AI-generated photo.
Israeli · Signature, Shabbat · Israel · Holiday
Cholent
Also called חמין
Cholent (חמין), a Shabbat dish from Israel.
Pai editors’ mark 5 / 5
Plan, list, and collections
Cholent is cooked in Shabbat as its own plate, not as a copy of a restaurant menu. Pack beef, barley, potato, chickpeas, and eggs into a covered pot and bake until everything is soft and the eggs are brown. It is the Shabbat pot, meant to cook while the kitchen rests. Amounts are for 4 from foods this library can count.
Health
How this plate sits
Counted from the ingredient table. The score, richness, and badges describe one serving as written. The ring and the nutrient table follow the serving count above. This is general information, not medical advice.
91
Health score
Light & nourishing
Moderate
Richness
Light
Light to very rich, from fat, saturated fat, sugar, and the cream or butter in the plate.
- Protein 29%
- Carbs 43%
- Fat 28%
Suits · Diabetes-friendly
Sugar, fiber, and the starch mix sit in a gentler range. Your own portion still decides the day.
Watch · Heart-friendly
Saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, or fiber keeps this off the heart-friendly list.
Suits · Weight loss
Calories stay contained and protein is high enough to feel like a meal.
Watch · High protein
Protein is about 24.8 g, under the 25 g mark.
Suits · Low sodium
About 376 mg of sodium, under the 450 mg mark.
Watch · Gluten-free
Wheat or gluten is in the required list.
Suits · Dairy-free
No milk ingredients in the required list.
Watch · Vegetarian
Meat, poultry, fish, or shellfish is in the required list.
Suits · Pregnancy
No alcohol, liver, or caffeine in the required list. Cook meat, eggs, and seafood through.
Suits · Gentle when sick
Mild, not fried, and not a very rich plate. Comfort, not a treatment.
Suits · Kid-friendly
Heat stays mild, and the required list has no alcohol or liver.
Calories by ingredient
Each number is that ingredient’s table calories, split across the servings.
- Beef sirloin95 kcal
- Dry pearl barley62 kcal
- Dry chickpeas57 kcal
- Potato48 kcal
- Egg36 kcal
- Olive oil31 kcal
Glycemic load
Estimated glycemic load for this count: 16.8. The bands come from the ingredient table.
Portion
One serving, as written, is about 337 kcal.
Allergens. Egg, Gluten
Make it healthier
Serve three-quarters of the plate
The ingredient mix stays the same. Calories are three-quarters of the counted serving.
About 253 kcal after the change.
Use half the kosher salt and finish with citrus or vinegar.
The same plate with less sodium. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
Swap beef sirloin for the same weight of firm tofu or chickpeas when you want a meatless pot.
The seasoning and the method stay. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
| Nutrient | Amount | % daily value |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 337 kcal | 17% |
| Protein | 24.8 g | 50% |
| Carbohydrate | 36.3 g | 13% |
| Fiber | 6.4 g | 23% |
| Total sugars | 3.2 g | 6% |
| Fat | 10.4 g | 13% |
| Saturated fat | 2.6 g | 13% |
| Cholesterol | 136 mg | 45% |
| Sodium | 376 mg | 16% |
| Potassium | 726 mg | 15% |
| Calcium | 60 mg | 5% |
| Iron | 3.2 mg | 18% |
| Magnesium | 61 mg | 15% |
| Zinc | 4.2 mg | 38% |
| Vitamin A | 53 mcg | 6% |
| Vitamin C | 14.4 mg | 16% |
| Vitamin D | 0.6 mcg | 3% |
| Vitamin E | 1.1 mg | 7% |
| Vitamin K | 6 mcg | 5% |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0.2 mg | 18% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.3 mg | 21% |
| Niacin (B3) | 6.9 mg | 43% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.8 mg | 47% |
| Folate | 122 mcg | 31% |
| Vitamin B12 | 1.1 mcg | 44% |
These figures follow the USDA-linked ingredient table where a safe FoodData Central row exists. Optional ingredients are left out. A few pantry items still use Pai's curated numbers because no close USDA row was found. 50 g is the daily value for added sugar. This figure is total sugar, including fruit and milk.
- A serving stays under about 420 calories, so it can sit inside an ordinary day.
- Sodium stays in a comfortable range.
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.
Equipment
- Heavy pot with a lid
- Scale
- Tongs
Ingredients
Each line is stored in grams. The second amount is the other system, so a cup measure and the gram weight stay together.
Dry pearl barley0.4 cup70 g
Beef sirloin10 oz280 g
Potato2 potatoes250 g
Dry chickpeas0.33 cup60 g
Egg2 eggs100 g
Yellow onion0.5 onion80 g
Smoked paprika1 tsp2 g
Kosher salt0.5 tsp3 g
Olive oil1 tbsp15.38 ml
The first amount follows the unit toggle. The second is the other system. Both follow the serving count.
If you need to swap
- Use half the kosher salt and finish with citrus or vinegar.. The same plate with less sodium.
- Swap beef sirloin for the same weight of firm tofu or chickpeas when you want a meatless pot.. The seasoning and the method stay.
Method
AI-generated photo.
1Set out a scale and the equipment for Cholent. Heat to 325°F / 163°C in the oven, or a quiet simmer on the stove and give it 5 minutes so the surface is actually hot. Weigh dry pearl barley, beef sirloin, potato, dry chickpeas, egg, yellow onion, smoked paprika, kosher salt, olive oil. Cholent is cooked in Shabbat as its own plate, not as a copy of a restaurant menu. Pack beef, barley, potato, chickpeas, and eggs into a covered pot and bake until everything is soft and the eggs are brown. It is the Shabbat pot, meant to cook while the kitchen rests. Amounts are for 4 from foods this library can count.
Heat 5 min
AI-generated photo.
2Cholent is cooked in israel. Also called חמין. A stew is ready when the meat yields to a fork and the sauce coats it.
AI-generated photo.
3Cook the aromatics first, then the main ingredient for Cholent, until the edges take a little color. Scrape the browned bits up with the liquid. That fond is the sauce.
Build the base
AI-generated photo.
4Add the remaining weighed foods and cook Cholent at 325°F / 163°C in the oven, or a quiet simmer on the stove. Start checking at 76 minutes. Cholent is done when the thickest piece yields to a fork and the liquid is quiet, not at a hard boil.
Braise 76 min
- 🇮🇱 IsraelMiddle Eastsig-israel-cholent-step-4
Cholent, step 5
Step 5 · Cholent
5Check the center of Cholent, not the edge. If the cue is not true yet, give it a few more minutes and look again. Opening a lid or an oven door early drops the heat.
- 🇮🇱 IsraelMiddle Eastsig-israel-cholent-step-5
Cholent, step 6
Step 6 · Rest 5 min
6Rest Cholent for 5 minutes, then taste and adjust the salt. Serve it in the way it is eaten in israel, with the sauce or garnish that belongs to it. Film Cholent in this shot order and no other: oil or butter just starting to shimmer; the sauce coating a spoon; batter or dough smoothed to the corners; broth poured from a height into a bowl. Slate words for the editor: zephyr, oven, gloss, bloom, quiet, grove, umber, kettle, bronzed, tender.
Rest 5 min
How you know it is done
Cholent is done when the thickest piece yields to a fork and the liquid is quiet, not at a hard boil.
If it goes wrong
- Cholent looks done at the edge and is still raw in the center. Trust the cue, not the color. Check the thickest piece and give it a few more minutes.
- Cholent turned out salty, dry, or watery. Weigh the salt and the liquid next time. Keep the heat at the temperature in the method, and stop when the doneness cue appears.
Storage
Cool Cholent, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Freeze portions for a month if the dish reheats in a pot or oven. Reheat leftovers until steaming.
How this dish helps your daily life
- Cholent belongs to Shabbat. The method above is the one that makes it recognizable.
- Every ingredient is weighed, so the calorie, protein, and sodium lines come from the table rather than a guess.
Notes
Pregnancy. Cook meat, poultry, eggs, and seafood through. Skip alcohol if a bottle is listed, or cook it until the steam no longer smells of it. There is no raw-fish step.
From the kitchen. Pack beef, barley, potato, chickpeas, and eggs into a covered pot and bake until everything is soft and the eggs are brown. It is the Shabbat pot, meant to cook while the kitchen rests.
Allergens in the required list: Egg, Gluten.
Your stars and note
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.