The most amazing tasting Borscht, you'd forget it's vegan...

 

The ingredients below makes enough soup to feed a large crowd, if you're only cooking for the family, you can halve the recipe.

 

Ingredients:

6 Medium-large beetroots, peeled and grated

4-5 large carrots, peeled and grated

1 can of Tomato puree/diced tomatoes (800g)

1 tbsp double strength vinegar + 2-3 tbsp Apple cider vinegar (depending on your preference of sourness OR you can substitute with Lemon juice, but soup tastes way better with vinegar)

1.5-1.7 L of water (start with less and add more if you prefer thinner soup)

4-6 Tbsp of Vegan Beef seasoning salt (I use Massel Beef Stock powder - vegan plant based)

1-2 Tbsp Coconut/Raw sugar (add more or less according to taste)

8-10 Medium white potatoes peeled, diced

6 bay leaves

1 bunch of fresh parsley, chopped (OR 2 tbsp of dried parsley)

2-3 tsp dried dill

2-3 garlic cloves, minced (1-2 tbsp Garlic powder)

1 onion, diced

2-3 tbsp onion powder

2-3 tbsp vegan fish sauce (I use Red Lotus Vegan Fish sauce, these are the best and most authentic tasting, I've tried nearly every other brand out there and nothing comes close to the real thing like this brand)

1 tsp cracked black pepper

3 tbsp Nutritional Yeast flakes

2 tbsp potato starch with a tiny bit of water to make a slurry (Optional - use this at the very end if you prefer to thicken soup up a little more) 

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Method:

1. Spray pan with oil spray, add onions and garlic and caramelise.

2. Add grated beetroots, carrots, tomato puree, bay leaves, garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, dill, tomato paste, vegan beef seasoning, beef seasoning, vegan fish sauce and sugar.

3. Add about 1.5-2 L of Kettle boiled water and stir well, bring to the boil, then turn down heat to a simmer.

4. After about 10mins, test to see if the beetroot is almost cooked (when it loses 50% of its crunch), add the diced potatoes. Continue to simmer for an extra 10-15mins or until the potatoes are cooked but not mushy. At this point, the beetroot and carrots should be cooked perfectly. Turn off heat.

5. Scope about 4-5 cup of the soup including the beetroot, carrot and potatoes from the pot and blend until smooth, then add back into the pot. Stir well, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

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Serving suggestions: 

Best served boiling hot, with a generous dollop or two of vegan sour cream and dark rye bread.  The sour cream is a must with this Russian Borcht Soup, so don't skip it! 

Please click here for our Vegan Sour Cream Recipe that pairs perfectly with this vegan Borscht soup.