Shchetka Salad: Healthy Cabbage, Carrot and Beet Salad

Name: Shchetka Salad: Healthy Cabbage, Carrot and Beet Salad
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: Cabbage (young) 0.5 head; Juicy sweet carrot 1; Beet 1; White onion 1; Green onion tops 2-3; Parsley 3-4 sprigs; Vegetable oil 2-3 tbsp; Salt, black pepper to taste; Lemon juice, oregano, olives optional

Shchetka (“the brush”) is a hugely popular vitamin salad among fans of healthy eating and all sorts of weight-loss diets. At heart it is simply a salad of fresh, low-calorie vegetables. It really is good for you and has very few calories, so all its reputed benefits are genuine.

It's interesting that different groups see different virtues in it. Health-food fans talk about wholesome eating, dieters about lightness, perpetual weight-watchers about weight loss, and detox enthusiasts about cleansing. Perhaps that is the uniqueness of this vegetable mix: it is good for everything and suits almost everyone.

I once read that the salad used to be called “Metelka” (“the broom”) and appeared more than two centuries ago. There are many theories about its origin, and some credit doctors in Europe who worked in dietetics. Personally, I think mixes of simple garden vegetables have existed ever since people invented the vegetable garden.

There are also many theories about the name, whether “brush” or “broom”. Perhaps it stands for the process of cleansing, sweeping all the waste out of the body. Or, more likely, the very thin matchstick cut of the vegetables resembles bristles. The cut should be so fine that it doesn't even get stuck in your teeth. It occurs to me that many people love counting calories, so there is a bit of wordplay in there too.

The base of the salad is cabbage, preferably young. You also need root vegetables: carrot and beet. Onion is usually included, either green onion tops or a sweet, mild onion. And, of course, plenty of fresh herbs. The dressing is plain vegetable oil.

Although the salad is sometimes treated as a cure-all, it is simply a good vegetable salad that isn't loaded with calories and contains lots of vitamins, trace elements and dietary fiber. Shchetka is quite often made with fruit, such as apples, prunes and lemon juice. Richer versions with olives are not unusual either. You can also vary it with other vegetables: celery, kohlrabi, bell pepper.

More with cabbage

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Red Cabbage Salad with MayonnaiseRed cabbage salad with quick-marinated red onion and parsley, dressed with mayonnaise or oil. Ready in 15 minutes, light and crunchy, great with meat.

Napa Cabbage Salad with Chicken and CornA light napa cabbage salad with grilled chicken, sweet corn, parsley and croutons, dressed with olive oil and lemon juice or mayonnaise. Easy step-by-step recipe.

Fastiv-style SaladFastiv-style salad: young cabbage, smoked ham, green peas, sweet red onion and egg with mayonnaise. A simple, filling Ukrainian salad ready in minutes.

Vegetarian Borscht Without MeatTasty Ukrainian red borscht without meat: beets, carrot and onion braised with tomato, plus beans, potatoes and young cabbage. Ready in 45 minutes.

Ingredients

2 servings

Cabbage (young) 0.5 head
Juicy sweet carrot 1
Beet 1
White onion 1
Green onion tops 2-3
Parsley 3-4 sprigs
Vegetable oil 2-3 tbsp
Salt, black pepper to taste
Lemon juice, oregano, olives optional

Step-by-step recipe

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The best Shchetka is made with young cabbage. It's surprising that it used to be sold only in season, while now you can buy it even in winter. It makes the dish much tastier and juicier. Raw beet is an important ingredient; avoid a root with a fibrous texture. White onion is sweet and not too sharp, which suits this dish well. Be generous with the herbs too.
How much cabbage to shred is up to you. The result is best if cabbage makes up at least two thirds of the volume. Shred it thinly, into long, slightly springy and crunchy strands. Unlike the vitamin salads made at home in summer, the cabbage is not squeezed by hand to release juice, so Shchetka always stays light and crisp.
Almost every kitchen has a shredder, but most people are used to shredding cabbage with a knife. Put the cabbage strands into a large salad bowl. Slice a little green onion, tops only; it improves the flavor and adds a light bite. Pull the leaves off the parsley sprigs and chop them. If you like, add cilantro, dill or a little basil. Peel the white salad onion and cut it into thin, almost translucent strips.
Peel a small sweet carrot and a beet. Beets are often fibrous, so don't use those, and don't use a large, slightly greenish carrot that tastes of tops: it will ruin the salad. In season you can use young vegetables. Shred the carrot and beet into very thin strips, as for the well-known Korean carrot appetizer. There are special graters for this. If you like, add 1-2 tsp of lemon juice to the Shchetka: pour it over the grated beet and mix.
Mix all the vegetables in a salad bowl. The salad doesn't really need salt, but if you think it does, add just a little fine salt. Season with freshly ground black pepper, and a pinch of dried oregano tastes very good too. Beet stains all the vegetables, so mix everything just before serving. Toss the vegetables and divide them straight away between small serving bowls.
Dress the salad with vegetable oil; olive oil or odorless sunflower oil both work. Toss the salad right at mealtime. For garnish, you can add a sprig of parsley and an olive.
It turned out that the salad is very tasty, despite some initial dryness. It simply has a different texture from the appetizers we are used to. It is rich in vitamins, fiber and dietary fibers, which is very good, especially for cleansing the body. We served it as a side to a grilled trout steak cooked without spices. Fish with omega-3 fatty acids and fresh vegetables made a superb and healthy lunch.