Borscht
Beef and beet soup with cabbage and potato, finished with garlic, dill and sour cream.
In Nurzhan every Russian-speaking grandmother has her own borscht. My friend Olga’s mother, Tamara, ladled hers out for half the building on cold October evenings, wearing a flowered apron and singing along to the radio. I learned it in her kitchen on holidays from university in Talas, standing at her elbow while she scolded me, very kindly, for grating the beets too thick.
Borscht came to us in the Soviet years and stayed. In the cities it is now an ordinary weeknight soup, and in Nurzhan it is a favourite name-day dish. We make it with beef, and I put a spoonful of qatiq on top when I have no sour cream. Tamara would forgive me.
What you'll need
Borscht
Beef and beet soup with cabbage and potato, finished with garlic, dill and sour cream.
Ingredients
servings- For the broth
- For the soup
- To serve
Instructions
Method
- Put the beef, water, whole onion, bay leaves and 1.5 tsp salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam, then simmer gently, partly covered, for 1 h 30 min until the meat is tender.
- Lift out the meat and the onion. Discard the onion. Cut the meat off the bones into bite-size pieces and return it to the broth.
- Heat the oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Fry the chopped onion and carrot for 5 min until soft.
- Add the beetroot and the vinegar and fry for 5 min, stirring. Stir in the tomato paste and fry 2 min more, then add a ladle of hot broth and simmer 5 min.
- Add the potatoes to the broth and cook for 10 min.
- Add the cabbage and the beetroot mixture. Simmer for 15 min until the potatoes and cabbage are soft.
- Season with salt and pepper, stir in the garlic, turn off the heat and let the pot stand covered for 15 min.
- Serve hot with sour cream, dill and bread.
With love from my kitchen in Talas,Jibek