About this Dish
The Shabbat stew — slow-cooked beans and meat left in a low oven from Friday afternoon until Saturday lunch, as Jewish law prohibits cooking on the Sabbath. Every Jewish community developed its own version. The Saturday lunch cholent is a sacred weekly ritual.
IngredientsServes 8
🥩Beef chuck or brisket, 800g cut into large chunks
🫘Dried white beans (navy or cannellini), 1 cup soaked overnight
🟤Dried pearl barley, ½ cup
🥔Potatoes, 4 medium whole or halved
🧅Onions, 2 large roughly chopped
🧄Garlic cloves, 6 whole unpeeled
🥚Eggs in shell, 4 (optional, placed whole inside to slow-cook)
🫙Tomato paste, 2 tablespoons
🧂Paprika, cumin, salt and black pepper, 1 teaspoon each
💧Beef stock or water, enough to cover everything by 2cm
Method
1
On Friday afternoon, preheat your oven to 100°C (210°F). In a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, sear the beef chunks in a little oil over high heat until deeply browned on all sides — this builds the rich base flavour.2
Add the chopped onions to the pot and cook for 3–4 minutes until softened. Stir in the tomato paste, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper, coating everything well.3
Drain the soaked white beans and add them to the pot along with the barley, whole potatoes, garlic cloves and eggs in their shells nestled among the ingredients.4
Pour in enough beef stock or water to cover everything by about 2cm. Bring the pot to a gentle boil on the stovetop, then skim off any foam that rises to the surface.5
Cover the pot tightly with a lid — if the lid doesn't seal well, place a sheet of foil underneath it. Place the pot in the oven before Shabbat begins on Friday evening.6
Leave the cholent to cook undisturbed in the low oven for 12–16 hours until Saturday lunchtime. The beans will become creamy, the meat will fall apart, and the eggs will turn a beautiful golden-brown all the way through.7
Serve straight from the pot at the Shabbat table. Peel the slow-cooked eggs and slice them over the top, and ladle generous portions of everything together into deep bowls.User Reviews
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