Khash, or Morning of Life, which everyone has their own

Ingredients

• Beef legs - 1.5-2 kg
• Onion - 1 pc.
• Cloves - 4 pcs.
• Allspice – 7 balls

Of course, real khash is made over a fire in a cauldron, but... You can also cook it on the stove. For information on how to properly prepare khash, see the recipe below. The customary way to eat this dish is to serve khash before breakfast or for breakfast hot with a lot of garlic, grated radish, herbs and crispy pita bread. The calorie content of the soup is so high that an oriental man eats it and can work from dawn to dusk without feeling hungry or tired. Khash is also traditionally served on the third day of a wedding or after New Year’s celebrations, so that guests can recover from the hectic entertainment. They say that in the old days this dish was considered food for the poor.

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The ritual is two-level, sometimes even three-level, but more on that later. “Professionals do not buy cleaned hooves,” assure knowledgeable people. Cooking khash in the classic version requires the presence of a nozzle for singeing cow hooves and a set of special triangular knives for cleaning them; not to mention the fact that the khash is cooked for ten to twelve hours without adding salt and spices and smells so much that unprepared guests and especially guests a month later wince when entering the kitchen. Gagik, a former cook, also mentions the need for a special ax for cutting hooves; however, you can get by with a hacksaw. He also assures that you can also get rid of the smell: just keep the hooves and stomachs for a week under ice-cold running water. If there is no mountain stream nearby, you can get by with tap water and reduce the exposure time to three days. It won't smell the same, though.

Serving is also important: by all accounts, the only spot of color at a khash feast should be the radishes (purists insist on radishes), everything else is subordinated to the thick, colorless essence of the stew: garlic, hard pita bread, soft pita bread, cheese, chopped gizzard, bottles of water rhyme for vodka bottles. Even such a pillar of the Caucasian table as greens is not welcome - they have not gathered for that, let the women eat grass.

Armenian khash soup: history of the dish

The history of the origin of this dish goes back more than one century. In Armenia, there is a well-known parable: when they cut up a lamb or beef carcass, the king kept the meat for himself, and threw the entrails and bones into the gorge. In that gorge lived a poor man named Khash. When the king heard the aroma of stew that rose from the gorge, he called Khash to him, and he taught her to cook. From then on, the king began to distribute meat to the poor, and kept the bones and tripe for himself to cook a healing, wonderful soup. Now khash is served in expensive restaurants of Armenian, Georgian and Azerbaijani cuisine. People have come to love it far beyond the borders of these countries, have begun to consider it theirs, and are having heated debates over whose national dish it is.

Today I will tell you how to cook step by step Armenian khash (which is sometimes called khach or hajj, the Ossetian soup is called khas) from beef legs at home. But in order to prepare the right khash, Armenians believe that in addition to beef legs, you need to have a smart head, clean hands and a kind soul. If all this is available, feel free to get down to business. Just remember - the legs for khash must be smooth and well cleaned.

Khash in Baku

As you know, in each locality national dishes are prepared differently. Likewise, Armenian khash can be made in several ways. Read the recipe for Baku soup below:

• Carefully scrape and wash the beef hooves, then place them in a large pot and cover with water. Cook the legs over the fire for at least two hours.
• Add two peeled onions and salt to the pan and cook for another hour and a half.
• Remove the hooves, separate the meat from the bones, and strain the broth.
• Finely chop the pieces of meat, return them to the pan and bring the soup to a boil.
• Peel the garlic head, chop it and place it in a saucepan.

Khash is a simple dish, so all you have to do is stir it, pour it into plates and garnish with fresh herbs.

Ingredients and preparation

Kitchenware:

• 5-quart saucepan for soaking beef legs;
• 4-5 liter pan for cooking khash;
• cutting board;
• Bowl;
• knife;
• an ax to cut the legs;
• mortar or garlic press;
• grater;
• a salad bowl for radishes and several small salad bowls for chopped greens.

Required products for serving:

• 2 heads of garlic;
• a bunch of cilantro;
• a bunch of basil greens;
• Armenian lavash;
• 600 grams of radish;
• a tablespoon of lemon juice;
• a teaspoon of honey;
• a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil;
• salt, pepper to taste.

Ingredient Selection

To prepare khash, you will need to buy a beef shin (one or several, depending on how many servings you want to cook). When purchasing a beef leg, choose a well-trimmed front leg of beef carcass. Preferably the one that is meatier. The hind legs of an animal are not very suitable for cooking, as they have a specific smell that is very difficult to get rid of. If you still bought them, soak them for two days, periodically changing the water, cut the legs into pieces and soak for another day. And then start preparing khash.

Beef leg hash

This time we invite you to prepare Armenian soup using strong broth according to the original recipe. How to cook khash? Read the description below:

• Sear two kilograms of beef legs and then clean them with a stiff brush. After this, they should be cut into several parts. If you have never done this before, ask the butcher at the store or market to help you.
• Place the legs in a saucepan, cover them with water and leave them alone for one day. Remember to change the water every three hours.
• Rinse the prepared legs again under running water and place them in a large saucepan. Pour water so that it rises 15-20 cm above the product.
• Place the pan over high heat, bring the liquid to a boil and skim off the foam. After this, reduce the heat and cook the khash for about seven or eight hours.
• Using a slotted spoon, remove the bones, let them cool, and then trim off all the meat. Cut large pieces into several pieces.
• Strain the broth through a sieve, return the meat to it and put the soup back on the fire. Add salt to taste.
• Chop two heads of garlic, finely chop the basil and parsley, grate one radish. Place all prepared foods on one plate.
• Cut the pita bread into squares and dry.

Pour the khash soup into bowls, serve with the prepared herbs, spices and lavash sheets.

Recipe for making Armenian beef khash

Preparation

1. Well-processed and washed beef legs, soak in cold water (it is convenient to use a large 5-liter saucepan for this).

2. Cut the legs or chop them at the joints into small pieces.

3. Place in a saucepan, add water and put on fire.

4. When the water starts to boil, skim off the foam and turn the heat to low.

5. Peel the onion, stick the cloves into it and place in the pan. Place allspice there too. Leave the khash to cook in unsalted water for 6-8 hours. After a few hours, remove the spices and onions.

6. When the meat comes off the bone, remove it from the soup and let it cool slightly. Remove the meat from the bone, chop it finely and add it back to the soup.
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7. Khash is ready. It is usually cooked overnight and served in the morning. All that remains is to prepare for serving.

Innings

1. Crush the garlic with salt, pour in a small amount of khash and serve in a separate sauce boat.

2. Grate the radish. Prepare the dressing: mix a tablespoon of vegetable oil with lemon juice and honey. Season the radish, add salt to taste and stir. Serve the radish in a salad bowl.

3. Rinse the greens and serve on a separate plate or in a salad bowl.
4. Place thin Armenian lavash in a preheated oven for a few minutes or dry it in a frying pan until it becomes crispy. Take it out, break the pita bread into small pieces and serve with the khash in a separate small plate. Crispy lavash is usually placed in a plate with khash and, when it has absorbed a little of the healing soup, they begin the meal.

Read also about how delicious and easy it is to prepare lamb shurpa and beef lagman.

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This is a very Armenian and - more broadly - very southern format of pastime; in Moscow, with its Scandinavian climate and Asian tempo, khash in its full format is a unique thing. Which, we repeat, needs to be consciously sought and organized. And for this you don’t have to buy an ax and a set of knives for cleaning hooves.

When asked about where in Moscow you can and should eat khash, experts answer in unison, but in different ways. Tash: “Only Burcho’s, only victory!” Ariel: “Lilith is highly praised.”

I didn’t want to reveal the secret, but this particular khash, of which barely half was left, was bought for takeaway at the Lavash restaurant on Tsvetnoy - and, without knowing this detail, the guests praised it very much.

Options for preparing khash

The recipe for lamb khash is not much different from the recipe for beef. Cow (mutton) legs, tripe and tails are the main components from which this dish is prepared.

To prepare traditional Armenian khash, in addition to the legs, tripe is used (this is part of the animal’s stomach). To prepare it for khash, you need to thoroughly clean it, scrape it out and get rid of the unpleasant smell. The tripe is also first soaked in water, then boiled in a separate pan, draining the water every 10 minutes until the smell disappears completely (4-5 boils). Only then is the tripe added to the khash and cooked together with the legs.

If you do not do all these manipulations, the tripe can completely ruin the taste and smell of the soup. But experienced hash makers are not deterred by such difficulties.

The recipe for Georgian khash contains, in addition to legs and tripe, beef kidney fat and rennet. Lard passed through a meat grinder, prepared chopped beef legs, tripe and rennet cut into pieces are placed in the bottom of the pan. Simmer covered over high heat in its own juice. After all the released juice has boiled away, gradually pour in boiling water and cook until the meat is freely separated from the bone. 15 minutes before readiness, add white bread (without crusts) soaked in milk, salt and spices. Well, of course, there is the option of making khash from pork legs. The recipe for pork khash is as follows: carefully clean the pork legs, chop them into pieces and cook together with roots, onions, allspice and bay leaves for about 6 hours. Served with chopped herbs.

Lamb khash: cook correctly and tasty

Lamb khash: cook correctly and tasty

To prepare hot nutritious soup using lamb, you need the following ingredients:

• ram neck - 1-1.5 kg;
• Bay leaf;
• garlic - 2 heads;
• salt, spices - to taste.

Preparation

1. Rinse raw meat under cold running water, make deep cuts that will reach right to the bone.
2. Fill a container with water and place the lamb neck in it.
3. Bring to a boil. After this, drain the water and add new water. You need to do this several times.
4. Place bay leaf, parsley root and black peppercorns in a small piece of gauze. Place the bundle in the broth and add salt. Cook for 4 hours.
5. After the meat is cooked, cut it into small pieces and add chopped garlic to the dish.
6. According to tradition, the finished dish is sprinkled with fresh herbs and served with a basket of pita bread.