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Cholent (Sabbath Overnight Beef, Bean and Barley Stew)

Cholent (Sabbath Overnight Beef, Bean and Barley Stew) reads sweetness 5.0, richness 4.8 and allium 4.3 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Ashkenazi main, about 14 hr 5 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 3.8 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 5.2 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 0.6 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 1.7 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 5.1 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 4.8 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Sweetness 5.0 · Richness 4.8 · Allium 4.3 · Floral 4.1 · Salinity 3.5 · Umami 3.4 · Warm Spice 1.8 · Earthy 1.5 · Bitterness 1.0 · Nutty 1.0 · Heat 0.7 · Sourness 0.6

What's in it (14)

• beef flanken — 1000 g
• dried haricot — 200 g
• pearl barley — 150 g
• onions — 440 g
• chicken fat — 41 g
• potatoes — 800 g
• eggs — 600 g
• garlic — 18 g
• sweet paprika — 30 g
• salt — 15 g
• freshly ground black pepper — 10 g
• honey — 15 g
• water — 1500 g
• bay leaf — 1 g

Time & effort: about 14 hr 5 min (45 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 54.1 kcal, 2.5 g protein, 2.2 g fat, 6.3 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains egg — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (9 steps)

1. Cook the sliced onions in the schmaltz in a heavy casserole over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring, until they are deep brown and sweet. Brown onions are the colour and most of the flavour of a cholent that will never be stirred again.
2. Push the onions aside and sear the beef pieces on all sides, 8 minutes.
3. Layer the drained beans, barley, whole potatoes, whole eggs and garlic cloves around and over the meat, 5 minutes of careful packing. Nothing gets stirred from here on.
4. Take the pot off the heat and scatter over the paprika, salt, pepper, honey and bay, 2 minutes. Paprika goes on off the heat, as it does everywhere in this region, or it scorches.
5. Pour boiling water over to cover everything by 3 cm and bring back to a boil on the hob, 10 minutes.
6. Cover tightly and put it into a 110 C oven for 13 hours, from Friday afternoon until lunch on Saturday. The long low heat is not a slow-cooking affectation; the pot goes in before the Sabbath begins and cannot be touched afterwards, which is the whole reason this dish exists in this form.
7. Do not stir it, do not lift the lid to look, and do not season again. If you must check, check once, only that liquid still covers the top layer, and top up with boiling water if not.
8. Rest 20 minutes with the heat off. Serve the beef, the potatoes and the eggs separately from the thick bean and barley porridge. The eggs, cooked all night in the shell, come out brown, dense and creamy, and they are the best thing in the pot.
9. Substitutions: short ribs can stand in for the beef flanken; lima beans can stand in for the dried haricot; beef dripping can stand in for the schmaltz; beef stock can stand in for the boiling water.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Sheet-Pan Honey Mustard Chicken and Potatoes — American
• Halim — Persian
• Carne Adovada — New Mexican
• Calabacitas con Queso — New Mexican
• Sheet-Pan Balsamic Chicken with Brussels Sprouts — American

Keep reading: what sweetness, richness, allium mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.