Ukrainian Aspic Recipe (Kholodets)
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Want to impress your parents with the Ukrainian Aspic recipe? LOL
My husband made this aspic or holodets recipe; mostly because I wouldn’t go near pigs feat with a 10 foot pole. That’s what Ukrainian people use to make the gelatin firm; pigs feet. I fought him hard on this recipe, but he insisted. He secretly purchased the ingredients and I rolled my eyes when I saw them in the freezer. He wasn’t going to let me stop him.
Before you turn up your nose and run off, here are some fun facts I learned about Aspics (kholodets) from Wikipedia:
* Meat Aspics came before Jello (I guess that means we owe aspics a debt of gratitude)
* Cooks used to show off their creativity and skills with inventive aspics (you can too!) lol
* Aspics became popular in the US and were a dinner staple in the 1950’s (now on the verge of extinction in the US, but not in Ukraine).
* Ukrainian people refer to Aspic as Holodets.
You know, in the end, I’m glad my husband made this. It preserves the recipe and helps us remember our roots. (I wasn’t kidding when I said Ukrainian food can be bizarre). This tasted exactly like the one my Mom made years ago. We brought this to my parents house on Sunday and they were so impressed; even my sister ate it and had seconds! Thanks honey for being persistent. I’m just floored that you actually made Holodets. That’s right ladies; my man made holodets. And, he works out. 😉
Ingredients for Aspic/Holodets:
2 lb pork legs, soaked in cold water and refrigerated 3 hours to overnight
5-8 large chicken drumsticks (or any meat with the bone in)
2 medium onions
1 large carrot
1 stick of celery
2 bay leaves
5-10 peppercorns
2 tsp salt + more to taste
Red Horseradish sause/Hren or Russian mustard to serve
How to make Aspic – Kholodets:
1. Make sure you soak the pork legs in cold water (we put them in the fridge overnight which is also a good way to thaw them if you want to make it the next day).
2. In a large pot, Add pork legs, and chicken drum sticks. Add enough water to cover all of the meat. Set over high heat, cover and bring to a boil. As soon as it starts boiling, remove from heat and drain off the water.
Rinse the meat, refill with fresh water (enough water to cover all of the meat, plus an extra 1/2-inch over the meat); Don’t add too much water or it won’t be “gelatiney” enough later.
Cover and bring to a boil again.Reduce heat to a light boil/simmer and set a timer for 5 hours :-O. (I have a much greater appreciation for my mom’s efforts in making holodets after watching my husband make this).
3. After cooking for 5 hours, Add 1 large carrot, 2 medium onions (both ends removed), 1 celery stick, 2 bay leaves, 5-8 peppercorns and 2 tsp salt into the pot and continue boiling on low heat 1 more hour. It should start to look like a nice chicken broth. Now it’s important that you keep the broth (do not discard the broth!) and do not add more water.
4. Remove the drumsticks and carrot from the broth and let them cool. Discard pork legs, onion and bay leaves. Use a fine mesh sieve with 3 bounty paper towels in the colander and filter the broth through the paper towels. You will be left with a clean broth.
5. Peel and press 4 garlic cloves into the broth and do a taste test to see if more salt is needed.
6. Once the meat has cooled, use a fork to separate meat from the bones. Keep the good meat; discard the rest. Thinly slice the carrot. You can make one big holodets in a rectangular pyrex dish or you can make smaller bowls.
7. Start by placing carrots on the bottom and top with some dill if you wish. Next add the meat in an even layer and pour broth over the meat. You need enough broth to cover the meat and add a little extra over the top. Refrigerate 3 hours to overnight or until firm. Serve with red horseradish/hren or Russian mustard. Once it’s set, set the bowl in hot water for a few seconds, then use a slim spatula to release the gelatin from the dish.
Note:
If using varying types or amounts of meat/bones, reader Lena shared a great tip: “An easy way to find out if your liquid is going to freeze or if you need to add gelatin, is to put a table spoon of it into a bowl and put it in the fridge. If it stiffens then you’re safe, but if not, then to add gelatin.”
Ukrainian Aspic Recipe (Kholodets)
Ingredients
- 2 lb pork legs, soaked in cold water and refrigerated 3 hours to overnight
- 5-8 large chicken drumsticks, or any meat with the bone in
- 2 medium onions
- 1 large carrot
- 1 stick of celery
- 2 bay leaves
- 5-10 peppercorns
- 2 tsp salt + more to taste
- Red horseradish/hren sause or mustard to serve
Instructions
- Make sure you soak the pork legs in cold wate (3 hours to overnight - it's also a good way to thaw the pork)
- In a large pot, add pork legs, and chicken drum sticks. Add enough water to cover all of the meat. Set over high heat, cover and bring to a boil. As soon as it starts boiling, remove from heat and drain off the water. Rinse the meat, refill with fresh water (enough water to cover all of the meat, plus an extra 1/2-inch over the meat); Don't add too much water or it won't be "gelatiney" enough later. Cover and bring to a boil again. Reduce heat to a light boil/simmer and set a timer for 5 hours.
- After cooking for 5 hours, Add 1 large carrot, 2 medium onions (both ends removed), 1 celery stick, 2 bay leaves, 5-8 peppercorns and 2 tsp salt into the pot and continue boiling on low heat 1 more hour. It should look like a nice chicken broth. Now it's important that you do not discard the broth and do not add more water to the pot!
- Remove the drumsticks and carrot from the broth and let them cool. Discard pork legs, onion and bay leaves. Use a fine mesh sieve with 3 bounty paper towels over the sieve and filter the broth through the paper towels. You will be left with a clean broth.
- Peel and press 4 garlic cloves into the broth and do a taste test to see if more salt is needed.
- Once the meat has cooled, use a fork to separate meat from the bones. Keep the good meat; discard the bones. Thinly slice the carrot. You can make one big holodets in a rectangular pyrex dish or you can make smaller serving bowls.
- Start by placing carrots on the bottom and top with some dill if you wish. Next add the meat in an even layer and pour broth over the meat; enough to cover the meat and a little extra over the top. Refrigerate 3 hours to overnight, or until firm. Serve with red horseradish/hren (recipe on NatashasKitchen.com) or Russian mustard. Once it's set, set the bowl in hot water for a few seconds, then use a slim spatula to release the gelatin from the dish. Or you can just serve it out of the dish and save yourself a step.
If you are still reading this, do you do anything fancy with your aspics (holodets)? Do you even make aspics??
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Hi Natasha. If I use only chicken drumsticks, do I cook them just until they’re done or I still have to cook them for 5h? I’d like to omit the pork legs.
Thank you.
Hi Emma, you would still need to cook them for the same amount of time to release the gelatin which thickens the aspic.
I don’t usually leave comments on this site. Natasha’s recipes are usually spot on. However…I’ve been making kholodetz (we call it studenetz) for years, using my grandmothers recipe. I’m 70 years old, so the recipe must
have come from before she immigrated to Canada when she was in her 20’s.
Definitely add vinegar (just like making bone broth – 1/2 tablespoon/litre of water). It will help to draw the calcium out of the bones and make a richer broth.
It’s anybody’s guess why one would use chicken drumsticks instead of fresh pork hocks. Ukrainians had loads of less desirable cuts of pork, like feet and hocks, not so much for chicken pieces. Just discard the fat from the hocks and shred the meat.
Just my two cents. the recipe as written is OK, but not traditional.
Hi George, this is my Mother’s recipe and I always appreciated the option to use a substitute (easier to source) while also getting a terrific tasting aspic. The vinegar idea is a good one. I do the same in my chicken stock recipe. I haven’t tried it here but good idea!
Like the recipe. I am from Kiev, and now in US for the last 40 year. Was looking if anybody heard adding vingegar to kolodets after its cooked. I cannot ask my mother, she is long gone. And now i make it in instapot, everything cooks in 2 hours and i use natuaral relase
Hi Inna, I bet that could work, but I haven’t tested that myself to advise. Here’s what one of my readers wrote about that: ” I like to eat it by dipping into white vinegar, gives a nice flavor☺️” I hope that helps!
Hi there. recently found your site. So funny – i love my family’s kholodets and they always used pigs feet … as well as ears for a little crunch, and some chopped tongue – yikes. Could you clear up difference between the terms Kholodets, Studen and Zalivnoye. i’m US born – no idea whether it’s a regional thing or ingredients are somehow different. Thanks!
Hi Ksenya, I haven’t heard the second two namings so they must be regional namings.
Kholodets and studen’ are the same thing. Studen’ is a derivative from a word meaning “chilled”, and kholodets has the same root as the word “cold”. Zalivnoye is also similar (derivative from “to pour over”, in this case pour broth over chunks of white fish and chill to make it firm), but it is made with pieces of white fish in chilled, firm, gelatinous broth. It also has small pieces of lemon slices, parts of parsley leaves, carrots for taste and beauty. They all are absolutely delicious! Fish zalivnoye I would eat as an appetiser the way it is. Studen’ or kholodets I would eat with khren:) or over hot freshly made mashed potatoes. It starts to melt, but still hold the shape… meat with potatoes!
to avoid a colored broth after soaking bring to a boil discard liquid wash the hocks repeat once again that is two washes the liquid will then be clear. rest is same as your recipe
My husband is Russian, he just arrived in Canada in October. When ever I try to find a recipe for a Russian dish I always end up at your site. I made this recipe for the first time today because we had a call with his parents for New Years and he seemed really homesick when he saw them eating Holodetz. It’s in the fridge now, we’ll see how it turns out in the morning…
Sounds good, I hope he loves it! Please update us too on how it turns out.
Yep… but if you have problem with pig feet… get chicken feet from Asian store… I think broth will more clear…sometimes I like to shock my Americans friends with talk about chicken feet🤣🤣🤣…but not Asian..
So this is the mother of modern gelatin, healthier version, this recipe is the best source of collagen. Best for joints and leaky guts, a very healthy food. In our country we boil the pork trotters with very similar recipes, and add potatoes and cabbages, eat them as soup, so yummy 😋😋. Anyway, thanks for sharing
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe!
Exactly like my recipe. One warning, however. Just make sure that everything is fresh, fresh, FRESH! If not, your gelatin will be an ugly grayish color instead of the crystal clear it’s supposed to be. I too had to get over the “ick” factor when I was a young bride. German/Russian foods are terrific, for the most part.
Thanks for your good feedback and for giving us some tips, Marcia. Definitely so helpful!
Beef over pork always.
Best view i have ever seen !
I hope you try this recipe soon!
Fantastic written Mate!
Thank you Luke! I hope you give our recipes a try!
Hi Natasha again. I just had a thought when cooking the pork feet or whatever, always add some chicken feet, so full of gelatin adds extra flavour and very gelatinous no need for gelatin. 2 or 3 feet would be enough. Always keep them in freezer for stock.
Great tip! Thank you so much for sharing that with me Jessie!
Studen is Russian name and not used in Ukraine. Kholodets is a very Ukranian word
Hi Natasha I’m from Polish and Russian origins and yes my mum used make this regularly and we all loved it, whether pork or chicken it was always so tasty. She continued making upon to age 94. Then things got a bit hard. We do miss so thank you for the recipe or your hubby for being so persistent. Will make.
I’m so inspired reading this! Thank you for sharing that with me Jessie!
Hi Jessie…dare I suggest that she, at the very least, made it to 94…due to taking in the best health food ever!
cheers Roman
So….my mom used to make something similar. But it was considered a kosher Polish dish of two names…Gallah-which sounds a lot like jelly, and Patcha. And since it was kosher, no pigs feet!! It was known as calf’s foot jelly. And since my mom didn’t like cookin with calves feet, she used chicken feet. We ate it with lemon juice or vinegar. My husband can’t even tolerate the thought of it, so I haven’t had it for over 25 years! I made it once and hid it in the fridge, but he spotted it. Anyway, that was the last time I had it. I was just watching NCIS LA and the Russian agent mentioned Kholodat. I had a sneaky suspicion and googles it and come up on you site!! Thanks so much for the great memories!!
Thank you so much for sharing that with us Betsy! I’m glad this brought back great memories!
Natasha, thank you for the recipes. You’re my go to person for great recipes I love pork feet, how weird it might sound, but there is also a great recipe to make it with chicken feet. And since cooking it for 5 hours is too long for me, I thought, what if we could cook it in pressure cooker? Do you think you’d like to experiment with that?
Thanks. Dina
Hi Dina, great question! I have not tested that but here is what one of our readers wrote “I also made this dish in the Instant pot several times now and it came out great! So here is my variation: After initial cook in the pot, transfer meat to an instant pot, add remaining ingredients, set set it to soup and let it cook for 2 hours. Let the pressure release naturally, abou 30 minutes. Transfer stock to a stock pot. Add minces garlic, about 2 cloves (I’m a garlic junkies so I add about 6). As soon as you bring the stock up to boil on your stove top, turn it off and take it off you hot burner to cool down.” I hope you find this helpful!
Dear Natasha
You remind me my mother(CERNOWITZ BUCOVINA/UKRAINE).
She was preparing aspic with beef bones instead pork legs and I was crazy about it.
Have a nice weekend
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Hi Natasha,
Have you tried this recipe in the instapot by any chance? I’ve really been wanting to try it but unsure of if the pressure time.
Thanks,
Lera
Hi Lera, great question! I have not tested that but here is what one of our readers wrote “I also made this dish in the Instant pot several times now and it came out great! So here is my variation: After initial cook in the pot, transfer meat to an instant pot, add remaining ingredients, set set it to soup and let it cook for 2 hours. Let the pressure release naturally, abou 30 minutes. Transfer stock to a stock pot. Add minces garlic, about 2 cloves (I’m a garlic junkies so I add about 6). As soon as you bring the stock up to boil on your stove top, turn it off and take it off you hot burner to cool down.” I hope you find this helpful!
Hi Natasha,
Where can I buy pork feet? What stores sell them?
Hi Lana, I would suggest calling your local grocery stores and maybe your local butcher to see if they carry them, that way you aren’t running all over town looking for it.
For the last hour, should it be boiled low with the lid on or off?
You can cover and cook it so it doesn’t evaporate too much. One of our readers wrote “Did you know that if you don’t cover the pot with a lid, the broth will be clear and not cloudy (this goes for all broth soups, that you want to stay clear as a tear))? that is why I add a little bit more water, so that it can evaporate in the 5 hours it cooks”
How much does this make? I noticed in one picture you add the carrots to the bowl and then with the picture of the holodets turned out, there’s only one carrot on top. Did you make more than one bowl or did the carrots disperse throughout the broth?
Hi Lidiya, per the recipe notes you can make one big holodets in a rectangular pyrex dish or you can make a few smaller bowls as we did.
Back in the late 80s, I dated a girl of Russian descent. her mom would make kholodets every so often, and when she saw how much I liked it, would always make sure there was some left for me!
We would always drizzle it with a little soy sauce (the mother was born in the Russian sector of Shanghai pre WW2).
That’s so great, Tim! Thank you for sharing that with me!
Hi! I’ve not had the time to read all the comments about this wonderful dish. My only additional tip is to be sure and use the freshest meat possible. (I may be repeating what others have said). Once I made the mistake of using ( less than perfect meat) and the gelatin turned out a grayish color rather than the perfect, clear aspic it’s supposed to be. Love your recipes and if we EVER get settled into our new home, will be busy cooking like I used to.
Have a great, healthy day, everyone!
Thank you for that great tip, Marcia!! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe!
Love your recipe but to make it a true Ukrainian dish you need to add garlic st the end. I also made this dish in the Instant pot several times now and it came out great!
So here is my variation:
After initial cook in the pot, transfer meat to an instant pot, add remaining ingredients, set set it to soup and let it cook for 2 hours. Let the pressure release naturally, abou 30 minutes. Transfer stock to a stock pot. Add minces garlic, about 2 cloves (I’m a garlic junkies so I add about 6). As soon as you bring the stock up to boil on your stove top, turn it off and take it off you hot burner to cool down.
Thank you for sharing that with me, Alex!
Glad I can contribute. BTW: I love your site. Growing up in a Russian household I never got a chance to cook until after my mother passed and I used to miss her cooking until I found your site,
I’m so happy you are enjoying our blog, Alex!! Thank you for sharing that with!
Hi Alex,
I completely agree with putting in garlic at the end, I too am a garlic tragic…in my version I chop approx 6 cloves finely, stir it into the setting dish and you get great garlic hits as you consume your treasure…mmmm.
A garlic tragic… that made me laugh out loud. I love it!!
I get fantastic gelatin from chicken feet. Check your local chinese grocer.
Hi Natasha, why do you need to soak the pig’s feet in water overnight? Thank you!
Hi Ina, soaking pigs feet helps to remove impurities and make the broth more clear.
Could the cooking be done in an Instapot?
I honestly haven’t tried that Yuli! If you experiment I would love to know how it works out!
What a terrific dish to have during this hot weather. Made the aspic with pork hocks and chicken. Turned out great. Did not have to add extra gelatin.My mother used to add hard boiled eggs to the dish. Instead of the horseradish she used white vinegar over the studenetz which was fantastic.
Thank you for sharing that with us Sonia!
Natasha, why do you discard the water after bringing it to a boil? Whenever I make “stock”, (isn’t it similar?) I throw bones and odds and ends in crockpot & let it cook for 8 hours or so. Why the difference? Is there something “bad” with the water you get from that first boil?
Hi Tanya, this is the method I learned for making kholodets and the first boil just gets rid of the impurities for a clearer aspic without losing much in the way of nutrients. The true goodness in aspic is when it has cooked long enough to release the marrow from the bones.
Hi Natasha,
First time visitor. I was looking for a general recipe for Kholodetz and came across your site.
Adding a new spin on all the recipes I’ve read, there were none that use veal shank, which is what my mother used. Mom was born in Kiev and her mom was a cook who sold her goods at market. Grandma’s specialty was blood noodle cake (YUK, eh?).
Anyway, I will be using veal shanks and veal shoulder on my first attempt.
Mom passed away in 2016, so I was looking for some tips. Thanks for some great insights.
I hope this brings back memories for you (minus the noodle cake – ewe – I can’t even imagine, and not sure I want to imagine, what that would be like!)
Hey Natasha 🙂
I was wondering what can I replace Pork with? If I use more chicken will it still turn out good?
Chicken will taste great as well 😀
natasha you have just brought some more of my childhood back. i dont remember how mum did hers but i remember all her hours at the stove. mum made great hullodyets, & id forgotten all about hren!
I’m happy to hear the recipe brings back fond memories Vera! 🙂
Why do you refer to so many Slavic dishes as “Ukrainian”? Haladets is as Russian as it gets lol.
Hi Vika, it’s one of those things that is argued on both sides and this is the method that our Ukrainian family makes. In more recent posts, I have been trying to avoid calling anything specifically Russian or Ukrainian and just default to Slavic to avoid the back and forth so we can all sleep better at night. Ha ha! 🙂
Hi Vika,
It’s my view that many similar recipes are shared amongst all the Slavic nations…
Such as Polish Borstch, Ukrainian Borstch and say Russian Borstch all much the same thing but all slanted in taste and finish according to each national group…say no more!
Hi Natasha! I’m so happy to see this recipe on your blog! I’m gonna surprise my mom by making it by myself! I love your recipes! A quick note for the people that don’t want to use pork legs my mom used to make kholodets with the rooster instead of chicken.
Hello Tina! I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying the recipes, please let me know what you think of this one!
can a fully prepared chicken aspic be put in freezer for a later time? My neighbour gave me one but would like to save. How long can it be kept in the fridge?
Hi Kath, Aspic is basically very condensed bone broth and bone broth is definitely freezable so I would say yes it’s safe to freeze.
As Natasha suggests definitely freezable however no more than 4 days in the fridge…
Thanks for your speedy reply, what you say makes complete sense.
Hi Natasha, good basic recipe for Knolodets. Mom used to call it studenetz. She also used a mix of pork hocks and chicken. She never discarded the hocks, stripped the meat from the fat and bones and added to the broth, with chicken. At the end she would remove the meat, strain the broth, bring to a boil and add 2 packets of gelatin to the broth until dissolved. Shred the meat and pour broth over it. I still make it today and love it.
Thank you so much for sharing your Mom’s method! 🙂
I just made a holodets, and used just pigs feet and 2 pork hocks….simmered for 5 hours, with onion, garlic, salt, celery….tasting for salt is critical, IMO. turned out great!
I’m glad to hear that Nina! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Oh my Natasha,this guy just copied your recipes:aranchini,posharski kotlety,your cakes and many many more!!!!!He claims they are his recipes!!!!sorry I am fuming!!!
Kat, thank you so much for letting me know! I’ll have to submit this guy for copyright infringement. Unfortunately, this happens all the time with Russian websites – they rip off my recipes and photos and add their own watermark. It’s so crazy!!!
Hi Natasha!Thank you so much for a great recipe-trying to cook your aspic for the first time!Surely it will come out yummy as all your recipes!Everything I have cooked so far just works!!
Oh,FYI I found exactly the same recipe with the same photos on another website.Dont known if you are aware of that but looks like someone is copywriting!
http: //povar. me/vtoroe/myaso-riba/xolodec/
Kat, thank you so much for letting me know about that! We have filed a complaint about the plagiarism. Its so unfortunate how often this happens – they rip off our recipes, photos and even place their copyright on our photos!
Did you by any chance try making kholodets in a Pressure Cooker? I wonder if it work and how much time it would need to cook.
Hi Katerina, I don’t have a pressure cooker and I have not tested it in one, so I can’t really say. Sorry I can’t be more helpful. Maybe someone else knows?
Of course you can…in fact that’s the only way i’m making it…it cuts the cooking time in half.
Why do you soak the pig feet? Does it help the broth to absorb better and be a thicker gelatin?
Katrina, soaking pigs feet helps to remove impurities and make the broth more clear.
I love this recipe, I’ve never used chicken tho’, my mom always used beef shank with the feet. Sometimes when I couldn’t find beef shank, I used beef stew meat….never thought of chicken.
I was also wondering if you know if I can freeze this. Always make too much….lol
I love your page….anytime I google something, your page is always there <3
Hi Sally, That’s awesome that my page comes up on Google for you. I’m so happy to hear that! I’m not sure if this would freeze well being a gelatin. my guess is that it’s not freezer friendly. I don’t recall my Mom ever freezing it either. It does refrigerate really well though – the gelatin and thin film of fat that forms over the top when it firms up, helps protect it from spoiling. I hope that helps! 🙂
I know I am a bit late to this party, but I thought I’d add my experience with freezing. My aunt always makes it for us and freezes it for later. Just bring it back to a boil once it’s thawed, add a bit more garlic as it seems to lose potency after freezing and it sets right back up in the fridge.
Thanks for sharing your great tips with other readers Sherry!
Hi Natasha,
i made this dish yesterday, but i didnt use pork, just chicken thighs bone-in, i cooked longer about 6 and half hrs. the broth did solidify but not very firm. do you have any recommendations ?
thanks
Hi Andrew, I think the bone-in chicken thighs don’t provide enough gelatin for the recipe without a little help from something else, this is why I add the pork. One of my readers reported using only bone-in-chicken thighs but he also added: “I also used Agar powder (1/2 tsp per cup of liquid)” I hope that helps for next time!
My mum always says that if the bones you are using to do your thing are not going to provide the natural gelatine then don’t be afraid to use gelatine from other sources…nothing much worse than loose kholodets.
cheers, Roman
Thanks Roman! 🙂
If you were to add extra gelatine, how and when would you do it when making this dish?
Hi Harrison, one of my readers, Lena, shared her experience and advice on that: “My mom had a small tip, from her past experiences, that I thought was helpful. She said an easy way to find out if your liquid is going to freeze or if you need to add gelatin, is to put a table spoon of it into a bowl and put it in the fridge. If it stiffens then you’re safe, but if not, then to add gelatin.” I am assuming you would add it towards the end of the cooking if you want it to thicken more and bring it to a boil before turning off the heat.
My mom uses a few packets of gelatin to help solidify when she makes the recipe.
Hi Natasha, thank you so much for sharing this recipe!!!
My mom had a small tip, from her past experiences, that I thought was helpful. She said an easy way to find out if your liquid is going to freeze or if you need to add gelatin, is to put a table spoon of it into a bowl and put it in the fridge. If it stiffens then you’re safe, but if not, then to add gelatin. This might be common sense to others already, but to me (lol) I found out mine didn’t stiffen on the next day! Oops🙊 So I redid it:-)
That is really a wonderful tip and thank you so much for sharing that with us. I’ll leave your tip in the recipe above. Have an awesome Thanksgiving!! 🙂
Oops–i’ts me again,
Instead of the bay leaves and other spices, we just use a small scoop of pickling spice placed in a stainless-steel tea ball.
I will have to try that! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Hi Natasha,
Your comments could have been written by me–but my hubby is German.
I too nearly gagged when I saw the pork feet –and after cleaning them,cooking them, they were discarded.Rather than using chicken, we purchase UNSMOKED (fresh) from our local supermarket.These are a specialty item that they order for us.
I’m going to try your recipe,though, and my husband’s family serves them with a small amount of apple cider vinegar splashed over them.
Thank you for a great site–I’ll definitely be back!
Ha ha, I hope you all enjoy the aspic! 🙂 Thanks for sharing your tip about the cider vinegar. That sounds great!
Natasha,
went to check on the pork legs and found the halves. I bet I can find the whole legs but do you know if there’s a difference between the two? Which ones will do better?
Hi Olga, I’m not sure what you mean by the halves so I don’t know. As long as they aren’t boneless, they should work. I’ve even had readers report that this worked with bone-in chicken.
Hello, I live in San Francisco. Who knows where can I buy pork legs here?
Thanks!
I’ve never done any grocery shopping there. I would suggest calling your local grocery stores and maybe your local butcher to see if they carry them, that way you aren’t running all over town looking for it. Maybe someone else might know?…
Asian markets! Go to clement street, especially out in the Avenues. My mom gets them there. Also, try the russian stores on Geary or on La Playa.
Hello, thank you so much for this recipe, I love it and so does my family!!!
My mom gave me a very helpful tip though: she said a good way to test the broth out, if it will stiffen or not, is to put a tablespoon of it into a bowl and refrigerate it. If it stiffens, u can proceed without worrying that it won’t stiffen. And if it doesn’t, then of course to add the gelatine and all. Just thought this might help others out incase they are not sure their broth will freeze or not.:-)
Lena, thank you so much for sharing that tip with me 😀 and you are welcome.
Natasha,
I can’t believe I saw this recipe. My parents made this traditionally around Easter and we kids couldn’t stand it! They called it studdenetz (aplogize for spelling). Pigs feet! OMG! Thanks for sharing and bringing back memories!
Donna, you are welcome 😀. Don’t you just love it when certain food bring back some good memories?
I like to eat it by dipping into white vinegar, gives a nice flavor☺️
I should try that ?. Usually I dip Pelmeni in vinegar.
I remember my father sucking the marrow jelly from the bones in the studenetz. Your recipe includes the meat removed from the bone. Do you know of other recipes where the bones are left in the jelly?
Bern, we always removed the bones but the long cooking draws all the nutrients into the finished product. I don’t have a recipe with bones in the jelly.
Lol so I’m sitting here squinting at your photos trying to see of you cut off the nails off of the pig feet? I’m making this right now and my mom said you have to cut them off but there is no way in this world that is possible without a husband.. I’ve tried with every tool in the kitchen.
Lol. We didn’t remove anything. I just used them the way we bought them and I think they are removed by the butcher ahead of time when you get store-bought. If it’s store-bought, you don’t have to cut anything off. I giggled reading your comment and imagining you trying. I called my Mom to ask her and she said when they butchered their own pig, they scorch it with a torch and then you can cut it off with a knife.
Hi Valentina,
You need a good Cossack lad to attend to the nail clipping. They are clever enough to cut the sharp off a razor blade…cheers.
Hi Natasha,
I love the recipe and make this food whenever I can. I recently made it with pork hock and chicken wings, a little dill and lots of garlic. Wow how good is that. I also agree with your readers in that I feel blessed to have had the benefit of a Polish mother and Ukraine father.
I am off to Orange for xmas with mum and will be including these foods into our festive repast.
Hi Roman! That does sound like a good combination for aspic! Merry Christmas to you!
Hi Natasha, I am first born Australian with Ukrainian parents, I am so very grateful for my heritage and the food. Friends used to visit for the food my mum cooked and I continue the tradition. Mum used to mix pork, chicken and beef (osso bucco) for holodetch. She was very careful to soak meat in water to remove all blood. I continue to make Schavel soup, when my kids were young they called it “grass soup”. I made it recently as part of my daughter’s 31st birthday dinner…her friends were mind blown at a taste they never knew existed! Vareniki, borsch and cabbage rolls still remain my favourite foods. With cabbage rolls I started to add celery, carrot and red capsicum (finely diced) to mum’s recipe of mince, rice, fried onions and garlic. Pork and sauerkraut , baroboli plaxki, yummy. I love my heritage 🙂
I’ve really fallen in love with Ukrainian food over the years. I feel like I didn’t appreciate it enough as a child, but it’s such a rich food heritage we share 🙂
Natasha,
I’ll be making this recipe shortly…..the part I don’t understand is why would you discard the pork meat…..just remove the meat and add it with the chicken so as not to waste it.
Hi Bill. Great question! The pieces I was using really had hardly any meat at all, but if yours have more meat, it’s perfectly ok and would taste great to keep it in the recipe with the chicken.
Wow I love this site…it is so good to read of others who have the same food experience as me. I am also inclined to experiment a little with the basics. My Oz friends love my cabbage rolls and pirogi. Cheers.
Hi Roman,
Yes it is wonderful to know traditional cooking is alive!! Mama used to bake the cabbage rolls in a tomato sauce and cream mix, as I still do. We used to eat them either with tomato sauce or heaps of fried onions. A friend of mine makes a mushroom sauce as a dressing, so yummy. One day I did not have fresh mushrooms so I used a tin of creamed mushroom soup, nothing added, just heated and used it as a sauce over the cabbage rolls, a lazy but effective sauce indeed. Our local supermarket now only sells the small drum cabbages and I have used them to make cabbage rolls with success. I use the heart to make a coleslaw so none of the cabbage is wasted. I can still buy a large cabbage elsewhere but it was fun trying the small one. Happy cooking!
Natasha, I have a recent friend over in Kyiv, Ukraine, who today mentioned a recipe for Fish-Jelly but didn’t enclose that recipe so I googled it and your website came up (as always) with this recipe of your husband’s. She also mentioned Varenik which I will have to try soon with all the different fillings. I will be sending my friend your website address.
That’s great! Thanks for sharing Bill 🙂
Wil this also work with a pressure cooker?
I don’t have a pressure cooker and I have not tested it in one, so I can’t really say. Sorry I can’t be more helpful. Maybe someone else knows?
It will work with pressure cooker even better.. there is nothing special to aspic. you can do any variants as you wish.. keep in mind that for the meat that does not have too much cartilage you will have to add gelatin.
Your recipe brought back so many childhood memories. My grandma used to make all the time when I went to visit in Donetsk. But I do remember her only using chicken legs and sometimes drums, but mostly legs. I’ve always thought hers was the best in the world (even my mom can’t make it as delicious). I’m trying your recipe but with organic chicken feet from Whole Foods. Hopefully it comes out as well as my grandma’s. On a side note though, there’s a soup called khash in Armenian cuisine that is made out of either pig or cow feet and stomach and it’s cooked the whole night, so much that everything disentegrates with the broth. We eat it hot usually on a Sunday morning (with garlic and white radish and Armenian bread lavash soaked into the soup), because it makes one very very sleepy afterwards 🙂 yum!!!!!
Sophie, I love when a recipe brings memories back from the childhood :). Chicken can be used by itself, by I agree that using pig’s feet makes it tastier. Thank you for sharing some of the Armenian cuisine, it sounds good during cold weather :).
Is there any other meat that would suffice in place of Pig’s or Rooster’s legs/feet for the gelatin affect? These animal parts are not always easy to find where I live.
I really have not tried with anything else. Maybe someone else has?
If you don’t feel like messing with pig trotters beef shanks will work just as fine. I
Pig trotters… Lol. Great to know! Thanks!!
Hey Natasha, I’m making this right now…do I use the celery or discard it?
Sorry for the late reply. yes, discard the celery. You want to discard everything besides the liquid.
That’s alright. I did end up discarding the celery…I looked more closely thru the pictures and I didn’t see it in the assembly part. 😉 It came out even better than I remember from childhood, so thank you for another wonderful post! This is the first time I ever made kholodets, because I was always intimidated by it, but it was actually fairly simple. Love all your work, thank you so much!!
Thank you for the recipe Natasha,I want to try making this but only with organic drumsticks..do you think it will work out?
I think drumsticks would work well. 🙂
Never say aspic with chicken and pork. i make pigs feet and add some pork but never chicken. I’ll have to give it a try. Thanks.
Let me know how it turns out :).
Why the recipes called for discarding first water, what is rational of douing that?
It helps get rid of impurities from the meat and keeps the gelatin more clear in the end product.
Hello!
Question: I would like to make some holodets, but I cannot use know gelatin as it is derived from an animal (i.e. pig, cattle). Would you happen to know of any gelatin alternatives that would work well?
Please me know!
Thank you.
Dasha
P.S. I will rate the recipe because it looks delicious!
I haven’t tested any alternatives. You might read through the comments. Some readers have reported good results with using chicken, but that is still animal derived ofcourse. Are you vegetarian? Even regular unflavored gelatin powder is animal derived. I’ve never tried anything else like arrowroot which I believe is seaweed derived, so I can’t really vouch for it.
I’ve heard that a good alternative for gelatin is agar agar,it’s not derived from animals 🙂 (I found some in a local Asian market)
Thanks Tania! Have you tried it with Aspic? I wonder how it works without the gelatin from the bones?
Hi Natasha! I just want to say how much I love your site and recipes. I am from Crimea and babulya often forgets to tell me her recipes that I crave so much from my childhood. This holodets looks just like hers, pigs feet and all! I recall her using a pig’s head too for the gello-y consistency. Very traditional 🙂 Thank you for posting.
Oh man a pigs head? Yeah that would be very brave to post that on the blog. lol. I’m so glad you are enjoying the blog and that it brings back memories for you 🙂
Hi Natasha! I am originally from Belgium, and yes, we make aspics! There are 3 famous ones: Jambon Persille (ham and parsley), pork tongue in a tomatoed aspic, and ‘Hennepot’ with a mix of meats in a clear aspic. Traditionally all of these would have been made with aspic from calf’s feet, but these days we just use shop-bought gelatine.
We also make fish aspics: skate wings in aspic (the ‘bones’ of the skate wings create the aspic), and eel in aspic. The fish aspics contain quite a bit of lemon or vinegar, and bayleaves….
Let me know if you would like any recipes!
Love you recipes!
Annemieke
Wow I’ve never heard of fish aspics; sounds brave but interesting. I’d love to visit Belgium some day. Thanks so much for sharing and I’m so happy you are enjoying the recipes 🙂
That is an Authentic Ukrainian recipe for Kholodets. My father made it this way. My father was an immigrant to the U.S. from Lviv and came to the U.S> after WW2. There was a large Ukrainian community in northern N.J. and I attended St. John’s Ukrainian Catholic School in Newark 60’s & 70’s. There was/is also a Ukrainian church in Hillside which we attended. My father would make this stuff. I hated it with a passion as a kid. It stunk up the garage as that was where he would let it cool and kept batches of it. In our household we called it Sulze and not Kholodets. That may be due to my mom being German. Pigs Feet are definitely used if you want to make it the Authentic Ukrainian way. I am not sure why adults would have a problem with pigs feet. As a kid the entire dish was gross to me, all that gelatinous goo. Give me some pierogies with butter and carmalized onions and sour cream and some holobchi instead, Yum.
Thanks for sharing your story with us :). My mom made special ones with very clean meat for the kids. Now I only make it that way myself 😉
Great recipe, but I only used chicken thighs and no pork (since pork is an unclean food). I also used Agar powder (1/2 tsp per cup of liquid) instead of the Knox gelatin (derived from ground pork/cow hooves, bones, etc). The chicken is done in an hour, shortens up the cooking time. Turned out great! Thanks!
You aren’t the first person to mention that Chicken works well. I think I’ll try that next time with the Agar powder like you recommended. I prefer chicken over pork anyway 🙂
Is it ok to add water sometime within those 5 hours?
It won’t thicken correctly if you add too much water. Make sure you cover and cook it so it doesn’t evaporate too much.
My mother always used pork knuckles and pig feet. If she could not find nice pork knuckles then she would use chicken legs and pig feet. I always liked the all pork better.
Ia eshe dobavleaiu kurinie nojki, serdecki I jeludki, pomogaet
I’m afraid I’m just not brave enough. Even as a child, I’d only pick out the most perfect meat parts and wouldn’t go near the other stuff 🙂
I am making my version of this right now. My Polish Grandmother called it Zemina and we had it at Christmas time. I use pig feet and cuts of boneless pork. Oh…it is so good! My Dad and I eat it all up ourselves. We tell everyone it has pig feet in it just so they wont try any and theres more for us.
Sneaky sneaky lol. It is strangely tasty 🙂
have not tried to make this but have to wonder if the chicken meat will not be mushy from having cooked so long. This sounds like something I would really like since I love most anything in aspic
If you read through the comments, some of my readers have had good results with chicken (bone-on) 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe that has wafted me right back to my childhood. My mother made the Austrian version, but I haven’t a hope of spelling the name right, so I won’t try. Her glass cake pan of the jellied pork aspic was skimmed of the fat that rose to the top and was served with fresh homemade bread. We can’t buy jellied sliced meat at the deli any more, so I’m about to simmer pork hocks using your recipe. Wish me luck! M. W.
That’s awesome!!! I hope you love the recipe. Good luck! 🙂
Hi Natasha
I am becoming addicted to your recipes!
They remind me so much of my mom’s cooking.
I have used the fresh, not smoked, pig hocks instead of the pigs feet.
You still get the gelatin that way.
I did try it with the pigs feet last time I made it but I think I’ll stick to the
fresh hocks. Shanks are also be the same thing.
That’s so good to know. Thank you for sharing and I’m so glad you enjoy the recipes 🙂
Very delish. My husband loved it, its one of his favorite dishes and since we’ve bin married over 4years now he’s bin asking me to make it. I always thought it was way more complicated than this. First time tried it and it was yummy. Thank u so much for sharing this recipe. I put half un regular bowls and half in a small square pyrex dish.
That’s awesome! I’m so glad you and your hubby enjoy the recipe!
Hey what’s up all, Natasha how are you, I have a question about the meat, can I use just the chicken because I don’t eat pork, will it be fine if I use just chicken?
Thank you 🙂
There were several people that said in the comments of this post that they use chicken with the bones in to make aspic, so yes you can. 🙂 some even left extra details of how they make it!
Last time mom tryed teaching me and I just bought the ingredient for her and told her ill learn it next time…. Too bed I never got the chance..:( my husband loves holodez! So only for him I would like to try this… All that I got was a whole chicken and 2 big packs of chicken feet….so I am thinking I can use chicken legs instead of pork legs and whole chicken instead of drums … And just folow the rest of ur recepie the same right? U think that would work?!
That should work, my mom-in-law makes it with the whole chicken. Let me know how it turns out :).
This was excellent! I did this in the slow cooker, so here are my suggestion for those that might want to use a slow cooker.
I used 2 whole pigs feet that were cut in half lengthwise by the butcher. For a 9 by 13 pan this was close to 3 pounds.
I have a 6 quart slow cooker. After pouring hot water on the chicken legs and pigs feet and rinsing them twice I filled up the slow cooker with about 4.5 quarts of water and cooked on LOW for 12 hours. I suggest for a 9by13 pan you use about 15 chicken legs, i used 10 and i needed a bit more meat for the ideal ratio. After the 12 hours ( you can do 10) I added 2 large carrots 1 huge onion and the spices- I used half vegeta and half salt. I cooked for about another 4 hours on slow.
This is easier for me as it doesnt require watching anything. I skimmed the broth once but because it never boils it is rather clear. I strained it with a ladle after letting it sit for a while, this left most of the non clear broth on the bottom.
for a 9 by 13 pan i used 6 cloves of garlic and about 3 cups less than the broth i had- so probably 4 quarts of broth total?
The flavor is PERFECT. Thank you! This was my first holodets that turned out not runny . It was set around edges at 3 hour mark but fully set next day. It does not cut like jelly , it is perfect for holodets, the right amount of firmness but none of that hard stuff.
Thank you so much for sharing the slow cooker version Anna, I’m glad that it turned out great :).
Thank you for this amazing recipe!!! But I do have a question, is it really important to soak the pigs feet in cold water for 3 hours? Or can I skip that if I don’t have much time?… What does it do when you soak the pork feet for 3 hours?. The pork feet I am using are not frozen 🙂
If short on time, than skip the soaking step. Soaking before cooking helps to get rid of some impurities or any blood that’s left.
I soaked overnight and the water was quite gross but mine were cut lengthwise so i assume the water was more gross because of that. The water was kind of red and it jellied a little , gross. lol
Yes, this is an authentic version we always made in Ukraine, for almost every holiday or celebration. These days, my Mom makes holodets with turkey wings and drumsticks because they are sufficient for firming up the holodets, when simmered for several hours. All other ingredients are the same. Try it — you may like it even better.
Next time I’m in the mood for this, I’ll definitely give it a whirl 🙂 Thank you Tanya!
I love holodets! Did you know that if you don’t cover the pot with a lid, the broth will be clear and not cloudy (this goes for all broth soups, that you want to stay clear as a tear))? that is why I add a little bit more water, so that it can evaporate in the 5 hours it cooks 🙂
That’s a great tip, I will keep that in mind for the next time Marina :).
I accidently bought pork shanks and decided to just go ahead and try it anyway. And it turned out beautifully. I love holodetz but I was always so afraid to make it and now I have no fear. Big thanks to youa & your hubby.
Good to know it works well with pork shanks 🙂 Thank you Lenachka
I read this paragraph and thought about Natasha’s post on FB. It can convince our American friends that kholodets isn’t so bad as they imagine.
#3: Eat Liberal Amounts of Homemade Bone Broth
Plenty of homemade bone broths in the diet on a regular basis is a dietary strategy that can help tremendously with any phthalate exposure that does occur despite a woman’s best efforts. Bone broth is extremely high in the amino acid glycine via natural gelatin which is essential for the liver to adequately perform its detoxification duties. In fact, the liver is greatly hampered if there isn’t enough glycine in the diet so it makes sense to consume liberal amounts of bone broth which includes glycine in a form that is very easily absorbed.
Dr. Reuben Ottenberg in 1935 suggested in the Journal of the American Medical Association that patients with jaundice or other liver problems be administered 5-10 grams of gelatin per day as food or via a powdered gelatin supplement to supply additional glycine to the diet in order to encourage normalized hepatic function.
Thank you for sharing Larysa :).
wow very cool….thanks for sharing Larysa
hi natasha!!! we love love love holodets!!! always wanted to learn it from my mom but the reply was the same: “na glas”. argh…that wasn’t very helpful. And when I saw your post on holodets I was like “Score” – this is gonna be the one. lol. I’m actually working on it right now. After the 5 hours, I put all the veggies, you mentioned to boil for another hour. Do you mean boil on high or light boil, as in simmer? Just confused right now. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again and God bless you and your family! You are a life-saver with your blog!!! love it!!!
Once you put veggies in, keep boiling lightly, just like the meat. Let me know how it turns out :)…I also updated the recipe.
Soooo, it was delicious!!! I added 2 packets of gelatin, wanted holodets to get firm faster. But overall, this one’s a keeper! Definitely impressed my parents, lol, though they prefer a lot more garlic. Thank you and God Bless you Natasha!
I’m happy to hear they were impressed! 😉 I’ll try with more garlic next time; that does sound nice!
Thanks for this, Natasha! My husband will love this! I’ve always wanted to try one of Julia Child’s aspic recipes, but I love the step-by-step photos you always include in your instructions!
You are welcome Lisa :). I should look in to Julia Child’s aspic recipes.
I was going to email you asking for this recipe! THANK YOU to your husband! (and you). =)
It was all the MR. this time 🙂 You’re welcome
This is exactly like Romanian “piftie” which is traditionally eaten on New Year’s Eve. We also make it with turkey – its deliciousness is beyond words. Thanks for bringing to the forefront such wonderful dishes!
This is not your everyday dish for sure :), usually made during holidays.
LOL. Natasha, I totally understand your feelings. LOL. I don’t think I can eat this now although I grew up eating it. I just can’t stop laughing as I imagine serving it to my Canadian friends. LOL.
A+ for effort to Vadim for making it!
Thank you Olena ;), I will pass it on to Vadim.
My husband really likes holodets. His dad makes it alot and he uses pigs feet. And he uses the meat off the pigs feet (or whatever you would call it) not exactly meat, it’s rubbery. He grew up eating it that way, so he thinks it’s good. I always inspect my holodets and eat only the chicken. I haven’t made it because of the pigs feet. 🙂
I totally know how you feel 😀 haha, that’s why my husband made it. Other readers wrote that they use just the chicken to make it, so there is hope for you Lana :).
My mom makes this every year for Christmas, she sprinkles salt, pepper and a bit of paprika on top as well. Good stuff !!! 🙂
Dish like this normally is made during holidays from what I observed :). Seems as everyone have their own variation that they like :).
I am so surprised that so many people love holodets/studenets. I grew up eating this with rye bread and vinegar. My mom and I make it with pigs feet and some of the meat from the pig hock. We add veal or turkey or chicken meat and sometimes gelatin. Onion garlic pepper and the vegetables you suggest. This can be very impressive for non ukrainian guests when it is arranged in small molds or ramekins and decorated as aspic. Pigs feet in jello!
Sometimes we crave it and realize that it requires special ingredients and several hours to make! Thanks Natasha
You are welcome Nadia. I was very surprised as well how many people love holodets :).
We still have this every major holiday 😉 And while I’ve never seen my mom actually make this…I really don’t think she use pork feet, but probably just gelatin to make firm, I will have to ask now. Thanks for posting this.
I’m curious to hear what she will say! 🙂
Thanks for the recipe, Natasha!!! My husband always craves holotets. I will be making it this week!
That’s great! I know my husband will say “I told you so” when he reads your comment 😉
Thanks you for the recipe……I seemed to have misplaced my Mom’s and Family Holodetz recipe. This looks exactly like theirs…….my husband won’t touch it but I love this, I guess because I grew up with it.
Wonderful photos and thanks for sharing your recipe……I will be making this soon. iryna 🙂
It’s funny how you either love it or hate it. I’m glad you love it 🙂
Yummy! This is my favorite food! Where can you buy pork feet?
My husband purchased them at Winco Foods. If you don’t have a Winco; ask your local butcher or the meat department in your supermarket.
You might also want to check out Asian Grocery stores (if you have them in your area) , they have lots of different kinds of meat.
I totally agree :).
There are very few recipes that I look at and say “I have just GOT to try this”. This one is just so….interesting…. that I will have to figure out a source of pigs feet and try it on some of my friends- I don’t know if I can bribe my husband into eating it)) . Perhaps if I hide the pig-foot aspect of it…
I think I will use the crockpot.
I haven’t tried the crock pot; let me know how it goes. If they ask what kind of meat you used; just tell them chicken 😉
Hi there, everyone seems to have their own yummy version:) My mom made this pretty often also. I remember her using turkey drums, chicken with bones, beef with bones, but I don’t remember pigs feet. Then when it was cooked and she took all the good meat for the holodets, we kids liked to eat what was left on the bones, because it was so good and falling apart. My mom says that as long as you have enough bones, the holodets should be firm. Have not done holodets myself yet:)
Did she use all 3 meats at the same time? That would make the meat very colorful. I like variety. Turkey drums sound really really good!
you can use any meat with good bones to make holodets. I remember my mom used chicken feet to use as the gelatin source. I myself used beef ribs, which is also very good.
Hmmm, ribs does sound like a good idea. Thanks Aksana!
you sure this is not a chinese dish? 😉 cos ingredients are exactly the same. but they would get rid of the bones, cut the pork into small pieces & use that. I think the bones’ where the gelatin came from. like pork feet, chicken feet, etc.
It’s actually made in a lot of cultures and there’s disagreement about who figured it out first. This is the Ukrainian version 🙂
I like holodets. We usually made it with home grown chicken meat. We place the whole chicken in the slowcooker, add veggies and seasoning and cook for about 6 hrs, when it’s cool, we put in the fridge and next day it’s firm. It’s not extremely firm, I don’t like it that way anyways, but it’s pretty firm.
A whole chicken in the slow cooker is genius! I’d love to try that. Thank you!
Oh, Natasha! All my childhood memories are back! Not sure if my American family would like it, but who cares?! 😉
Lol. I’m glad it brought back memories for you! My husband will be so pleased.
My mom never does it with pork feet , she uses whole chicken- cut into pieces and u flavored gelatin. It’s so good 🙂 and so much flavor 🙂 even though my
Favorite is just the Juice thing – meatless. She always makes me a bowl of the juice hehe it’s so good with хрон and bread haha mmmm I want some now lol
I’m so surprised at how many people remember and still eat holodets. I’m so glad my husband pushed me to post this 🙂
Natasha, I’m seeing a new project in the near future for you, to re-create a holodets that tastes just as good, but without using pork feet) say you’ll take on the challenge, please ))
Next time I make holodets, I’ll try making it without pork feet, but we have so much of it in the fridge that it won’t be any time soon 😉
My mother in law uses only chicken. I THINK its the wings and adds just a breast of chicken for more meat and she cooked it low uncovered for a few hours… its so clean that u dont even need to drain it and it was amazing and i just found out u can do it with only chicken because i wanted to make this version but they were out of pig feet at local supermarket… she was like i got this and made it… i do want to try this version to so i can compare
And I really want to try it with chicken!! I didn’t want to touch the pig feet; it was all my husbands doing, but I think I’d be much braver with chicken. Listen to me, I do all kinds of wild and pretty gross things at work (I’m a Nurse) and I don’t want to go near pigs feet? I should man, I mean woman up! lol
I actually saw this pretty version the other day and wanted to repost my recipe also 🙂 great job :)))
Regarding the vegetable version, the addition of diced avocado was also wonderful. 🙂
Oh I’ve never heard of adding avocado. You’re very creative!
Love this! I like aspics, but I grew up in the fifties. We used to do a vegetable one as well, using gelatin, tomato or V8 juice and chopped vegetables (carrots, celery, dill, etc.) You could add chopped chicken to this as well. I liked the addition of some hot sauce 🙂 Really, gelatinized dishes are underrated. And yes, tradition is worth keeping up!
I love that you get so creative with your aspic. 🙂
Благодарю вас – мы с его на Пасху с всплеск уксуса
….. Ирена
PS I like to use the “translator” .. I do speak Ukrainian/Russian.. but
my writing skills are bad……….thanks again, you are bringing me back to my roots and the good memories…
You’re welcome. I like google translator too. It’s a very useful tool!
My mom makes this dish! She doesn’t use pork though. I love it with some boiled potatoes, traditional black bread and horseradish paste! It has always been a must have on our table for holidays – like New Year’s Eve and birthdays!
Oh I’ve never tried it with potatoes; sounds interesting! It definitely needs bread; I agree and black bread sounds best.
I make mine without pork. I use organic chicken and unflavored jalatin.
I am planning to post my recipe soon.
But as far as I remember, my grandmother always used to make with pork…
I guess here in America we kind of adjust 😉
I don’t mind Westernizing recipes; if it works; it works! 🙂
We make it with cow’s feet and we use the meat from it for holodets.The meat tastes good, so need to discard it. For chicken holodets we use wings and chicken feet. My mom never likes to mix pork and chicken together. 🙂
Nelya, do you have to add unflavored gelatin with the chicken or does it thicken on it’s own?
Great recipe! My mom uses chicken meat and adds some gelatin at the end. But my mother in law uses pork feet like you do. Both taste great:) I think the addition of gelatin vs the pork feet makes for a cleaner (lighter colored) holodets.
Lighter and cleaner sounds good to me! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Thank you for posting this one. I think the chicken meat is somehow more appetizing than the pig’s feet…I’m the only one in the family who will eat kholodets….maybe if I tell everyone it’s chicken they will try it…chuckle!
Zina read Vikulya’s comment below; she mentioned that she used chicken only plus unflavored jelatin? Hmmmm 🙂
I found this info on eHow “Unflavored gelatin is made from animal collagen, a protein derived from cartilage, bones, skin, connective tissues and tendons. The collagen is processed into a yellow, odorless, unflavored material.” There is, however, vegetarian gelatin made from processed seaweed, pectin, arrowroot, or guar gum. I say, use the feet and explain that the gelatin is naturally formed from the cooking process and the meat is chicken…the less they know the better… 😉
Ha! I like how you think, but it’s good to know what the unflavored gelatin is really made of. 🙂
I saw you use chicken for the meat what I meant to say is my mom uses chicken legs instead of pork legs for the gelatin, she’s never used pork actually. Now I’m curious as to how it tastes with pork 🙂
Wow, you’re the second person to say that. Do you also end up adding the unflavored jelatin or does it firm up without it?
No she’s doesn’t use that and her holodets is alway firm 🙂
Hmmmm thank you so much!
The results are the same with chicken legs.
Thanks for sharing your tip! 🙂
So I was asking my mom during easter lunch about her holodets and she said she uses rooster for the gelatin 🙂
Oooh interesting. Now, where do I find a rooster? lol
If you have local farmers that raise roosters you can buy it from them, that’s what my mom does or we have a family at our church that raise them so sometimes she’ll buy it from them, hope that helps 🙂
Did your mom use just chicken legs or did she also use any other part of the chicken? I as because I don’t have access to Pig’s feet and want to know exactly how your mom prepared it.
Yumm, this is one of my favorite dishes 🙂 my mom usually makes it with homegrown chicken meat, we’re gonna have to try it with pork! Thanks Natasha 🙂
The meat in the dish is still chicken. The pork is where the gelatin comes from. Does your Mama not use pork? I’m always curious how other people make it?
I once used chicken meat only to make holodets. But end up adding unflavored jelatin at the end, cuz it would be runny:(
Hmmm now that sounds appealing to me! Did it taste just as good with adding unflavored jelatin?
I will be honest, no:( pork feet play an important role in rich creating flavor
That’s what my Mama-in-law said that using pork feet tastes best. Well, I’m glad this is “authentic” 🙂
When using homegrown chicken (live chickens grown and prepared yourself), the only thing you need is the chicken legs and feet! Plus when using a whole homegrown chicken, you can have a variety of meat tastes. But it only works if the chicken is a male.
Home grown chicken is probably best; I wonder why it only works with a male.
I’ve used chicken drumsticks and feet ONLY store bought, have no idea if they were from chicken male, but it turned out fine. But I did put a lot of feet. From my understanding it just has to to have lots of bones, doesn’t matter which kind. One thing I dont get why some people change the water when boiling meat? Ya prosto sobirau penu… 🙂
By the way, your holodets looks very fancy 🙂
Thank you Irina! 🙂
Wow! I haven’t seen holodets since my Babusia passed away. Thank you and your husband for keeping the traditions alive!
Ok I admit I was wrong to try and stop my husband from making this dish; I guess there are folks out there that still appreciate this dish 😉
Oh, wow! Nicely done, Vadim! I like your fancy presentation!..
Natasha, you are funny about not wanting your hubby to make holodets:-) is it because you had a weird imagination about pork feet ? Lol:)
Now, question: you mean you just used pork feet to make holodets “jelatiny “?
And you just discart them afterwards? Well I know, they are pretty fatty to taste but don’t you end up having a bit of meat and more of liquid? Hope it makes sense:)
Thanks for posting! Blessings!
The pork is what adds the gelatin to the broth. You discard the pigs feet at the end. Theres not really any good meat in the pork feet. We added chicken for nice clean meat in the final product. I hope I answered your question.
My husband will be glad to see this one!! Just this weekend he was craving holodetz. My American tastebuds are afraid of meat jelly, but I have to admit that the fish holodetz with salmon he made last year was a hit. We’ll have to try this authentic version!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I’ve never even tried one with fish! Was it made similar to this one? Do you use fish bones instead of pork?
They featured this on the TV show Hannibal. Season 2 episode 12. Used anchovies.
Anchovies? Interesting… 🙂