How to cook borscht properly so that it retains its red color

Cooking borscht with beets is easy; the main thing is to follow the recipe carefully to ensure the red color remains. The dish can be served hot or cold, depending on the ingredients. The main ingredients are vegetables and red beets, and the soup is usually made with broth and meat. Chicken, pork, and beef are also used. You can also make borscht without meat, using only vegetables and vegetable oil.

Why does borscht lose its red color?

Beets get their bright burgundy color from a special pigment called betacyanin. This pigment has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Depending on the variety, the hue can be darker or lighter. The same pigment is found in beet greens, which are often used in soups.

Betacyanin is a water-soluble element. When exposed to oxygen, it undergoes oxidation. This is why beets change color during heat treatment, from burgundy to pale yellow.

To achieve a rich color, use burgundy-red table beets with dark veins. If you cook the beets raw and chopped, they will immediately turn pale. The flavor of the borscht will be ruined, and the color will not be rich and red.

How to make borscht red

Beets lose their color when cooked for too long. It's best to sauté them in a pan and add them to the broth 5 minutes before the dish is ready.

Secrets to preserving the red color:

1. Beets are fried separately in vegetable oil. They are cut into strips or grated on a coarse grater.
2. If you simmer tomato paste with beets, the acid in it will prevent the pigment from dissolving, and the vegetable will retain its color. The sugar in the paste will enhance the product's natural sweetness. Tomatoes give the borscht a richer red color. Fresh tomatoes can be grated instead of tomato paste, but this will result in a lighter broth.
3. Before adding the fried beetroot to the broth, acidify it. Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice.
4. You can acidify the dish with cranberry juice, adding it 5 minutes before it's ready. Tomato juice or tomato juice can also be used as an acidifier.
5. Adding a spoonful of sugar will preserve the color and the taste will be rich.
6. You can acidify the broth using sauerkraut or pickled beets.
7. Place the stewed beets in the broth 4-5 minutes before turning off the heat. Continue simmering over low heat.
8. Boil the root vegetable whole, washed and peeled. At the end of cooking, remove it, grate it, return it to the pan, remove from the stove, and let it steep for 20 minutes.
9. Beets are baked in the oven or placed cut-side down on a dry, heated frying pan. Then, at the end of cooking, they are grated and returned to the borscht.
10. Grate the raw beetroot, place it in a bowl, and pour boiling water over it. Five to six minutes before turning off the heat, pour the beetroot liquid into the pan, let it simmer briefly, and then turn off the heat.

Recipes for beetroot borscht

Borscht made with meat broth is nutritious and rich. For vegetarians and during Lent, the dish is made with water, and the vegetables are fried in vegetable oil. And in the summer heat, if you don't want to eat hot soup, cold beetroot soup will do the trick.

You may be interested in:

Borscht with cabbage for the winter in jars
This is a simple borscht recipe for the winter, which can be preserved in jars. This cabbage-based preparation is simply excellent! With its help…Read more…

A classic dish

It's best to use pork on the bone. Fresh cabbage and one large root vegetable are used for cooking.

Ingredients for 3.5 liters of water:

• beetroot – 1 pc.;
• pork – 400 g;
• onion – 2 pcs.;
• carrots – 2 pcs.;
• 300 g cabbage;
• 4 potatoes;
• tomato paste – 70 g;
• vinegar essence – 1 tsp;
• garlic – 3 cloves;
• ground pepper;
• vegetable oil – 3 tablespoons.

Step-by-step recipe

Wash the meat, cover it with water, and add a whole peeled onion (remove it before adding the potatoes). Cover and bring to a boil. Be sure to skim off the gray foam from the surface of the liquid. Cook for 50-60 minutes, remove it from the broth, remove the bone, chop the flesh, and return it to the broth while it's frying.

Add diced potatoes to the water; when the liquid boils, reduce the heat. Grate the carrots and beetroot, chop the onion, and shred the cabbage.

The first sauté is made with onions and carrots. Pour oil into the pan, add the onion, and after 3-4 minutes, add the carrots. Fry until tender, then add the broth. Add apple cider vinegar. Add a little more oil, add the sliced ​​beets, fry for 5 minutes, and then add the tomato paste. You can add 3-4 tablespoons of tomato juice, or chop 2-3 tomatoes, add water, and simmer for 3 minutes. Pour the contents into a saucepan, then add the chopped cabbage, pepper, bay leaf, and salt. Let it simmer for 7 minutes, then squeeze in the garlic cloves and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with herbs before serving.

Red borscht with chicken broth

Chicken takes less time to cook than other types of meat. It makes a delicious and flavorful borscht. You can use either chicken thigh or breast; the result won't be affected.

Ingredients for 3 liters of liquid:

• potatoes – 3-4 pcs.;
• chicken – 400 g;
• 1 onion;
• raw cabbage – 350-400 g;
• 1 carrot;
• beet root - 1 pc.;
• tomato. pasta – 2 spoons;
• tomatoes – 2 pcs.;
• oil;
• spices.

You may be interested in:

Amazing borscht in jars for the winter
Housewives love winter preserves that make other dishes easier to prepare. These include various dressings,…Read more…

How to cook

The chicken will take half an hour to boil. While it's simmering, chop the vegetables. Sauté the onion in vegetable oil, then add the carrots and beets. Simmer for 5-7 minutes, then add the tomato paste and chopped tomatoes, add water, and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Shred the cabbage.

The cooked meat is removed, separated from the bone, and cut into pieces. Add the chopped potatoes to the broth and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the cabbage, meat, sautéed vegetables, spices, and garlic, and simmer for 5 minutes. Cover, simmer for 10 minutes, and serve with herbs.

Lenten recipe

Meatless soup is eaten during fasting days, when detoxifying the body, and by those who don't eat meat at all. Borscht tastes just as good as a meat dish and is good for the stomach.

Compound:

• 500 g cabbage;
• 2-3 potatoes;
• 1 carrot;
• 1 onion;
• 2 beets;
• 2-3 tomatoes;
• butter - 3 spoons;
• garlic;
• seasonings.

Recipe

Prepare the ingredients: peel, wash, and slice all the vegetables into strips, dice the potatoes, and cut the onions into half rings. Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water, peel them, and chop finely.

Boil water in a 3-liter saucepan, add the potatoes, and cook for 15 minutes. Add oil to the pan and sauté all the vegetables: first the onion, then the carrots and beets. After 6 minutes, add the tomatoes, simmer for another 3 minutes, then add water and a spoonful of vinegar and sugar. Grate the second root vegetable, pour boiling water over it, add vinegar, and let it steep. Pour the infusion back into the saucepan at the end of the cooking time.

When the potatoes are cooked, pour in the sautéed mixture, then add the cabbage, garlic, spices, and bay leaf. Finally, add the herbs and let them simmer for 10 minutes.

Cold beetroot soup (borscht)

In hot weather, liquid food is essential. Cold soups are often prepared as a first course in summer. The broth is best made with lean meat—white chicken or veal are good choices. After cooking, let the broth cool, then use it as a base for borscht.

Products:

• carrots – 1 pc.;
• beetroot – 2 pcs.;
• 1 onion;
• potatoes – 3 pcs.;
• eggs – 2 pcs.;
• fresh cucumber – 1 pc.;
• sugar – 1 spoon;
• green onions – 1 bunch;
• dill;
• vinegar;
• sour cream.

How to cook

Boil the beetroot whole for half an hour and grate it. Add chopped potatoes to the beetroot or meat broth, cook until tender, and season with salt. Add the beets to the pan, boil for 2 minutes, and let cool.

Slice the cucumber, boil the eggs, and green onion, and add all the ingredients to the broth. Add the herbs, stir, and drizzle with sour cream.

A Ukrainian dish

Ukrainian borscht It always turns out rich, thick, and filling. Its base can be meat broth or cooked beans. A spoonful of lemon juice is added for a touch of tartness, although tomato sauce and garlic are usually sufficient.

Ingredients:

• potatoes – 4-5 pcs.;
• pork – 0.5 kg;
• 1 beetroot;
• 1 carrot;
• oil – 3 spoons;
• 1 sweet pepper;
• 1 onion;
• fresh tomatoes – 3 pcs.;
• tomato sauce or fruit drink – 3 tbsp;
• cabbage – 350 g;
• garlic – 2-3 cloves;
• greens, spices.

How to cook

Wash the meat, place it in a saucepan, add 4 liters of water, and bring to a boil. Skim off any foam that forms when it boils, reduce the heat, and add salt. Cook for 50 minutes, then remove and cut into pieces.

Dice the potatoes, add them to the broth, and simmer for 15 minutes (the time depends on the potato variety). Add the bell peppers. The frying is done in two pans. In the first, fry the onions and carrots in oil. In the second, simmer the beets for 7-10 minutes, add the tomato sauce and chopped tomatoes, and fry for another 5-6 minutes.

Add the fried ingredients one by one to the pan and let the water boil for 2 minutes. Add the shredded cabbage. Then add the chopped garlic, ground pepper, and pieces of cooked meat.

To keep the cabbage crisp, boil it for 2-3 minutes, turn off the heat, and leave the lid slightly open. For soft cabbage, boil the vegetable for 10 minutes, then cover the pan tightly with a lid and let it sit for 15 minutes. Before turning off the heat, sprinkle chopped dill into the borscht. Add a spoonful of sour cream or mayonnaise.

Borscht with beef

For beef borscht A three-liter pot will last two days for a family of three. Beef broth is less fatty than pork and is more easily digested. Veal is better; it cooks faster.

Components:

• beef – 0.5 kg;
• root vegetable – 1 pc.;
• potatoes – 3 pcs.;
• carrot – 1 pc.;
• cabbage – 300-400 g;
• onion – 1 head;
• tomato sauce – 2-3 spoons;
• oil;
• green;
• spices;
• garlic.

How to cook

Boil the beef for 60 minutes, take it out, cut it, and leave it in a bowl.

Place the chopped potatoes in boiling water and add the fried ingredients after 20 minutes.

It is prepared in a frying pan: onions are sautéed in oil, then carrots are added and fried for 2-3 minutes, grated beets are added, after 5-7 minutes tomato sauce is poured in and lightly fried.

Add the boiled beef, and when it's simmered for 10 minutes, add the cabbage and salt. Add the spices and garlic, cook for 5 minutes, turn off the heat, and cover with a lid.

Red soup with sauerkraut and pickled beets

Sauerkraut and beets add acidity and a unique flavor to borscht. The recipe has been around for a long time, and cooks still use it today.

Ingredients for 2.5 liters of water:

• chicken – 400 g;
• carrots, onions, 1 each;
• pickled beets – 150 g;
• potatoes – 300 g;
• sauerkraut – 250 g;
• tomato juice – 150 ml;
• oil – 3 spoons;
• pepper.

How to cook

Boil the broth and add salt. Remove the meat, cut it, and return it to the pot. Chop all the vegetables. Add the potatoes to the broth and bring to a boil. Sauté the onions and carrots in butter, pour in the fruit drink, and simmer for 4-5 minutes.

Add cabbage, pickled beets, and fried vegetables to the broth and boil for 5 minutes.

Add bay leaf, pepper, and herbs, and the borscht is ready in a minute. Serve hot.

A step-by-step recipe will help you make red borscht. Everyone will find a red borscht recipe to suit their taste and add their own twist to the dish. If you choose the right proportions of ingredients and follow the recipe, the borscht will turn out a reddish-burgundy color. It will not only be delicious but also aesthetically pleasing.