Beef Soup (Kharcho)

Adapted from https://natashaskitchen.com/beef-soup-kharcho/

Servings: 12 cups of soup

INGREDIENTS

3 lb beef stew meat
3 tsp salt
4 Tbsp light olive oil, or any cooking oil, divided
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
4 cups beef broth 4 cup filtered water
28 oz can diced tomatoes
2 dry bay leaves
1 tsp ground coriander seeds
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1/2 cup uncooked white rice, I used Jasmine
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, from 1 medium lemon
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped, plus more to serve
1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped, plus more to serve

STEPS

1) Sprinkle meat with 3 tsp salt and stir. Heat dutch oven or soup pot over medium/high heat and add 2 Tbsp oil. Once oil is hot, add beef in 2 batches, sautéing until browned on all sides. Remove from pot and set aside. Don't worry about cooking it through.

2) Add chopped onion and celery with more oil as needed. Saute 5 min until softened.

3) Add canned tomatoes with their juice, 4 cups broth, 4 cups water, 2 bay leaves and browned beef. Bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until beef is tender.

4) Add 1/2 cup white rice, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 2 pressed garlic cloves, 1 tsp coriander, 1 tsp paprika. Cover and simmer 20 min or until rice is tender.

5) Remove from heat and add 1/4 cup parsley and 1/4 cup dill then cover and let sit off heat another 10 min before serving. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with more fresh herbs as desired.