Sweet and sour borscht

Name: Sweet and sour borscht
Yield: 1 serving
Ingredients: 3 large beets; 3 large carrots; 3 large potatoes; 1 large onion; 4 tablespoons plum jam; 1 tablespoon of white sugar; 3 teaspoons salt; 1 bay leaf; ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar; vegan sour cream; fresh chopped dill

User Reviews

5.0

6 reviews

Excellent

Course
Soup
Cuisine
Russian

Sweet and sour borscht

Ethan Patterson

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A robust, simple soup that finds the perfect balance between sour and sweet, thanks to a family secret - the addition of plum jam.

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Ingredients

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 of white sugar if needed
3 teaspoons salt or more, to taste
1 bay leaf
⅓ cup apple cider vinegar or more, to taste
vegan sour cream or regular heavy cream to serve (optional)
fresh chopped dill to serve (optional)

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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, while as many a fine borscht contains finely diced vegetables. To each their own, and I encourage you to try all three methods and pick your favourite.
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 flavours 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.