Ukrainian meat aspic, aka “kholodets”

aspic

If you want to get a massive dose of collagen, then cook kholodets, which is also known as aspic or meat jelly in the US! No supplements are comparable to aspic in efficiency.

What is aspic… meat jelly and kholodets?

Is it almost the same thing? Yes, but no…

Kholodets – its base is meat and bones, which gives it the consistency of jelly. Maybe, but rarely, with the addition of carrots and eggs. But if you add gelatin to the broth, it will not be a traditional kholodets.

Meat jelly is closer to kholodets than aspic, but in the process of cooking, gelatin can be added.

Aspic is a little bit French, and that’s why it is as exquisite as anything French. It was made of minced chicken meat; the broth had to be transparent like a tear, with a minimum of fat; and colorful vegetables (peas, corn, and carrots) and eggs were added elegantly. Incidentally, meat was often replaced by fish.

In the US, aspic became popular in the early 20th century. But as for the speed of preparation, they added gelatin to the broth, and sometimes even replaced it with vegetable or fruit jelly.

aspic
Ukrainian kholodets

What is aspic used for?

It is a perfect source of collagen and glutamine – it’s essential for GI tract recovery (it’s a must if you have any chronic problems and especially increased intestinal permeability). Also, it helps you recover from the coronavirus.

So why drink collagen powders? Eat some good old-fashioned kholodets or aspic.

How to make?

Do you love the slow cooker as much as I do? The perfect gadget that always makes perfect meat and veggies. Just wash or clean it, put it in the slow cooker and leave it for a few hours.

It is very easy to make aspic. If you don’t have a slow cooker, a regular multicooker will do just fine. Either in the mode “Super Chef” or in the mode “Stew”.

It doesn’t matter which method you choose; you make a perfect aspic anyway, even without a gram of gelatin!

Other recipes from our collection of 11 Ukrainian foods you must try.

aspic

Aspic

aka "kholodets"
Pin Recipe
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 12 hours
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Ketogenic, Ukrainian
Keyword: aspic, collagen, kholodets, meat jelly
Servings: 10 servings
Carbohydrates: 5g

Ingredients

  • 1 pork leg
  • 2 chicken legs
  • 1 beef shank (small)
  • 300 g pork (pulp)
  • 1 onion
  • 2 carrot
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 6 black peppercorns
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • salt (by taste)

Instructions

  • Prepare the slow cooker and ingredients for the aspic. Take the skin off the pork leg. Peel carrots and garlic. Wash the onion without peeling it and cut it into halves or into quarters.
  • Meat and chicken cut into several pieces, wash them thoroughly. Put them in a slow cooker and pour in cold water to the maximum mark. Set the timer for 2 hours and 30 minutes and the temperature to 120°C. Or select "Stew" mode for the same amount of time.
  • Set the timer for 30 minutes. When it goes off, open the lid and remove the foam from the broth. Salt it. Leave it to simmer.
  • When the cooking time is over, add carrots, onions, pepper, and a bay leaf to the cooker and put it through the same program two more times. At the end of cooking, take out the meat and vegetables and strain the broth.
  • Separate the meat from the bones and cut into small pieces. Add crushed garlic and put it in containers. Pour the broth over the meat and garlic. Leave the aspic in the fridge for 4-6 hours. 
    Serve it with mustard and horseradish.

Notes

If you have mushroom stems, sprigs of parsley, or other herbs in the fridge, you can add them to the broth.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 250kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 28g

9 thoughts on “Ukrainian meat aspic, aka “kholodets””

  1. 5 stars
    Aspic is a good dish for the whole family. My husband is not on keto, he puts potatoes, or pasta, or porrige to his plate with aspic, heats in a microwave and gets tasty broth with lots of meat and some carbs.

  2. 5 stars
    I always thought that my favourite jelly is pineapple jelly and I hesitated to try this one. Happy to report that I was wrong. It`s great especially with Dijon mustard.

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