Mission Chulent: Week 9

We're on the ninth week of our chulent (a.k.a. cholent) experiment (I'm trying a new recipe every week, as long as my friends keep providing!). This week's chulent was a concession to my son, Yaakov Yosef, who will eat as much marrow as I will allow him to. He spreads it on challah, sprinkles it lightly with salt, and savors every bite. (For the uninitiated, marrow has the texture and fattiness of butter, with a rich meaty flavor. Click here to read more about cooking with and eating bone marrow.) 

This chulent is a variation on my mother's meat chulent, but it's heavier and even more richly flavored than the original. Not for the faint of heart (or stomach), this chulent is just the thing for hungry kids and husbands who want a really rich Shabbos lunch experience. (Click here for the original, lighter version.) 

Here are links to all of the other recipes we've tried so far. 

• Rivki's Turkey Chulent, a light recipe featuring wheat berries and sweet potatoes
• Esther Shemtob's Hamin, a traditional Sephardic lamb dish with fantastic flavors
• Ayala Cohen's Meat Chulent, featuring frozen french fries and barbecue sauce
• Sarah Stampler's Meat Chulent, with cilantro and red wine
• My Mommy's Meat Chulent, a good basic recipe with cumin and chili powder for interest
• Argentinian Meat Chulent, with dried corn
• Vegetarian Chulent, with butternut squash
• Indian Style Chicken Chulent, with brown rice and lentils
• Indian Inspired Turkey Chulent, with chickpeas and wheat berries

Richest Meat Chulent
1/2 bag mixed chulent beans
1 cup pearl barley
3 Idaho potatoes, cubed
1-2 pounds of flanken
4-6 marrow bones
1 onion, chopped
15 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon hot paprika
2 teaspoons salt

Soak the beans overnight. Drain and combine with the remaining ingredients. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low. Leave the chulent simmering on low until Shabbos morning, or until you're ready to eat, at least 24 hours if possible. Serve hot.

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Mission Chulent: Week 8

We're on the eighth week of our chulent (a.k.a. cholent) experiment (I'm trying a new recipe every week, as long as my friends keep providing!), and we've found a few favorites.  This week's recipe was my own concoction  based on the Indian Style Chulent I wrote about last week, and my Turkey Chulent. I thought it was terrific (the aromas certainly were), although my husband Avi wasn't a big fan of the cinnamon and allspice. Leave them out or reduce the quantity if you prefer. 

The recipe is below. I'm also including links here to all of the other recipes we've tried so far in case you want to try any others. 

• Rivki's Turkey Chulent, featuring chickpeas, wheat berries and sweet potatoes
• Esther Shemtob's Hamin, a traditional Sephardic lamb dish
• Ayala Cohen's Meat Chulent, featuring frozen french fries and barbecue sauce
• Sarah Stampler's Meat Chulent, with cilantro and red wine
• My Mommy's Meat Chulent, with cumin and chili powder
• Argentinian Meat Chulent, with dried corn
• Vegetarian Chulent, with butternut squash
• Indian Style Chicken Chulent, with brown rice and lentils

Indian Inspired Turkey Chulent

3 celery stalks, cut into a few pieces
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped coarse
2 russet or yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and drained
1 cup wheat berries
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon cardamom
2 turkey drumsticks, skin removed

Put everything into a nice large pot or crock pot, in the order listed. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low. Leave the chulent simmering on low until Shabbos morning, or until you're ready to eat, at least 24 hours if possible. Serve hot.

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Mission Chulent: Week 7

It was a close call. I almost let you down this week. 58 minutes before Shabbos, I had ONE chulent (a.k.a. cholent) bubbling on the stove, and it was one which I blogged about three weeks ago. It was a busy week at work and home, and I just didn't get my act together to buy the ingredients for a new chulent.

Then I thought of you, my loyal followers, and the adrenaline kicked in. I pictured you rushing to my blog right after havdalah, eager to read my latest recipe and start shopping for next week's chulent. I imagined all those disappointed faces, devastated by my betrayal. I just couldn't let you down!

In high gear, I scrambled to think of a recipe that would cook up quickly and would use only ingredients I had in the pantry/fridge. I had come across a very non-traditional chulent recipe from thirschfeld on Food52.com. It had fast-cooking lentils instead of the usual beans, so I knew it had enough time to cook up before sundown. I thought I had most of the ingredients in the house, and with almost an hour till Shabbos, I figured I would throw it together.

I ended up improvising quite a bit. With [tick, tick, tick] 52 minutes left till Shabbos, I couldn't saute or caramelize or do anything at all fancy. To be perfectly frank here, I just threw everything in a pot, put it on a super high flame, and hoped for the best.

And guess what? It was GOOD. Fantastic rich flavors. Wonderful aromas. A real keeper. This one is making it to our favorites list, along with Esther Shemtob's Hamin and - but of course - my mother's meat chulent. The best part of all was that I made it less than an hour before Shabbos. This is a great backup recipe if you're ever running late putting up your chulent.

Indian Style Chulent with Lentils, inspired by thirschfeld's recipe
I made this chulent with chicken, as instructed in the original recipe, and it was FANTASTIC. But I think it would be wonderful with lamb or turkey instead. I'd like to try it vegetarian too. I suspect that the spicing will add enough interest to make up for the lack of meat. I would recommend making this chulent just a few hours before Shabbos. The lentils don't need a long cooking time like other chulent beans do. (You don't have to cut it as close as I did, though. I am still recovering....)


4 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
3 carrots, peeled, cut into 1 inch pieces
4 celery stalks, cleaned, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped coarse
2 russet or yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 cup brown or black lentils (I used small black Beluga lentils and they really retained their shape)

1 cup brown rice
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/8 teaspoon cardamom

1/2 teaspoon coriander

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon cumin 

2 teaspoons salt

1 cup dry white wine

Put everything into a nice large pot or crock pot, in the order listed. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low. Leave the chulent simmering on low until Shabbos morning, or until you're ready to eat, at least 10 hours. Serve hot.

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Mission Chulent: Week 6

I will start this post with a confession. We didn't have any meat at our Shabbos lunch meal today. (GASP.) All Shabbos I was afraid we'd be discovered. Each time there was a knock at the door, I was SURE it was a neighbor coming to complain about the untraditional aromas coming from our home. "What is that delicious but distinctly pareve smell?" I imagined the balabusta next-door asking. "Mommy, why does the Lockers' house smell so WEIRD? It's like vegetable soup instead of chulent!" I imagined my neighbors' three-year-old asking in a too-loud-whisper. 

But thankfully, we made it through Shabbos undetected. At least I think we did. (I did get some odd stares from the neighbors' kids but I think that was just because of the obscene mess of toys in the living room. Don't anyone else's kids make a mess???)

Today's lunch consisted of eggs, salad, pareve chulent, fish, and Yemenite Jachnun bread which I tried for the first time and will blog about later in the week. 

For our first vegetarian chulent, I turned to one of my favorite cookbooks, Moosewood Restaurant New Classics, for inspiration, and we were not disappointed. I made some changes to the original recipe, but relied on good-old-Moosewood for the basic seasonings and main ingredients. It is slightly more labor-intensive than my traditional chulent, but I thought was well worth the effort. This one's definitely going on the favorites list. (Oh, and a word of warning - if you want a truly pareve chulent, be sure to use a pareve pot.)

Vegetarian Chulent

If you like the sound of this but are horrified by the thought of a meatless chulent, you can definitely add turkey or chicken to this recipe for a slightly richer and less scandalous version. I recommend making this chulent later in the day than you'd make a traditional one. The vegetables really don't need much time to cook through, and since the beans are pre-cooked, it does better with less simmering time. I made mine just two hours before Shabbos, which was more than enough time to make sure it was cooked through. 

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon black or yellow mustard seeds

1 1/2 cups chopped onions

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root

3 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 teaspoon paprika 

2 teaspoons salt

3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed

3 cups water

1/4 cup orange juice

1 tablespoon lime juice

2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or 4 cups cooked chickpeas)

In a large, preferably cast iron, pot, heat the oil on medium-high heat and then add the mustard seeds. When the seeds begin popping, stir in the onions and saute for about 10 minutes. 

Add all the spices and the salt to the onions. Mix well and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the potatoes, squash, and water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. 

Add the chickpeas, orange juice and lime juice and simmer for another few minutes. Put the pot on a blech or transfer it to a crockpot and leave on medium-low heat for up to 24 hours until you're ready to serve it. 

Ingredients for Vegetarian Chulent

Butternut squash, awaiting peeling

Butternut squash, peeled and cubed.
(My favorite photo because I HATE
dealing with butternut squash.)

I love my Le Creuset pot and was
just looking for an excuse to
photograph it. 

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Mission Chulent: Week 5

This week, the hardest thing about making our chulent-of-the-week was getting the ingredients! This recipe, courtesy of my cousin Ley Taubs from Argentina, uses dried white corn. I'm sure there's lots of it to be had in Argentina, but it's not so simple in New Jersey, especially if you don't know what the ingredient is called in English!  (In case you are wondering, it's maiz blanco pisado in Spanish, which Google translated into "trodden white corn." Hmmm...try asking for trodden white corn at Shop Rite.)

Three supermarkets later, I got the goods. It turns out that Goya makes it and it's pretty easy to find. (They had it at all three supermarkets, but I just didn't know what I was looking for!)

White hominy corn, one of this week's chulent ingredients

Oops, there's a little person asking for Mommy's attention.

A closeup of the dried corn.

Once the main ingredient was secured, this chulent was a cinch. And, next to my mother's meat chulent, this is in next place for our favorite meat chulent! The dried corn is a lot like barley or wheat berries but has a lighter feeling, and a really nice taste.

Argentinian Meat Chulent
The corn and barley absorb quite a bit of water so make sure to put in plenty of water. My cousin Ley puts tomato sauce and honey in her version, but I left that out. Feel free to add those in if you want to experiment!


1/2 bag mixed chulent beans, soaked overnight and drained

2 teaspoons canola or vegetable oil

1 onion chopped

1 teaspoon paprika 

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

3 Idaho potatoes, cubed
1-2 pounds of flanken, preferably bone-in, cut in chunks

1/2 cup pearl barley

1/2 cup dried white hominy corn
2 teaspoons salt

In a large pot, heat the oil and then add the onions, potatoes, paprika, and garlic powder. Saute for about ten minutes until the vegetables are beginning to brown.

Add the flanken and saute for a few minutes longer.

Add the remaining ingredients plus plenty of water to cover. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low. Leave the chulent simmering on low until Shabbos morning, or until you're ready to eat it, at least 24 hours if possible. Ley recommends uncovering the chulent a couple of hours before serving so the extra liquid cooks out and it's nice and dry.

Serve hot.

The chulent ingredients,
ready and waiting

Chopped potatoes and onions

Spiced onions and potatoes,
browning in the pot

Chopped flanken

Dried corn

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Mission Chulent: Week 4

Well, we just finished the fourth week of our chulent (a.k.a. cholent) mission. (I'm trying a new recipe every week, as long as my friends continue providing!) This week was somewhat of a fiasco. I had planned to try my cousin's South American Chulent, which uses dried white corn. I thought I remembered seeing dried corn at the supermarket, but the one I visited on Thursday didn't have any. I already had the meat, so we fell back on a tried-and-true recipe this week: my mother's chulent! And we had to admit that this is our favorite of the meat chulent's so far. (Esther Shemtob's Hamin is the only one we've tried with lamb, and that's also a definite 'keeper.')

Here's the recipe for our long-standing family favorite. The cumin and chili powder are unusual but REALLY good. Thanks, Mommy!

Mommy's Meat Chulent
1/2 bag mixed chulent beans
1 cup pearl barley
3 Idaho potatoes, cubed
1-2 pounds of flanken
1 onion chopped
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons salt

Soak the beans overnight. Drain and combine with the remaining ingredients. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low. Leave the chulent simmering on low until Shabbos morning, or until you're ready to eat, at least 24 hours if possible. Serve hot.

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Mission Chulent: Week 3

This Shabbos was the third week of our chulent (a.k.a. cholent) mission. (I'm trying a new recipe every week, as long as my friends continue providing!) This week, we tried another flanken chulent. This one has no beans, but lots of barley, potatoes, and meat. Once again, it was a hit with the kids, especially on Friday when it was a bit less cooked. But I'm beginning to think that my husband and I are so accustomed to my turkey chulent that we're simply not going to find a meat chulent that isn't too heavy for us. The kids are loving this experiment, though. I just may end up making two chulents every week after this is over: a rich meat chulent for the kids, and a lighter turkey version for us.

The jury's still out on the favorite recipe so far. The adults really liked Esther Shemtob's Hamin and the kids are split between this one and Ayala Cohen's. I'll keep at it till we find one that gets unanimously high reviews. Please help me by posting your recipes in the comments section below. If you don't have a real recipe, just list the ingredients and I'll figure the rest out.

Sarah Stampler's Meat Chulent
Sarah's version includes beer and barbecue sauce but a few members of my family wouldn't touch it if they had even the slightest suspicion that the chulent had beer in it. My husband and I are finding the barbecue sauce flavor a bit strong for our tastes. I left those two ingredients out, but feel free to add them in if you like. One last comment: Sarah says that it's really important to cook this chulent in a pot on the stove (with a blech, for Shabbos), and not in a crock pot. I used to be dead set against crock pots, too, but lately I find that the even cooking is really a pleasure. On the stove, it's easy to go wrong if you leave the flame slightly too low or high. So, I'd say that you can feel free to switch this recipe to a crock pot if that's your preference.

2 cups pearl barley
About ten whole garlic cloves
3 Idaho potatoes, cubed
1-2 pounds of flanken
some chopped fresh cilantro (I used just a little bit; I must admit it was scary!)
2 onions chopped
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2-3 tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups very sweet red wine (I used Kedem Cream Malaga)

Combine all of the ingredients in a large pot, in the order listed above. Cover with water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low. Leave the chulent simmering on low until Shabbos morning, or until you're ready to eat, at least 24 hours if possible. This chulent is especially good on Friday afternoon / night, too, when it's a bit less cooked. Serve hot. 

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Mission Chulent: Week 2

For the second week of my chulent  (a.k.a. cholent) experiment (I'm trying a new recipe every week, as long as my friends keep providing!), we tried a traditional flanken chulent with some twists. The kids loved it and took seconds and thirds. (Baby Zipora licked her tray clean. Literally.) It was a little heavy for me and my husband, so I'm not sure it'll be on the list to make again. But if you're looking for a kid-friendly flanken chulent with some flair, this is a really good one to try. If you want a lighter, healthier variety of chulent, try my turkey chulent. And if lamb's your thing, Esther Shemtob's Hamin is wonderful.

Ayala Cohen's Meat Chulent with a Twist
Ayala uses frozen french fries instead of potatoes to save time on prep. I have to say, it was quite a treat to skip the peeling and cubing and the texture of the fries is perfect in the chulent! If you want to avoid the extra fat, you could certainly use cubed Idaho potatoes instead. Reduce or eliminate the barbecue sauce if you want less 'kick.' The flanken gives it plenty of flavor.

1/2 bag chulent beans
1 medium onion, chopped coarse 

1 cup brown rice
1/2 of a 32-oz. bag of frozen french fries (or use 2 Idaho potatoes, cut in cubes)
(2-4 tablespoons of A 1 steak sauce or other favorite barbecue sauce, optional)
about 2 pounds of flanken, cut in chunks
2 teaspoons salt
a nice sprinkling of garlic powder


Soak the beans overnight. Drain and combine with the onions, rice, french fries and barbecue sauce in a crock pot. Cover generously with water, then add the flanken, salt and spices. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low. Leave the chulent simmering on low until Shabbos morning, or until you're ready to eat, at least 24 hours if possible. Serve hot.

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Mission Chulent: Week 1

Last week, I blogged my chulent recipe and told you I'd be trying my friend's Sephardic hamin recipe. Well, I did, and everyone LOVED it. It was such a wonderful experience that I've decided to try a new chulent every week until I run out of ideas. Don't let me down! Please share your chulent (a.k.a. cholent) recipes in the Comments section below so I can add it to the queue. Each week, I'll tell you which one we tried, write up the recipe, and let you know how we liked it. Who knows, we just may find a new favorite!

Just a note - don't be intimidated by having to write up a formal recipe. If you don't have a real recipe, just list the ingredients and I'll figure the rest out.

Esther Shemtob's Hamin
I made some small changes to this recipe to suit my family's preferences. It was wonderful. If you like lamb, you have GOT to try this. I did have a hard time finding lamb shanks at the Lakewood butchers which cater to a mostly-Ashkenazic community. Esther says you can also use lamb stew meat.


1 cup barley or wheat berries
4 Idaho potatoes, cut in cubes (about 12-16 pieces per potato)
2 onions, chopped coarse
2 teaspoons salt
some garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
2-3 lamb shanks (ask your butcher for nice, meaty ones)

Combine the barley/wheat berries, potatoes and onions in a crock pot. Mix them well and then add in the salt and spices. Lay the lamb shanks on top and cover generously with water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low. Leave the chulent simmering on low until Shabbos morning, or until you're ready to eat, at least 24 hours if possible. Serve hot.

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Chulent: a call for recipes!

First things first. For those of you who don't understand the title of this post, please read this online definition of chulent (also spelled cholent).

A friend of mine shared a wonderful Sephardic 'hamin' recipe with me today (thank you, Esther!) which I can't wait to try. It is built around lamb, and I just love how lamb perfumes my house. Can't wait to try it.

Seeing her recipe made me wonder what other wonderful chulent and hamin recipes are out there. I would love to try some new ones. Here's mine which is an Iraqi style chulent, modified over the years to create a personalized recipe unlike any other. This is my healthy chulent, but I have a more sinful version with the traditional barley, beans and flanken. And, I even have a vegetarian version! But I'll save those for another time.  Please post your recipes to the comments section so others can enjoy them too. I don't know about you, but I could use some change!

Rivki's Chulent
1 cup wheat berries (these are whole grain wheat kernels; you can use barley if you can't find wheat but I love how firm the wheat stays even after the chulent has cooked for hours)
1 cup chicpeas, soaked overnight if possible, and then drained
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in quarters
1 onion, peeled but left whole
1 head of garlic, unpeeled
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
A bit of black pepper
1 turkey thigh or 2 drumsticks, skin removed

Put all of the ingredients in a large pot or crock pot in the order listed above. Cover generously with water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low.  (If you like, put in some raw unpeeled eggs, which you can remove on Shabbos morning and chop up for for lovely brown egg salad as a first course. Be sure to find out how to remove the eggs without violating any Shabbos laws.)  Leave the chulent simmering on low until Shabbos morning, or until you're ready to eat, at least 24 hours if possible. Serve hot, with some mustard for dipping, if desired. (I also really like coleslaw next to my chulent.)

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