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Khash – what is this dish, useful properties and step-by-step recipes for cooking

Khash is a traditional Armenian dish made with cow or sheep trotters. It is a perfect dish for colder months, as it is rich in proteins and vitamins. Not only it is healthy, packed with nutritions, but it is also delicious! Here, you will find the useful properties of Khash, as well as step-by-step recipes for cooking it. Prepare to find out all there is to know about this unique dish, the flavours it offers, and the health benefits you can experience.

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Armenian cuisine is considered one of the oldest in the Caucasus and has its own distinctive features, which are the predominance of fatty meat food, generously seasoned with hot spices. The basis of many dishes for Armenians is beef or lamb, which is cooked, stewed, baked, dried and served with various other methods of heat treatment. Popular national Armenian food, known around the world – hash or rich, viscous beef broth.

What is a hash

This rich meat soup, which must be served hot, is also prepared in other Caucasian countries – Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Ossetia, but Armenia remains its historical place of origin. A true Armenian khash is a fat, thick, viscous broth made from carefully cleaned and repeatedly soaked beef legs. Translated from Armenian, “hashel” means “cook” – this is where the name of the dish comes from, because the hash has been preparing for a long time, about 6-8 hours.

According to the cooking technology and main ingredients, such a national Armenian soup resembles Russian jelly. The main difference between these two dishes is that the khash is eaten exclusively hot, and if it freezes (as a rule, such a soup is prepared in very large quantities), then the necessary portion is surely heated up before use. Even in the process of cooking hash, the meat is not separated from the bones, but served entirely with the broth, so the look of the finished dish is not quite the same as that of the Russian jelly.

What are they made of?

Initially, khash was the food of the poor and peasants who worked hard and needed hearty, but cheap food. The basis of such a rich soup is beef legs, peeled and washed under running water. This is, in fact, waste that was delivered to the people almost for nothing, but after prolonged soaking and digestion became a delicious nutritious dish. Later, when the medicinal properties of hash became known and its pungent taste was appreciated, beef legs soup fell in love with the rich, and even began to be served in the best Armenian restaurants.

In the rich Caucasian cuisine there are several different variations of the famous rich soup. The basis for it always remains beef legs, but other meat “waste” can be added, for example, large sugar bone, tail or entrails. Azerbaijani, Turkish, Georgian recipes only partially differ from authentic Armenian, but on the whole they remain similar in terms of the set of basic ingredients and the cooking technology. The adapted European recipes are based on the use of pork legs with the addition of meat pulp, vegetables, greens.

When eat

According to ancient Armenian tradition, khash is a man’s dish that should be consumed in the early morning and only in the company of close friends with a glass of vodka. Armenians on this occasion even have a saying that “a hash does not like three things – cognac, women and toasts.” The explanation of the proverb is simple: a rich soup should be used only with vodka, women do not like this dish due to the presence of a large amount of garlic, and toasts are not compatible with it because fragrant, amber-colored beef broth is eaten exclusively hot.

This liquid dish belongs to the winter diet of Armenians and is consumed from September to March. This is also directly related to the history of the appearance of such a soup, because in the cold months a lot of cattle are beaten, so beef legs become a cheap and affordable product. In addition, once khash was the usual breakfast of peasants who worked hard in the winter on mountain fields and needed a hearty, hearty morning meal. They made such soup in the oven – set it to languish overnight, and served it at the table early in the morning..

The benefits of hash for the body

Modern traditions associated with eating delicious Armenian soup have changed a bit, because now it is eaten by men, women, and children, and the meal time does not play such an important role as before. And all because in our time, many people use hash not only as a nutritious, nutritious food, but also as a very healthy product. Armenian doctors officially prescribe rich beef broth as an effective medicine for various diseases.

The first literary mention of this dish as a medicine dates back to the XII century – in the ancient Armenian textbook “Comfort in fever” there are recommendations for the use of hash for various ailments. Due to the presence of a large amount of gelatin and garlic in the soup, it is useful for:

  • problems with the musculoskeletal system – diseases of the joints, long non-healing fractures, brittle bones;
  • thin and brittle hair, nails;
  • hangover syndrome;
  • indigestion after a plentiful feast;
  • decreased immunity, frequent colds.

Khash in a plate

How to cook hash at home

This traditional Armenian soup is not only distinguished by a pleasant taste, high nutritional value and healing properties, but also by the simplicity of the recipe. To prepare such a hearty first course, you will need a minimum of effort and culinary skills. True, you will have to spend a lot of time, because you need to soak the ingredients for about a day, and cook the beef khash for at least 6 hours. But in the end we get a big pan of rich rich broth with meat, which can feed even a very large family.

The technology of cooking involves compliance with the mandatory stages of the classic recipe:

  1. Preparation of beef legs, tail, scar, sugar bone.
  2. Soaking ingredients in cold running water.
  3. Boil foods until meat is easily separated from bones.
  4. Making Salt Garlic Dressing for Dressing.

Preparation of entrails and beef legs

The key to the preparation of Armenian beef broth is the preparation of the main ingredients. To make the soup transparent, acquire a beautiful rich amber color, you need to properly prepare beef legs. For such a dish, you should choose only the front hooves, because the rear ones have a strong unpleasant odor, which is difficult to get rid of even through prolonged soaking and digestion. If the legs after the purchase are not ready for their direct use as the basis for the broth, they need:

  • grind with a gas burner to remove wool, dirt;
  • pour hot water;
  • clean the blackened upper ball of skin with a sharp knife or razor;
  • thoroughly scrap out all inaccessible places;
  • rinse in several waters;
  • clean with a soft brush to make the skin white and shiny;
  • rinse under the tap;
  • cut into 2-3 parts on the joints, and then each part – in half.

Many recipes for this national Armenian soup include offal – tripe or even gut. The tripe (scar) is the front of the animal’s stomach, which consists of muscle fibers, is rich in various vitamins and minerals. Properly clean this meat product in the following order:

  • wash thoroughly under running water, split with a sharp knife into several parts;
  • pour over with boiling water, then scrape off the dirt and the upper layer of the skin, remove the remaining fat;
  • rinse with cold water, place in saline for several hours (prepare the solution based on the proportions: 50 grams of salt per 1 liter of water);
  • soak a scar for 3-4 hours in a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate, then rub with coarse salt and leave for another half an hour, after which you can begin to boil.

Hash recipe

In Armenia, a rich broth from beef legs has a strictly defined and centuries-old recipe – it has been prepared for a long time without salt and any other seasonings. The main ingredient of an authentic Armenian hash is cow legs, but many housewives add another scar to them. European chefs often use pork instead of beef legs, put onion, carrots, spices in the broth, and a lot of fresh herbs in garlic sauce. Below are the most interesting step-by-step hash recipes, each of which produces a rich meat soup.

Armenian dish of beef khash

  • Time: 30 hours.
  • Servings Per Container: 12 Persons.
  • Calorie content: 143.4 kcal per 100 grams.
  • Destination: for breakfast.
  • Cuisine: Armenian.
  • Difficulty: Easy.

If you are not familiar with Caucasian cuisine, it’s time to start discovering the rich world of Armenian cuisine. A great option to start is a traditional beef leg soup, because preparing a hash in Armenian is easy and simple. The main thing is to find for him well-cleaned legs, stock up on time and patience, and be sure to invite your closest friends to the test.

Ingredients:

  • prepared beef legs – 4 pcs.;
  • garlic – 1 head;
  • salt to taste.

Cooking method:

  1. Rinse legs, cut off dark areas of skin, divide with a sharp knife into several parts.
  2. Fold in a deep pan, pour cold water. Leave for a day, every 2-3 hours changing the water.
  3. Cover the settled legs with clean water 3 cm higher than meat, put on fire, bring to a boil.
  4. Remove the resulting foam, turn on the minimum heat – the liquid should not gurgle and sway.
  5. Cook for about 6 hours, until the meat begins to easily move away from the bones.
  6. Peel the garlic, grind in a mortar or beat with a blender with a tablespoon of salt, dilute 75 ml of the finished broth. Pour the resulting sauce into a special bowl.
  7. In a deep plate, put the bone with meat, pour meat broth. Serve hot with garlic sauce, spicy radish and dried pita bread.

Armenian recipe soup with pita bread

Of pork legs

  • Time: 21 hours.
  • Servings Per Container: 6 Persons.
  • Calorie content: 138.2 kcal per 100 grams.
  • Destination: for breakfast.
  • Cuisine: European.
  • Difficulty: Easy.

In European countries, the adapted version of pork leg hash is very popular – such a Russian hot jelly. During cooking, various vegetables (carrots, onions, celery, parsley root) and spices (black and allspice, peas, bay leaves) are added to the broth. In a traditional garlic sauce, Europeans put a lot of chopped fresh herbs (cilantro, leaf parsley, dill) or just sprinkle it with ready-made soup in a bowl.

Ingredients:

  • pork legs – 2 pcs.;
  • onions – 1 pc.;
  • carrots – 1 pc.;
  • garlic – 3-4 cloves;
  • fresh greens – a bunch;
  • bay leaf – 2 pcs.;
  • black pepper peas – 4-5 pcs.;
  • salt to taste.

Cooking method:

  1. In the evening, scorch pork legs, scrape with a knife, chop into 3-4 parts, pour cold water. Leave to soak overnight.
  2. Pieces of legs put in a deep pan, pour clean water.
  3. Put peeled carrots, cut in half, a whole onion with husk to the meat. Put pepper, bay leaf.
  4. Put on a strong fire. After boiling, remove the foam from the surface of the liquid, reduce the fire to a minimum.
  5. Cook for 5-6 hours until meat is fully cooked. 2.5 hours after the start of cooking, remove vegetables and spices from the pan.
  6. When the meat is ready, remove it in a clean bowl, separate from the bones. Salt to taste to taste.
  7. Chop the garlic and put in 1 teaspoon in serving plates. Finely chop the greens.
  8. Put in each plate a large piece of meat, add meat broth, sprinkle with chopped herbs. Serve hot.

Pork leg soup

Lamb

  • Time: 24 hours.
  • Servings Per Container: 6 Persons.
  • Calorie content: 141.9 kcal per 100 grams.
  • Destination: for breakfast.
  • Cuisine: Georgian.
  • Difficulty: Easy.

Another Caucasian version of the hash is made from lamb. For such a rich soup, you can take not only lamb legs, but also a scar, neck, bones from the head. The cooking technology remains the same simple but lengthy, but in the end a plate of fragrant, hot, tasty lamb broth, eaten in the morning, will give an unprecedented vigor and energy boost for the whole day.

Ingredients:

  • lamb on the bone (legs, head, neck) – 500 g;
  • scar – 250 g;
  • garlic – 6 cloves;
  • fresh greens – a bunch;
  • basil – for decoration;
  • salt to taste.

Cooking method:

  1. In separate containers soak peeled bones and prepared whole scar divided into small pieces. Pour 100 grams of salt into a saucepan with a stomach. Leave everything to be steeped for 12-15 hours, periodically changing the water.
  2. Put the soaked bones on the fire, let it boil. Then remove the meat with a slotted spoon, rinse under the tap, drain the broth.
  3. Cover the bones with clean water, cook after boiling for 5-6 hours.
  4. Put the scar in a separate pan, add water, boil for 30 minutes. Rinse, change water, and boil again for half an hour.
  5. Repeat the procedure 4-5 times until a specific odor is heard. Only then send a scar to the remaining components of the soup.
  6. When the meat is cooked, get it into a separate bowl, separate from the bones, cut into small pieces. Just grind and scar.
  7. Combine all meat products, transfer to broth.
  8. Grind peeled garlic with salt and herbs, send to soup, stir.
  9. Serve hot with a sprig of basil.

Lamb khash

Hash in a slow cooker

  • Time: 21 hours.
  • Servings Per Container: 8 Persons.
  • Calorie content: 140.7 kcal per 100 grams.
  • Destination: for breakfast.
  • Cuisine: Armenian.
  • Difficulty: Easy.

The smart kitchen miracle pan greatly simplifies the process of cooking hash and creates ideal conditions for the complete boiling of meat. With such an assistant, one does not have to constantly monitor whether too much liquid has boiled out of the soup. You can safely leave the broth to prepare for the night, and in the morning already treat your relatives and guests with delicious, healthy, nutritious Armenian soup.

Ingredients:

  • cow legs – 1.3 kg;
  • veal tenderloin – 0.4 kg;
  • garlic – 12 cloves;
  • cilantro – a large bunch;
  • salt, pepper – to taste.

Cooking method:

  1. To clean the prepared feet again, rinse, cut into pieces, soak in cold water for at least 12 hours.
  2. Fold in the multicooker bowl, add the tenderloin cut into large pieces, add water to the upper mark. Turn on 1 hour stewing program.
  3. After the multicooker signal, remove the meat, rinse with cold water, drain the broth, rinse the saucepan.
  4. Fold the meat back, pour clean water. Include the same program for 7 hours.
  5. When the meat is fully cooked, take it out into a separate bowl, take it to pieces, throw the bones away. Salt and pepper hot broth to taste.
  6. Chop the garlic and greens, grind with a teaspoon of salt, add to the meat, stir.
  7. Arrange the meat base on plates, pour hot broth. Serve immediately.

Cooked in a slow cooker

Azerbaijani hash soup

  • Time: 24 hours.
  • Servings Per Container: 8 Persons.
  • Calorie content: 142.3 kcal per 100 grams.
  • Destination: for breakfast.
  • Cuisine: Azerbaijani.
  • Difficulty: Easy.

Residents of Azerbaijan also consider a rich rich beef broth from legs to be their national dish, which in ancient times was ritual. They use not only the legs, but also other bones, a scar, a tongue, even a gut to make such a soup. To get rid of the unpleasant aftertaste and smell, offal must first be soaked in several waters and boiled well. Garlic sauce and a couple of spoons of milk, which are placed on a plate immediately before eating, gives a pleasant piquancy to the dish.

Ingredients:

  • peeled beef legs – 2 pcs.;
  • prepared beef scar – 1 pc.;
  • language – 1 pc.;
  • onions – 2 pcs.;
  • peppercorns – 0.5 tsp;
  • bay leaf – 2 pcs.;
  • garlic – 1 head;
  • salt to taste;
  • fresh greens – bunch:
  • grape vinegar – 50 ml.

Cooking method:

  1. Rinse all meat ingredients thoroughly, leave to soak under running water for 14-16 hours.
  2. In a deep saucepan, fold the legs chopped into pieces, cover with clean water, boil over moderate heat for half an hour after boiling.
  3. Then drain the broth, rinse the bones, fill with clean water, put on simmer.
  4. Separately with black pepper and bay leaf, boil a tripe divided into 3-4 parts.
  5. In a separate saucepan, boil your tongue until half cooked, rinse, transfer to the bones.
  6. Send the boiled stomach there, put the peeled onions cut into quarters. Continue cooking all the ingredients for another 2-3 hours.
  7. When the meat will easily lag behind the bones, remove all meat components, cut into small pieces. Strain the broth and bring to a boil again.
  8. Mash the peeled garlic with chopped herbs and salt, dilute with grape vinegar.
  9. Arrange the meat on plates, fill with boiling broth. Serve with sauce.

According to the Azerbaijani recipe

Shank Soup Recipe

  • Time: 10 hours.
  • Servings Per Container: 4 Persons.
  • Calorie content: 138.5 kcal per 100 grams.
  • Destination: for breakfast.
  • Cuisine: Russian.
  • Difficulty: Easy.

It is much easier to find pork legs in Russian markets, so the Russian analogue of the famous Armenian hash is a rich soup of shank. You can cook it either on the stove or with the help of a slow cooker, adding a few vegetables or making it purely meat. In any case, the dish will turn out delicious and nutritious. And if there is too much cooked soup for you, you can easily turn it into jelly.

Ingredients:

  • pork knuckle – 1 pc.;
  • onions – 1 pc.;
  • carrots – 1 pc.;
  • bell pepper – 1 pc.;
  • bay leaf – 1 pc.;
  • black pepper peas – 5 pcs.;
  • garlic – 3-4 cloves;
  • salt to taste;
  • fresh greens – a bunch.

Cooking method:

  1. Grind the knuckle, clean from burning, rinse, cut into pieces. Hold a couple of hours in cold water.
  2. Fold in a deep pan, cover with water. Put on moderate heat, cook 1 hour after boiling.
  3. Peel the onion, cut into 4 parts. Cut peeled carrots into thin strips, bell pepper into cubes.
  4. Drain the broth, rinse the meat, return it to the pan, pour fresh water.
  5. Boil for 4 hours at a quiet boil, then add prepared vegetables and spices wrapped in gauze to the meat. Cook another 1 hour.
  6. Remove the meat, separate from the bones, disassemble into fibers, return to the broth. Remove and discard the gauze bag with spices.
  7. Add chopped garlic, chopped herbs, salt to taste.

Pork shank

Rules for serving dishes

In Armenian culture, hash is a special dish that has its own traditions of serving and eating. Properly serve this soup in a deep ceramic plate, in the center by placing a large piece of meat on the bone and a bay of meat broth. Following the original Armenian tradition, the broth is served unsalted and not seasoned, and flavored with salt, garlic and herbs already in a plate immediately before use, so garlic sauce and spices are served separately. In other countries, meat is often peeled from the beginning, mixed with seasonings and broth and served all together.

A mandatory product for such a rich meat broth is a thin Armenian pita bread, previously dried in the oven until golden brown. Half of the bread is broken into small pieces and added to a bowl of soup, and the other half is used instead of a spoon, because the Armenians usually have khash with their hands, scooping it with a piece of pita bread. In addition to bread, white radish cut into thick straws is served to this first dish. A rich viscous beef broth also goes very well with various pickles and salted cheeses.

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Comments: 4
  1. Magnolia

    What are the main ingredients used in Khash? Is it a traditional dish from a specific country or region? How is it typically served and are there any recommended side dishes or condiments to go along with it? Could you provide some insights into the nutritional benefits of Khash and any potential health properties it may have? Lastly, can you share a simple, beginner-friendly recipe for preparing Khash at home?

    Reply
    1. Scarlett Hughes

      Khash is a traditional dish popular in several countries, including Armenia, Iran, and Turkey. The main ingredients used in Khash are usually cow or sheep’s feet, head, and tripe, cooked with spices and herbs. It is typically served as a hot soup or stew, often for breakfast or as a hearty meal during colder months. Some recommended side dishes to accompany Khash include pickled vegetables, garlic sauce, and fresh herbs.

      Nutritionally, Khash is rich in collagen, protein, and amino acids that contribute to joint health and skin elasticity. It is also high in gelatin, which aids digestion and supports gut health. However, due to its high fat content and potential high sodium levels, moderation is key.

      For a simple Khash recipe, you will need 4-5 beef feet, 1 onion, 4 garlic cloves, salt, black pepper, bay leaves, and water. Clean the feet thoroughly, add them to a pot with chopped onion, minced garlic, salt, and spices. Cover with water, bring to a boil, then simmer on low heat for 6-8 hours until the meat is tender. Serve hot with bread and optional side dishes.

      Reply
      1. Dylan Phillips

        Khash is a traditional dish made from cow or sheep’s feet, head, and tripe, cooked with spices and herbs. It is popular in countries like Armenia, Iran, and Turkey and is typically served as a hot soup or stew. Nutritionally, Khash is rich in collagen, protein, and amino acids, which are good for joint health and skin elasticity. It is also high in gelatin, which aids digestion. However, it is important to eat Khash in moderation due to its high fat and potential high sodium levels. To make a simple Khash recipe, you can use beef feet, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, bay leaves, and water. Cook for several hours until the meat is tender and serve hot with bread and optional side dishes.

        Reply
  2. Charlotte Bennett

    What exactly is Khash? Can you please provide some insight into its origins, ingredients, and cooking process? Additionally, I would love to know about any health benefits associated with this dish. Lastly, if possible, could you share some step-by-step recipes to help me prepare this dish at home? Thank you!

    Reply
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