Recipe
by Tzirel Chana • Kosherhomecooking.com
Adafina
A Feast in
One Pot
Of all the cholents, the
slow cooking Shabbos
stews, Adafina is my
favorite. Adafina which is
also called t’fina, dafina or
simply hamin, the generic
term for hot Shabbos
food, is the North African
Shabbos stew. Unlike the
Ashkenazi cholent, the
elements of the cholent
are cooked separately in
cheesecloth bags or in
oven-safe roasting bags.
The result is a marvel. Out
of a single pot emerges a
complex and multi-faceted
feast.
Food historian Gil Marks
relates the stew’s name
adafina to the Hebrew
“dafina” which means to
force into a groove. Marks
says that in medieval times
the adafina pot was literally
inserted into a groove as
the pot was buried in an
ember covered hole in the
ground . Probably, no one
does this anymore. Today,
adafina is made in a slow
cooker, an oven, or on a
blech.
This recipe comes from
Rivka Cohen and serves
a huge crowd. The subtle
mixture of spices results in
a dish that is both aromatic
and exceptionally delicious.
FOR THE UPDATE’S ENTIRE RECIPE
COLLECTION > WWW.TEU.CO.IL
46
Serves 12.
Ingredients:
1 to 2 large onions, diced
2 kilos of beef and beef
bones
1/2 cup chickpeas
1/2 cup of white beans
or mixed red and white
beans
2 medium sized potatoes
2 medium sized sweet
potatoes
1 cup rice
1 cup whole wheat
berries and/or 1 cup
of barley (I like whole
wheat berries better.)
salt, pepper, turmeric,
nutmeg, cinnamon,
paprika and cayenne
pepper
3 whole eggs, raw in
their shells.
cooking oil or olive oil
for frying
3 oven-proof roasting
bags or cheesecloth bags
water to cover
THE ENGLISH UPDATE
Preparation:
1. Fry the onion until it is golden. Cut the beef into
chunks and fry together with the onions.
After the beef is browned, add chickpeas, beans,
and potatoes. Add the spices to taste. Here are some
approximate amounts: one teaspoon of salt and
turmeric, 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon, and a pinch of
nutmeg, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Taste later to
adjust seasonings.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together the (uncooked)
rice, shredded sweet potato and diced onion. Add
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of cumin,
a pinch of nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric, a
pinch of pepper, and one teaspoon of salt. Add
two teaspoons of oil and two cups of water. Insert
everything into a tightly tied oven-proof baking
bag, Pinch a few small holes into the bag and put it
into the pot.
3. Do the same for the wheat and the barley.
4. Put everything into a huge pot or crockpot and
cover with water. Add several whole eggs in
their shells. These will be the slow cooked huevos
haminadoes, the cholent eggs.
5. Cook everything together on a low heat for 12
hours.
6. Open the roasting bags into separate bowls and
serve each separately.