Cholent
A Sabbath stew of beef, beans, barley and potatoes cooked slowly overnight until dark, rich and tender.
Photograph credit: Chamin (image of cholent on Wikidata Q1433558) by en:User:AlexMilkis · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Make Ahead and Storage
Keeps in the fridge for 4 days and freezes for up to 3 months.
Cholent: The Method
Tap a step to highlight it, or turn on Cook Mode for large type and step-by-step focus.
-
Heat the oven to 100°C / 210°F (80°C / 175°F fan) or set a slow cooker to low. Heat the oil in a pan and brown the onions and beef for 10 minutes.
-
Put the beans and barley in a large casserole. Add the beef, onions, potatoes and garlic, then the paprika, pepper, salt and honey.
-
Nestle the eggs in the top and pour in the boiling water so that it covers by 2 cm.
-
Cover tightly and cook for 8 hours or overnight. Do not stir.
-
Peel the eggs and serve with the stew.
Worth Knowing
- Soak the beans overnight.
- Add more boiling water if it looks dry.
- Use a tight-fitting lid.
Some Background
It was invented to solve a problem: no cooking is allowed on the Sabbath, so a pot is put in the oven on Friday afternoon, or on a slow-cooker timer, and left until the midday meal on Saturday. Eighteen hours is a long time, but cholent is a forgiving dish. The more it cooks, the better it tastes.
The foundation is beans, barley and potatoes, which swell and absorb the juices, and beef, usually flanken or brisket, which dissolves into tenderness. Soak the beans overnight. A whole egg in its shell goes in on top, where it darkens to the colour of tea and picks up a smoky flavour. Do not stir during the cooking. The layers cook best undisturbed.
Brown the onions and meat first for depth, then layer the barley and beans on the bottom, the potatoes and meat over them, and the egg on top. Season well with paprika, black pepper, garlic and a spoonful of honey for a dark colour. Pour in boiling water to cover by 2 cm.
Cook at 100°C / 210°F in the oven, or on low in a slow cooker, for 8 hours or overnight. The result is thick, dark brown and rich, with a slight sweetness.
Good Alongside
Challah · Pickles · Kugel · Red wine
Ingredient Swaps
- An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.
Quick Answers
How long does Cholent take to make?
20 minutes of preparation and 8 hours of cooking, plus 8 hours of Soaking the beans, so allow 16 hours 20 minutes from start to finish. The recipe serves 8.
The Numbers per Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
Cooked this? Keep a note for next time
Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked.
First published ; last changed .
You Might Also Like
More Jewish cooking and dinner ideas from Weekly Delight.
Brisket with Onions
A beef brisket braised for three and a half hours on a bed of sliced onions with stock and tomato until tender.
Potato Kugel
Grated potato and onion mixed with egg and oil and baked in a hot tin until the top is crisp and the middle is soft.
Mississippi Pot Roast
A chuck roast cooked all day in the slow cooker with butter, pepperoncini and a ranch and gravy seasoning, until it…
Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Chuck roast, potatoes and carrots cooked in a slow cooker with onion and stock for 8 hours. Six servings, 20 minutes…
Cevapi
Small skinless sausages of minced beef and lamb, cooked on a hot grill, served in flatbread with chopped raw onion…
Cheese Fondue
Gruyère and Vacherin melted into white wine with a little cornflour and kirsch, kept just below a simmer and eaten…