Хashlama — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Large chunks of beef or lamb slowly braised with tomatoes, peppers, onions, and potatoes in their own juices without added water. This rustic Armenian stew lets premium meat speak for itself with minimal intervention.

Ingredients

1 kg beef chuck or lamb shoulder, large chunks
4 large tomatoes, cut in wedges
3 bell peppers, cut in strips
3 large onions, thickly sliced
4 potatoes, quartered
4 cloves garlic, whole
1 hot pepper, whole
Fresh basil, large bunch
Fresh tarragon, bunch
Salt and black pepper
1 tsp allspice

Instructions

1 Layer the bottom of a large heavy pot with half the sliced onions and half the tomato wedges.
2 Place the large meat chunks in a single layer on top of the vegetables. Season generously with salt, pepper, and allspice.
3 Layer the remaining onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, potatoes, garlic, and hot pepper on top of the meat.
4 Tuck generous bunches of fresh basil and tarragon among the vegetables. Do not add any water.
5 Cover with a very tight-fitting lid. Cook over the lowest possible heat for 2-2.5 hours until meat is fork-tender.
6 Serve directly from the pot, ladling meat, vegetables, and the rich natural broth that has formed into deep bowls.

Did You Know?

The cardinal rule of khashlama is that no water is ever added — the dish cooks entirely in the juices released by the meat and vegetables, creating an intensely concentrated broth.