nutrition values are estimates.

K
Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

Good to know

How long does cholent take?
About 750 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 720 minutes to cook.
How many people does it serve?
8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
What can I use instead of onions?
2 shallots per onion.
What can I use instead of garlic?
½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.

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