Today I will share this delicious beetroot soup of Ukrainian origin. It has sour taste and very distinct mouthwatering color. Despite its Slavonic origin, popularity of this dish spreads across the globe and, today, you can find it at least in one restaurant in any city.
The ingredients are easy to find anywhere and versatile at the same time. Chose the type of meat that you love and make this soup according to your preferences. Just use meat with bones as the stock turns out more rich and flavorful.
The only constant thing is combination of four key ingredients sautéed in the skillet. Three vegetables: beet, carrot and onion (but you can omit it if you one of those who cannot stand onion in soups) and tomato paste.
You can cook vegetarian borsht: just do not use meat/meat broth and use veggie stock. Moreover, to make borsch more nutritious just add presoaked beans to the pot.
Classic Borscht Ingredients:
- 300-400 g chicken;
- 1 beet;
- 1 carrot;
- 1 onion;
- 150 g white cabbage;
- 2-3 garlic cloves;
- 2 potatoes;
- half of a bell pepper (I had a quarter of a red and a quarter of yellow pepper);
- 1 tbsp. tomato paste;
- 3 tbsp. oil;
- salt, pepper to taste;
- 1 bay leaf;
- 1 tsp. sugar (optional);
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed;
- 20 g fresh herbs;
- 2 l water.
How to make traditional borscht at home:
- Rinse chicken legs under running water, put them into a deep pot and cover with water, add a bay leaf. Put the pot on the stove on a high heat and let water boil. While the water is boiling, do not forget to get rid of all the foam. Lower the heat to low and let the broth simmer for 20 minutes.
- While you have chicken boiling, lets sauté vegetables. First, chop onion and bell pepper into small pieces. Grate carrot and beetroot using coarse grater.
- First, add chopped onion with bell pepper to the oiled skillet and sauté them for 3-5 minutes until onion softens. Then add grated vegetables and continue sautéing for additional 5 minutes. Stir vegetables in the skillet from time to time.
- Add tomato paste, pressed garlic, sprinkle sugar and add squeezed lemon juice (it will help to maintain that bright color of the beet). Pour broth from boiling chicken to cover all the vegetables in the skillet. Let the mixture simmer for 15 minutes on a low heat.
- After you’ve been boiling broth for 20 minutes, take out all the chicken drumsticks. Separate meat from the bone and return it to the broth on the stove.
- Add cubed potatoes and let them cook together with chicken meat. As a rule, potatoes will be ready in 10-15 minutes depending on the type and the size of cubes.
- Cut white cabbage into small thin slices and add them to the pot when potato will be almost ready. Get the broth to boiling again.
- Pour everything from the skillet into the pot and cook it for several minutes after borscht reboils.
- Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper according to your taste; add freshly chopped herbs (parsley). Let it simmer for additional minute or two, cover pot with a lid, take it from the stove and let it sit for 10 minutes before serving. Best enjoyed with sour cream!
I was not joking about adding sour cream and I cannot even stress it enough how sour cream is important here. I can’t even remember when was the last time I had borscht without sour cream and, of course, garlic bread. I hope that I convinced you and you will have borsch for your next meal. Believe me, your family and guests will appreciate it.
Borscht Recipe: Ukrainian Beet Soup with Chicken
Ingredients
- 300-400 g chicken
- 1 beet
- 1 onion
- 150 g white cabbage
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- 2 potatoes
- half of a bell pepper (I had a quarter of a red and a quarter of yellow pepper)
- 1 tbsp. tomato paste
- 3 tbsp. oil
- salt, pepper to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp. sugar (optional)
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 20 g fresh herbs
- 2 l water
Instructions
- Rinse chicken legs under running water, put them into a deep pot and cover with water, add a bay leaf. Put the pot on the stove on a high heat and let water boil. While the water is boiling, do not forget to get rid of all the foam. Lower the heat to low and let the broth simmer for 20 minutes.
- While you have chicken boiling, lets sauté vegetables. First, chop onion and bell pepper into small pieces. Grate carrot and beetroot using coarse grater.
- First, add chopped onion with bell pepper to the oiled skillet and sauté them for 3-5 minutes until onion softens. Then add grated vegetables and continue sautéing for additional 5 minutes. Stir vegetables in the skillet from time to time.
- Add tomato paste, pressed garlic, sprinkle sugar and add squeezed lemon juice (it will help to maintain that bright color of the beet). Pour broth from boiling chicken to cover all the vegetables in the skillet. Let the mixture simmer for 15 minutes on a low heat.
- After you’ve been boiling broth for 20 minutes, take out all the chicken drumsticks. Separate meat from the bone and return it to the broth on the stove.
- Add cubed potatoes and let them cook together with chicken meat. As a rule, potatoes will be ready in 10-15 minutes depending on the type and the size of cubes.
- Cut white cabbage into small thin slices and add them to the pot when potato will be almost ready. Get the broth to boiling again.
- Pour everything from the skillet into the pot and cook it for several minutes after borscht reboils.
- Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper according to your taste; add freshly chopped herbs (parsley). Let it simmer for additional minute or two, cover pot with a lid, take it from the stove and let it sit for 10 minutes before serving. Best enjoyed with sour cream!
Notes
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