Hamin is a traditional peasant dish. Basically, instead of throwing out the leftovers from the past week, the Jewish balaboostas of the world threw all the meat, bones, and vegetables from that week’s meals into a pot and let them simmer overnight. There are different ways to prepare hamin—European Ashkenazi Jews add kishke (intestines), while the Sephardic Jews of Moroccan, Yemenite, Iraqi, and Iranian descent add spices, beans, barley, and wheat. There’s plenty of room here for variety; try adding quince or dates instead of prunes.
You’ll need cheesecloth and kitchen string.
Hamin
Servings
6 Servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried chickpeas soaked in cold water overnight
- 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup dried pinto beans soaked in cold water overnight
- 1 1/2 cups barley
- 1 pound stewing beef
- 2 medium potatoes peeled and cut into large chunks
- 10 prunes
- 6 dried apricots
- 6 large eggs
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 large garlic cloves
- 7 cups water
- 5 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chile flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cut three 9-inch squares of cheesecloth. You will use these to make little sachets of chickpeas, pinto beans, and barley.
- Place the chickpeas, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper in the center of one cheesecloth square. Gather up all four corners to make a loose sachet and tie it up with kitchen string. Repeat this process with the pinto beans, 1/2 teaspoon of the remaining salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of the remaining pepper in another cheesecloth square. Repeat with the barley, 1/2 teaspoon of the remaining salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of the remaining pepper. Set these sachets aside.
- Season the beef with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and the remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Place a single layer of meat at the bottom of a 6-quart Dutch oven or other large, heavy pot. Then scatter in half of the potato chunks, half of the prunes and apricots, and all three cheesecloth sachets. If there is any meat left over, add it to the top with the remaining prunes and apricots.
- Nestle the uncracked eggs into the top layer of all the goodies along with the bay leaves and garlic.
- Whisk all the sauce ingredients together and pour the sauce over the hamin goodies. Place the Dutch oven on the stove over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
- Preheat the oven to 200°F.
- When the hamin and sauce come to a boil, remove from the heat. Place a lid on the Dutch oven and bake overnight for at least 8 and up to 12 hours.
- The hamin is ready when you wake up the next morning with the aromatic scent of beef in your house.
- CREDIT: “Excerpted from Balaboosta by Einat Admony (Artisan Books).Copyright © 2013. Photographs by Quentin Bacon.”
- Browse through more varieties or Shabbat Cholent Recipes Here.
Three days of farts.
It should be added with the remaining meat and prunes, I will fix in the directions. Such a nice idea to make for your wife.
Tamar Genger MA, RD
Executive Editor
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Preparation step 3 says to put in “half of the potato chunks” but what do i do with the rest of the potato chunks?
I will prepare this dish for my wife when she comes back from Israel so it is ready when we get back after 3 hours of driving home.
I have never tried coffee filters in something like this, I am not sure how it would work. I know some people use oven safe bags or foil with holes in them but they are not the healthiest choice.
I have heard that cloth diapers work like cheesecloth if that is easier to find I would suggest that.
*Tamar Genger MA, RD*
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Director of Digital Media l Kosher Media Holdings LLC
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Can you use coffee filters instead of cheesecloth for this recipe?
You can use oven bags with poked holes.
do i have to use cheesecloth?
is there something i can use instead?
It is 2 and 1/2 teaspoons, there was a space missing that may have made it confusing – so sorry about that.
Actually, the 2 1/2 tsp salt that’s divided among the bundles seems fine. It’s the 5 tablespoons of salt that’s added with the water later, that I’d guess is more of a problem. It’s important to note that a tablespoon of Kosher salt is much less than the same measure of regular fine table salt, because of the difference in the crystal size. This may be the source of your problem. Although, honestly, 5 tablespoons of kosher salt does seem excessive, even so.
are you sure about the amount of salt? i think it’s a mistake. the whole thing looked delicious but no one could eat more than a mouthful. the table renamed it dead sea hamin and we had to put it in the trash. such a shame!
Sign me up!!!
Most people serve it all separate so people can make it their own and pick and choose. Either like this in the big pot or served in separate bowls.
This sounds really good! Do you take the cheesecloth out at the end and then mix it up?
Yes, for sure, it can.
This sounds delicious! Could it be made in a Crock Pot?
Never tasted this dish, but it sounds like something great for cold weather.