Sweet and Sour Borscht Recipe - Aish.com (2024)

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Aish.com > Jewlish > Cook > Lunch

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Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

My Russian Grandmother’s secret ingredient for the best borscht.

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by Ksenia Prints

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I come from a family whose members are known for their longevity. We live full lives, touched by the requisite iota of Jewish misery and misfortune, and the customary Russian characteristics of stubbornness and spiritedness. So it should come as no surprise that I have met great-grandparents who lived well into their 80s and 90s, and who continue to this day to guide my parents through memories, coined phrases, and warnings. It seems that even after my family members pass, they continue to live with us in our hearts.

My mother remembers her mother’s borscht. As a country that has been mired in poverty for many millennia, the vast mother Russia has developed many ways to reduce, reuse and recycle, but few Russian dishes are as economical as borscht. Consisting mainly of whatever vegetables are going soft in your fridge and the preserving balm of vinegar, borscht is forgiving and open to interpretation. So my recipe is really more of a recommendation. Do with it as you like, but do me a favor – don’t omit Fruma’s secret ingredient, the sweet-and-sour plum jam.

Ingredients

Servings 8 Serving

  • 3 large beets or 6 medium ones or 12 small - or a mix thereof
  • 3 large carrots
  • 3 large potatoes
  • 1 large onion
  • 4 tablespoons plum jam or another jam that is sour-sweet like rhubarb (I used rhubarb ketchup, because that’s what I had at the time. Plum jam really is better)
  • 1 tablespoon white sugar if needed to taste
  • 3 teaspoons salt or more to taste
  • 1 bay leaf
  • cup apple cider vinegar or more to taste
  • Vegan sour cream or regular heavy cream to serve optional
  • Fresh chopped dill to serve optional

Instructions

Nutritional Facts

Nutrition Facts

Sweet and Sour Borscht

Amount per Serving

Calories

125

% Daily Value*

Fat

0.2

g

%

Saturated Fat

0.05

g

%

Polyunsaturated Fat

0.1

g

Monounsaturated Fat

0.02

g

Potassium

545

mg

16

%

Carbohydrates

29

g

10

%

Fiber

4

g

17

%

Sugar

11

g

12

%

Protein

3

g

6

%

Vitamin A

3834

IU

77

%

Vitamin C

20

mg

24

%

Calcium

29

mg

3

%

Iron

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Instructions

  • Prepare your vegetables. Wash beets and potatoes carefully with soapy water. Peel the carrots.

  • Place a large pot on the stovetop and heat to medium-high heat. Once warm, add a tablespoon of vegetable oil to the bottom.

  • Chop onion finely. Add to pot and sauté until translucent, about 5-10 minutes.

  • Grate, finely dice or shred the beets and carrots (you can use a food processor). This stage sparks controversy and bitter arguments among many, but here are my two cents: grating really does produce the best results, and it’s what most Russian babushkas would do. However, I really am lazy and prefer to shred my root vegetables in a food processor, but many delicious borscht recipes contain finely diced vegetables. To each their own, and I encourage you to try all three methods and pick your favorite.

  • Dice potatoes finely (this, too, depends on your patience. Sometimes I shred the potatoes along with my beets and carrots, but this definitely isn’t the ideal. In my eyes, the best borscht texture is achieved with grated beets and carrots and small, chunky potatoes you can sink your teeth into).

  • Add enough water to cover vegetables by two inches (about 8 cups). Add bay leaf and 2 teaspoons of salt. Bring to a boil, then lower heat, cover and cook for one hour.

  • After an hour, taste your soup. Add your plum jam and vinegar. Taste for a balance of mouth-puckering sourness, balanced by the natural sweetness of the beets. Correct flavors and add vinegar, salt or white sugar, as needed.

  • When serving, garnish with a large, heaping tablespoon of vegan sour cream (or one tablespoon of heavy cream) and a sprinkling of finely chopped dill (my family heaps this on in ludicrous quantities. I don’t). Though it really is fine as it is.

Reprinted with permission from ImmigrantsTable.com

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FAQs

What makes borscht sour? ›

Both variants typically contain beetroots and onions, and are flavored with beet sour, vinegar or citric acid for tartness and beet sugar for sweetness. Galician Jews traditionally liked their borscht particularly sweet.

Why does my borscht taste sweet? ›

Its sweetness comes from the beets, onions, and cabbage, and its tartness from tomatoes and vinegar. Some meat can be added for richness. For a better borscht experience, many people enjoy adding sour cream, yogurt, or fresh herbs. It's warm, sweet, full of umami, and sour all in one bowl.

What's the difference between beet soup and borscht? ›

The Polish word barszcz means borscht, but this soup is slightly different. Whereas traditional borscht is an opaque purple and commonly includes meat, tomatoes, and cabbage, barszcz is more of a basic beet broth that is somewhat translucent, whether red or white in color.

What is the difference between Polish borscht and Russian borscht? ›

Russian borscht will commonly include cabbage and potatoes, as well as meat. The basic Polish barszcz includes onions, garlic, carrots, and celery.

How to make borscht less sour? ›

Add an extra 1 tsp (4.8 g) of baking soda to your soup if it's still sour. Stir the baking soda into your soup, once again waiting for the powder to bubble and settle. Taste the soup again to see if the flavor is any better. If not, continue adding baking soda in 1 tsp (4.8 g) to your soup.

What is the difference between Russian and Ukrainian borscht? ›

It's standard for Ukrainian cooks to use pork in their Borscht and top it off with sour cream, whereas Russian cooks are more likely to use beef. Furthermore, Ukrainians will offer buns with their bortsch, and Russians will offer a native bread known as “black bread.”

How do you make soup taste sweet? ›

To add sweetness without sugar, try coconut, vanilla, or date, suggests Clean Eating Magazine, but for many soup recipes, sugar can help turn up the flavor volume of the original recipe.

Is borscht sweet or savory? ›

Borscht should be a hearty, yet sophisticated dish: a bowlful of sweet, sour and savoury flavours, rather than simply a vehicle for beetroot. It takes a bit of work – but with a dollop of rich sour cream, and a sprig of aromatic dill, it's one of the world's great soups.

Who normally eats borscht? ›

Borscht is quintessentially Russian. A single bowl of that ruby-red beetroot soup, served with a ladleful of smetana (sour cream) and a hunk of black bread, conjures up images of Red Square and St Basil's Cathedral almost as much as a glass of vodka or a spoonful of caviar.

Is borscht good for you? ›

This soup from Eastern Europe is rich in essential nutrients that provide numerous benefits. Additionally, it's a low-calorie option that can be easily adapted to fit various dietary needs, including vegetarian and vegan lifestyles. Is borscht healthy for you? Rest assured, it certainly is.

Should I peel beets for soup? ›

Forget what you thought you knew about food prep: You don't HAVE to peel your vegetables (well, most of them, anyway).

Is borscht German or Russian? ›

A traditional dish of the Eastern Slavs, it is a common first course in Ukrainian cuisine.” Admittedly, the wider, non-Slavic world views borsch as Russian, while Poles know it only as beloved Polish barszcz. This is also problematic since at least half of Ukraine was occupied by Poland for several centuries.

What do Russians eat with borscht? ›

In another pot, chunks of potato and cabbage bobbed together in boiling water. Marina, 65, was making her mother's recipe for borscht, a soup made from softened vegetables and meat when it's available. It's served with a dollop of sour cream and, on the side, a few slices of dense, dark bread rubbed with raw garlic.

What does borscht mean in Ukrainian? ›

Its Ukrainian-ish Origins

A commonly accepted theory is that the word borscht comes from the Slavic “borschevik,” which means “hogweed.” In early Slavic cuisine, hogweed stems, leaves and flowers were often cooked into a soup or fermented, yielding something akin to sauerkraut.

Why does borscht turn brown? ›

Martseniuk says the key to good borscht is acidity: “Either lemon juice or white vinegar is important to help keep the color.” Without it, your soup can turn slightly muddy and brown, a far cry from the brilliant characteristic hue you're going for.

Does beetroot taste sour? ›

Yes, beets taste earthy and a little bitter. While this isn't a bad thing, Martinez says they're best when paired with bright, sweet, and fresh flavors. If you're boiling them, add plenty of salt (as if you were boiling pasta) and about a quarter-cup of red wine vinegar to the water.

Why is beetroot sour? ›

Beetroots can taste bitter due to compounds like geosmin and saponins. To reduce bitterness when eating them as a vegetable, choose young beetroots, peel and cook them, combine with other flavors, blanch them, or remove the skin before cooking. 2nd method you can boil beetroot to reduce bitterness before cooking.

Why is my borscht not red? ›

Cooking Time and Temperature: Beets can lose their vibrant red color if they are overcooked or cooked at high temperatures for too long. If you cooked the beets for an extended period or at a high temperature, it could cause them to lose some of their color intensity, resulting in a more orange appearance.

What is the difference between red and green borscht? ›

Like red borscht, green borscht features those same tender potatoes, golden onions and carrots, and the obligatory dollop of sour cream at the end. But that's where the similarities stop. A mountain of greens goes in, and just when you think the soup can't possibly take any more, a good deal of herbs is added as well.

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