Kholodets
Kholodets (холодец): pork trotters and beef shin set in their own clear jelly, with garlic and horseradish
Kholodets is winter food, made in big batches before New Year and Orthodox Christmas when the cold balcony doubles as a fridge. Pork trotters and beef shin are simmered for hours until the broth is rich enough to set on its own, no added setting agent; the meat is shredded, layered with garlic and covered with the strained stock to set into a trembling, clear jelly. It is eaten cold, cut into squares, with sharp horseradish and mustard and hot boiled potatoes. This dish uses pork (trotters and knuckle) as well as beef. Where most people go wrong is letting the pot boil hard, which makes the jelly cloudy and greasy. Chef's tip: spoon a little broth onto a cold saucer after 5 hours; if it sets firm in the fridge in 15 minutes, the stock is ready.
- Total time
- 480 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 2 pork trotters, splitabout 1 kg, cleaned
- 1 pork knuckle (hock)about 800 g
- 1 ¾ lb beef shin on the bone
- 16 ¾ cups cold waterapproximately
- 2 onionsunpeeled, halved
- 2 carrotshalved
- 2 tsp salt
- 6 garlic clovescrushed
To serve
- 4 tbsp grated horseradish (from a jar) (optional)
- 4 tbsp hot mustard (optional)
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (5)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Soak the 2 pork trotters, split, 1 pork knuckle (hock) and 1 ¾ lb beef shin on the bone in cold water for 1 hour, then scrape the skins clean with a knife. (Soaking time is part of the prep.)
30 minStep 2: Put the meat in a large pot, cover with the cold 16 ¾ cups cold water and bring to a boil over a high heat. Boil for 5 minutes, drain, rinse the meat and the pot.
15 minStep 3: Return the meat to the pot with fresh cold water to cover by 5 cm. Bring to a bare simmer and cook, uncovered and barely trembling, for 5 hours, skimming now and then. Top up with boiling water only if the meat is exposed.
300 minStep 4: Add the 2 onions, 2 carrots, 3 bay leaves, 10 black peppercorns and 2 tsp salt and simmer for 1 hour more, until the meat falls off the bones and the skin is sticky.
60 minStep 5: Lift out the meat. Strain the broth through a sieve lined with muslin and skim off as much fat as you can; you should have about 1.5 litres. Check it sets on a cold saucer.
15 minStep 6: When cool enough to handle, pull the meat and soft skin from the bones, discarding bones and gristle, and shred it finely.
20 minStep 7: Divide the meat between shallow dishes, scatter over the 6 garlic cloves and pour over the warm broth to cover. Cool for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 8 hours, until firm.
30 minStep 8: Lift off any fat from the surface, cut into squares and serve cold with 4 tbsp grated horseradish (from a jar) and 4 tbsp hot mustard. Keep in the fridge, covered, and eat within 3 days.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 32 g
- Carbs
- 2 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kholodets take?
- About 480 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 440 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- 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 carrots?
- Parsnip or sweet potato, same weight.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Pork souvlaki
This is a pork recipe. Walk through any Greek town after dark, from Athens to Thessaloniki, and the smell of souvlaki stands drifts down the street; cubes of pork shoulder grilled on thin skewers are the country's favourite cheap supper, eaten standing up or at a plastic-table taverna. At home you marinate the meat in lemon, olive oil, garlic and dried oregano, grill it hard and fast, and pile it on warm pitta with tzatziki, tomato and red onion. Chef's tip: cut the pork into even 2.5 cm cubes and leave a little fat on; lean loin dries out, shoulder stays juicy over high heat.
Greek
Tteokgalbi
Tteokgalbi is rib meat chopped finely, pressed back into neat slabs and grilled, so it's soft enough to eat without struggling with a bone. Two places in South Jeolla claim it: Damyang, the bamboo county, where all-beef patties come with rice steamed in bamboo tubes, and Gwangju's Songjeong district, whose restaurant street near the railway station mixes beef with pork. This home version uses minced beef and pork, seasoned with soy, garlic and pear, then brushed with a soy and honey glaze as it cooks. Serve with rice, lettuce and a few banchan; leftovers are good cold in a lunchbox. Chef's tip: slap the mince against the bowl for a few minutes; it turns sticky and the patties hold together on the grill without any breadcrumbs.
Korean
Char siu
Hanging in long glossy strips in the windows of Guangzhou's siu mei shops, char siu is the roast pork Cantonese families pick up on the way home to put on rice, noodles or into steamed buns. The outside is lacquered, sweet and a little charred at the edges; the inside stays juicy, savoury and faintly scented with five-spice. Shoulder (pork butt) is the cut to use, because its marbling keeps the strips moist through a hot oven. Marinate it overnight in the fridge, roast it the next day and eat it warm with steamed rice and blanched greens, or cold in fried rice and noodle soups. Chef's tip: save the honey for the last ten minutes; brushed on at the start it burns black long before the pork is cooked.
Chinese