Cholent

Ingredients

Pot

• 1 kgbeef flanken, brisket or short rib, in large pieces
• 250 gmixed dried beans, soaked overnight
• 150 gpearl barley
• 6potatoes, halved
• 2onions, sliced
• 1 headgarlic
• 6eggs, in their shells
• 3 tbspoil

Seasoning

• 2 tbsppaprika
• 1 tspblack pepper
• 1 tbspsalt
• 1 tspturmeric
• 2 tbsphoney
• 2.5 litreswater or stock

Kishke, optional

• 100 gflour
• 50 gbreadcrumbs
• 1carrot, grated
• 1onion, grated
• 60 mloil
• salt and paprika

Directions

1. Brown the onions in the oil in a heavy pot for a full 15 minutes, until deeply golden.
2. Brown the meat in the same pot on all sides.
3. Add the drained beans, the barley, the potatoes, the whole head of garlic, and all the seasonings including the honey.
4. Nestle the whole eggs, still in their shells, down among the beans.
5. Over the long cook the shells darken and the whites turn beige while the yolks go dense and creamy. These are haminados, and they are many people’s favourite thing in the pot.
6. If you are making kishke, mix its ingredients into a stiff paste, roll it into a sausage in foil or parchment, and lay it on top.
7. Pour in enough water to cover everything by about 3 cm, which will look like too much and is not.
8. There is no topping it up later, because the pot is not opened. Add more water than seems necessary now or you will have a burnt cholent in the morning.
9. Bring it to the boil on the stove, then move it to a very low oven at about 110°C (230°F), or the low setting of a slow cooker.
10. Leave it for 12 to 16 hours overnight and do not open the lid at any point.
11. The long unattended cook is the entire reason the dish exists: fire may not be lit or adjusted on Shabbat, so it goes on the flame on Friday afternoon and is eaten at lunch the following day.
12. Serve straight from the pot, with the eggs peeled at the table.

Technique

• Overwater it, then leave it alone. Both instructions run against ordinary cooking instinct and both are correct here.
• The honey is not for sweetness so much as for colour. Over sixteen hours it darkens the whole pot.
• It is better on the second day, if any survives, and reheats perfectly.

Substitutions

• A slow cooker on low, which is what most households now use.
• A vegetarian version with mushrooms, extra barley and vegetable stock.

Variations

• Sephardi hamin, with chickpeas and a bag of rice cooked in the pot.
• With kishke laid on top.
• Sólet, the Hungarian version, often made with goose.

History

Ashkenazi bean and barley stew left on a low flame from Friday, since fire may not be lit on Shabbat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Cholent?

Cholent is a soup & stew from Israel: overnight Shabbat stew of beans, barley, potatoes and beef. Ashkenazi bean and barley stew left on a low flame from Friday, since fire may not be lit on Shabbat.

How long does Cholent take to make?

Cholent takes 30 min plus overnight soaking of preparation and 14 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 8 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Cholent?

Yes, within limits. A slow cooker on low, which is what most households now use. A vegetarian version with mushrooms, extra barley and vegetable stock.

What is the most important thing to get right in Cholent?

Add the drained beans, the barley, the potatoes, the whole head of garlic, and all the seasonings including the honey.