Vegan Borsch

Anastasia

5 years ago

Borsch is a King on Ukrainian table. Every Borsch tastes different. I’m going to share with you this family recipe of vegan Borsch.

Originally it is made with meat like almost everything in Ukrainian cuisine. So for umami flavor of the stock I’m using porcini mushrooms. The closest substitute is dried shiitake. But regular button mushrooms won’t work because they barely have any flavor.

Use any beans you like. Overall cooking time is about 1 hour so consider this too.

Borsch MUST be served with sour cream. My favorite recipe of vegan sour cream you can find in this post. Also I like to toast some dark bread like rye or buckwheat and rub it with garlic. Then I am complete.

Soak beans overnight.

Put dried porcini in a big pot and cover with 2 liters of water. Set aside for 1-2 hours.

Drain the beans, add to mushrooms and bring to boil.

Meanwhile heat oil in a pan over medium heat. First throw in beetroot. Sprinkle with sugar, half of the vinegar and sauté for few minutes. Then add carrot, minced chili and onion. Stir until veggies start to brown. Lastly add tomato paste and about 1/2 cup of stock. Let it simmer for 5-10 minutes.

When beans are half cooked add shredded cabbage. Wait until the soup starts to boil again, season with salt and throw in potatoes. In a few minutes transfer sautéed veggies into the pot, add herbs and let it simmer uncovered until the beans and potatoes are cooked.

Taste for doneness and seasoning. Vegetables should be cooked but a bit crunchy. Add more salt and vinegar if needed. Finish with minced garlic, switch off the heat, cover with lid and let it sit for at least 30 minutes.

Best on a second day.

Serve with vegan sour cream and fresh chopped parsley.

Vegan Borsch

Vegan Borsch – traditional Ukrainian soup.

Author: Anastasia
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: 4-5
Category: Soup
Cuisine: Ukrainian

Ingredients

1/2 C dried porcini
1/2 C dried beans
350g white cabbage, shredded roughly
1 potato (about 200g), diced
1 small carrot, julienned
1 medium beetroot, julienned
1 medium onion, diced
1 small red chili, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 heaped tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp brown sugar
few pinches each of dried oregano, marjoram and basil
2 bay leaves
oil for cooking
salt and black pepper to taste
vegan sour cream and fresh parsley for garnishing

Instructions

Soak beans overnight.
Put dried porcini in a big pot and cover with 2 liters of water. Set aside for 1-2 hours.
Drain the beans, add to mushrooms and bring to boil.
Meanwhile heat oil in a pan over medium heat. First throw in beetroot. Sprinkle with sugar, half of the vinegar and sauté for few minutes. Then add carrot, minced chili and onion. Stir until veggies start to brown. Lastly add tomato paste and about 1/2 cup of stock. Let it simmer for 5-10 minutes.
When beans are half cooked add shredded cabbage. Wait until the soup starts to boil again, season with salt and throw in potatoes. In a few minutes transfer sautéed veggies into the pot, add herbs and let it simmer uncovered until the beans and potatoes are cooked.
Taste for doneness and seasoning. Vegetables should be cooked but a bit crunchy. Add more salt and vinegar if needed. Finish with minced garlic, switch off the heat, cover with lid and let it sit for at least 30 minutes. Best on a second day.
Serve with vegan sour cream and fresh chopped parsley.