Vegetarian Borscht: Ukrainian Red Borscht Without Meat

Name: Vegetarian Borscht: Ukrainian Red Borscht Without Meat
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Ukrainian cuisine
Ingredients: Cabbage 0.5 head; Red beet 1; Carrot 1; Onion 1; Potatoes 1-2; Beans 0.5 cup; Tomato paste 2 tbsp; Vegetable oil 2 tbsp; Garlic, chili pepper, vinegar optional; Salt, black pepper, coriander, dried soup roots and herbs, bay leaf to taste; Herbs, onion, green onion, garlic, bread for serving

When I was little, my grandma in the village couldn't always make red borscht by the book, with several kinds of meat, lots of vegetables and a dollop of homemade sour cream. For various reasons, most often tradition and the season, some ingredients were either unavailable or simply “not allowed”. In those cases she made borscht without meat, and it met every requirement.

We've been using this borscht recipe, with small changes, for quite a long time. There were times when we were all a bit vegetarian: meat was scarce or too expensive. Still, this vegetarian borscht always came out tasty, and frankly, hardly anyone gives the meat a thought. The remarkable thing about it is that you can make it in 30-40 minutes.

We make this homemade soup as a variation on traditional red borscht. In principle, you can replace the meat with mushrooms. But we prefer to make it with beans and potatoes, and to bulk up the vegetables: the rule “the spoon should stand up in borscht” still applies. We also like to make this borscht noticeably spicy, but that's optional.

To give the dish a nice vegetable flavor, we fry most of the vegetables in vegetable oil, making the so-called “zazharka”, the soup base. Then we mix the vegetables with tomato, usually tomato paste, and braise them covered until they're all soft. We boil the potatoes and beans separately. After adding the base, all that's left is to shred the cabbage thinly and salt to taste.

First and foremost, you need dark, evenly colored beets; that's the key. You also need a carrot, potatoes and an onion, fresh or better yet young cabbage, a little fresh or dried chili, garlic, and dried or precooked beans.

Homemade red borscht without meat belongs to the family of soups built on a fried base. The whole point is making the base: vegetables fried and braised with tomato, then added to the broth. Only the potatoes and beans are boiled separately. If you like, you can make it spicy and hot; I love doing that, for one. By the way, meatless borscht is great for diets and religious fasts.

Ingredients

2 servings

Cabbage 0.5 head
Red beet 1
Carrot 1
Onion 1
Potatoes 1-2
Beans 0.5 cup
Tomato paste 2 tbsp
Vegetable oil 2 tbsp
Garlic, chili pepper, vinegar optional
Salt, black pepper, coriander, dried soup roots and herbs, bay leaf to taste
Herbs, onion, green onion, garlic, bread for serving

Step-by-step recipe

For a tasty, rich borscht without meat, you need the freshest, best-quality vegetables. Make especially sure the beets are dark, without pale “rings”. Young cabbage gives the best result. You can use dried beans; soak and boil them first. By the way, if you use lots of beans, you can skip the potatoes; many people even like it better that way.
Pour 4-5 cups of cold water into a pot. Peel the potatoes and cut into large cubes. I remember my grandma boiled the potatoes whole. Once they were cooked through, she simply mashed them with a spoon right in the borscht. Add the cooked beans. In principle, you can cook the beans along with the vegetables, but that takes time. And red beans color the broth heavily, so I prefer to add them already cooked.
Add 1-2 bay leaves, a little salt, just a little, and 1 tbsp dried soup roots and herbs; I always use these dry blends for soups and broths. If you like, add a dried chili pod as well. I suggest a pinch of ground coriander. Simmer the potatoes and beans until the potatoes are done, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the base. Borscht without meat is especially tasty with lots of vegetables. The “half liquid, half solids” rule doesn't apply to borscht; that's more for soups. Peel the beet, carrot and onion. Cut the beet and carrot into strips and dice the onion. Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a skillet with a lid. Fry the beet until soft.
Next, quite often it makes sense to add a little vinegar, just 1 tsp. Do this if the beet isn't as dark as you'd like: vinegar will deepen the color of the borscht. But remember, tomato paste will add acidity too. So vinegar is up to you. By the way, my grandma sometimes added a pinch of citric acid. Add the carrot to the base and keep frying for 5 minutes.
Once the beet and carrot are fried, add the diced onion. Season the base with a pinch of salt and some pepper. Fry the vegetables for 4-5 minutes, then add the tomato paste. Tomato paste is usually fairly salty, so go easy on the salt. Add 2-3 tbsp water, bring the base to a boil and braise, covered, over low heat for up to 10 minutes.
Often most of the spices go in while making the base, and you season by the taste of the base itself, not the finished soup. I once saw a ready-made borscht base in a store, which surprised me a little; it felt like you just add boiling water. A homemade spiced base will make your meatless borscht unique and tasty. It's quick and easy, so there's no need to buy something of unknown origin. If you want the borscht spicy, add finely chopped fresh chili or 1-2 pinches of dried ground chili to the base.
When the potatoes are done, add all the borscht base to the pot and stir. Bring the borscht to a boil and turn the heat down. Add salt and spices to taste. For the final salting, you can mash 1-2 garlic cloves with salt instead of using plain salt, then add them to the pot. This many vegetables usually makes a thick soup.
You can adjust the thickness by adding more cabbage or, which is acceptable, a little flour fried in vegetable oil. People often do that, though I prefer to add more cabbage. Shred the cabbage, thinly if possible. Add it to the borscht and stir. Once the borscht is boiling, cook for 5-10 minutes.
I like the cabbage in borscht half-raw; that goes back to childhood. Many people prefer it soft or even falling apart. By changing the cooking time, you can make the cabbage just the way you like it. If you think your meatless borscht is too thin, add a bit more cabbage. But don't add water; better for the soup to be thick.
After turning off the heat, let the pot stand for a few minutes. Red borscht is said to need several hours to rest, or even longer; then it gets especially tasty. That's true: in villages people often make a big batch of borscht, enough for a week, and reheat it as needed.
Ladle the borscht into bowls and serve while hot. Vegetarian borscht isn't served with sour cream, but that's up to you. Be sure to slice some fresh onion, preferably not too sharp, and serve garlic cloves, green onion and fresh bread with it. The height of chic is pampushky, garlic buns. By the way, they're easy to make and contain no animal products. Sprinkle the soup with finely chopped dill before serving.