International kitchen

Ukrainian Borscht

Name: Ukrainian Borscht
Cuisine: International
Ingredients: ½ cup dried beans, soaked in water overnight; 2–3 pounds pork or beef; 3 cups water; 1 large or 2 medium beets, peeled and julienne; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 onion, peeled and diced; 3 carrots, peeled and diced; Green bell pepper, diced; Tomatoes, diced; 2 potatoes, cut into thick slices; Herbs and spices: salt, bay leaf, black pepper, red pepper flakes, thyme; ½ small cabbage, thinly sliced; 3 ounces salted pork fat or bacon; 2 cloves garlic; 2 tbsp chopped dill; ½ cup plain yoghurt; ⅓ cup of tomato paste; Sour cream

Ukrainian Cuisine Ukrainian borshch is a vegetable soup with beetroots as its characteristic ingredient. It is an everyday and ritual dish, known since at least the early Kyiv Rus times. Borshch is very nourishing, especially if you cook it with meat, so it is normally eaten for dinner. Ukrainians are known for eating this hearty vegetable soup with pork as

PrepNot statedCookFollow stepsServesFlexibleLevelHome cook

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Before you start

A quick setup makes the method easier to follow and keeps important steps from being missed.

Preparation checklist

Read all 13 method steps from beginning to end.
Measure and arrange all 18 listed ingredients.
Keep the recipe open and follow each step in order; the source does not state a total time.

Recipe notes & preparation tips

Use clean filtered or natural water.

Cook all vegetables over low heat in a covered pot.

Beets can be stewed separately with a little amount of beet kvass and vegetable oil before adding the broth. Then add them to all other ingredients 10 minutes before the end of cooking.

The best meat for borshch is fat beef with bones.

Often dried white mushrooms are added, but you can use any other dried mushrooms.

Garlic can also be mashed with a slice of fat bacon and added to the prepared borshch.

Do not be afraid of putting too much cabbage into the pot. Beside the beetroot, it is the main ingredient of Borscht and it makes the soup thick, which is characteristic of good Borscht.

Use a large pot for your borscht.

If you have leftovers, simply eat them the next day. Your soup will even taste better than the day before.

If you are short of time, buy tinned beans instead of soaking the dried ones overnight. They do not need to be cooked; just add them when your borshch is ready.

Adapted from the source recipe's notes.

Step by step

Method

01
Drain the soaked beans and put aside.
02
Place the meat in a large pot, and add 3 cups of cold water.
03
Bring to a boil slowly and remove scum.
04
Add half of the onion and 2 carrots.
05
Reduce to a simmer, partially cover the pot, and cook for about 1 hour.
06
When done, add the beets and beans, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer until the beans are tender.
07
In the vegetable oil, sweat half of the onion, carrots, and green pepper over low heat until the onions are yellow.
08
Scrape into the pot, and simmer for a few minutes. Scrape in tomatoes, potatoes, and spices, and simmer until the potatoes are tender.
09
Add the cabbage and simmer until it has the consistency you like.
10
In the meantime, chop the garlic, dill, and pork fat (or bacon) in the food processor, whisking in the yoghurt at the end.
11
When the cabbage is the way you like it, add tomato paste and the garlic-dill-fat mixture.
12
Return the pot to a simmer, then cover the pot, turn the heat off, and let the flavors mingle for at least 30 minutes.
13
When ready to serve, ladle into bowls and top the soup with a dollop of sour cream on top.

Ready to serve

Serve the dish as directed and enjoy it while it is at its best.

Bon appétit — enjoy your meal!

Transparent sourcing

Source & licence

This recipe was adapted and reformatted from Wikibooks Cookbook . Text: CC BY-SA 4.0. Image: Public domain, credited to Borshch at English Wikibooks; view original image record .