Classic Pork Kharcho Soup with Rice and Potatoes

Hearty and flavorful Georgian soup with pork broth, rice, potatoes, and spices for a warming meal.
Updated : 03 July, 2025

Easy
About 45 min.
Ingredients
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Advices
Advice
Besides pork, you can use any other meat in this dish. Keep in mind that the cooking time, as well as the taste and calorie content, will change. For example, beef takes longer to cook than pork, while chicken fillet or turkey requires less time.
Preparation
Step 1
For making the broth, choose pork on the bone. This will make the broth richer. Peel the potatoes in advance. Rinse the rice.
Step 2
Pour water over the pork, place it over heat, and bring to a boil. As it comes to a boil, foam will appear - skim it off. Cook the meat for 1–1.5 hours until tender. Then separate the meat from the bones, cut it into pieces, and return it to the strained broth. Instead of pork, you can use any other meat.
Step 3
Add the potatoes, cut into pieces, to the boiling broth.
Step 4
Next, add the rice. Cook everything together for about 15 minutes.
Step 5
Meanwhile, peel the onion and chop it finely. Heat a pan and pour in a little vegetable oil. Add the chopped onion and sauté for about a minute until translucent.
Step 6
Then add finely chopped tomatoes and tomato paste to the pan. Add all the prepared spices. These spices will give the soup its main flavor. By the way, you can puree the tomatoes or leave them chopped as I did. Stir everything together. Sauté for another 2-3 minutes.
Step 7
Add the finished sautéed mixture to the pot with the soup. Taste the soup. If the tomatoes and tomato paste are too sour, you can add half a tablespoon of sugar. Adjust the salt and ground black pepper to taste. Drop in a bay leaf.
Step 8
Simmer everything together for another 5–7 minutes, then remove the pot from the heat. Add some chopped fresh herbs. Serve the finished classic Pork Kharcho Soup with rice and potatoes hot in bowls. Enjoy your meal!