Best Vegan Red Beet Soup aka Polish Borscht
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Prep Time15 Mins
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Cook Time15 Mins
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Serving6
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Ready In12-24 Hours
Polish borscht is a delicious sour soup made out of red beets enjoyed in Poland mostly on Christmas Eve. Similar to pierogis the origin of the dish is associated with the Ukraine but most of Eastern European countries know and cherish this meal which makes them feel like home. It is one of those dishes which every family makes to its own secret specialty and passes on to the next generation.
As I was looking myself for a good recipe couple weeks ago I found this incredible and simple version which I had to save with few slight adjustments. And just like with all simple things, the key are good quality ingredients and a bit of patience.
Tip number 1: Get nice hard middle-size beets. Old large beets will taste a bit earthy.
Tip number 2: If you can’t find fermented beetroot juice you can make it yourself (beets + salty water + 5-7 days = fermented beetroot juice)
Tip number 3: Give it a night. My advice is to prep the soup in the afternoon and let it sit for at least 12 hours before filtering the veggies and spices on the next day. Only then you will truly be able to check the ultimate taste of the soup. One time I’ve made the soup end-to-end on the same day (the day before Christmas) and didn’t give it enough time before filtering and seasoning. The soup on the Christmas Day was too salty and too sour to eat!
So again, filtering and final seasoning only on the next day to catch the final preferred taste.
Ingredients
Vegan Red Beet Soup / Polish Borscht
Directions
Peel the beets and grate them on a coarse grater. Put them in a large pot, add broth, allspice, bay leaf and dried mushrooms. Cook until the beets are soft.
Add the fermented beet juice, minced garlic and apple cut into eights. Warm it up for another few minutes, then set aside and add sugar, salt, pepper and marjoram. Don't overdo it, you will get another chance to season it on the next day. For now put the pot in a cool place (balcony if it's fall/winter or basement).
On the next day filter all ingredients (if you want to keep some grated beets that's fine but in Poland we would keep the soup clear and have it with little mushroom dumplings inside or croquettes on the side). Once the soup is clear give it a taste and decide if you need more salt, pepper or sugar. Based on my experience I usually decide to add another 0.5 tsp of pepper, a tablespoon of white wine vinegar and a teaspoon of majrojam.
Conclusion
If you don't have croquettes or dumplings at home but you want to make the meal more filling, add to your plate a couple of boiled potatoes. In my family we enjoy sipping the red beet soup with a pinch of marjojam (from a cup!) while having a savoury breakfast in the winter. Hope you enjoy it too!
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