Making Mom’s Homemade Borscht In An Instant Pot

As you probably know, borsch is the cornerstone of Ukrainian cuisine – it is a soup traditionally prepared with meat, beets, potatoes, cabbage, onions, tomatoes (or, in modern times, tomato paste) and carrots. However, there is no single classic recipe for this dish. I am sure that if you pick out 30 Ukrainian households, go in and ask for their borscht recipes, then each one of the recipes you’ll get will differ somehow. Each family has their own tips, tricks and well-guarded secrets. We Ukrainians don’t need a reason to cook borscht, but it is most often served at weddings or other festive events. I will share my own tips, and from my advice you can create your own unique recipe for Ukrainian borscht.

TIPS ON HOW TO COOK THE MOST DELICIOUS UKRAINIAN BORSCH

Meat. For borscht, you can choose absolutely any type of meat: pork, beef, lamb, chicken, turkey or rabbit. In fact, you can even make a vegetarian borscht – just use beans, lentils or even peas instead of meat. I prefer borscht with a rich meaty broth, so I usually use pork. Any cut will do. By the way, you can even cook borscht using pork knuckles, but make sure to remove the skin and the membranes.

Beet. If you want to speed up the process of cooking borscht, fresh beets must be julliened and sent to boil in meat broth first. Also, beets can be boiled or baked in foil, then peeled and grated and added to the sauteed vegetable base, which usually consists of onions and finely chopped carrots. You don’t need to follow the recipe to the letter here – the amount of vegetables can vary. The main condition is that the borscht should end up pretty thick. How thick? Dip a spoon into the finished borscht, and it should stay vertical.

The vegetable base. You don’t have to limit yourself to carrots, beets and onions. You can also add some tomato paste, tomato juice or finely diced fresh tomatoes (just peel them first), and then the juice of half a lemon. If you want to get a more spicy borscht, you can add a couple of tablespoons of adjika (spicy georgian dip) to the vegetable base. You can also make a pretty original vegetable base by blitzing a sweet red bell pepper and a pink tomato in a blender.

Herbs and spices. The traditional herbs used in borscht are bay leaves, garlic, dill, allspice and black peppercorns, as well as salt and sugar – the latter helps balance the taste. You can also use dry tomatoes to enhance the flavor, add basil and even smoked paprika.

Cabbage. Most often, white cabbage is used for borscht, but it is quite possible to experiment with Peking or even Brussels sprouts.

Potatoes. I like it when there are sweet soft potatoes in the borscht, then it really melts in your mouth. If you want to get really wild, you can use yams, but don’t go overboard, otherwise the borscht will taste like a dessert. I’m kidding, of course, but keep that in mind.

Borsch in Ukraine is traditionally served with salted lard and garlic, crusty dark bread and mustard. In spring, scallions and a few radishes must be added to every bowl of borscht, in summer – tomatoes cut into slices with salt or a piece of crusty bread rubbed with fresh garlic.

While making borscht, the main thing is to follow the steps in the correct order so that the vegetables are not raw or overboiled. And yes, borscht can be cooked anywhere and everywhere – in a kitchen or while camping. I decided to do it using an instant pot. Let’s get started.

Homemade Borscht In An Instant Pot Preparation