Cabbage Soup

Cabbage soup is very popular in Russia and in other former Soviet Union nations such as Belarus and Ukraine. It is a traditional soup that is enjoyed by many. In Russia this soup is called schi. It has a bit of a sour taste and cabbage is the main ingredient. I love cabbage soup. Not only is it delicious when hot but it also tastes great when eaten slightly warm. The cabbage soup is easy to make and it always tastes better as time goes by. So, if you make cabbage soup today, it will taste even better tomorrow.

People like cabbage soup with different ingredients and prepared in different ways, so there are many different recipes for making cabbage soup. Cabbage is always the main ingredient of course but other ingredients that can be added depend on what the person craves for. Some of the ingredients that can go into cabbage soup include carrots, onions, and tomatoes. These are the most popular. Sometimes potatoes or beets are added. If beets are added then the soup more resembles a Ukrainian Borscht soup, but it is still delicious. Some people prefer meat in their soup so boiled ox tails or other meats are also added to the soup.

I love making (and eating) cabbage soup and thought I’d share my cabbage soup recipe with others. You will find it below.

Step 1: Take a medium-sized Taiwan cabbage (or green cabbage) and slice into little pieces. Add all the cabbage into a pot (about 2L in size) and fill the pot with water so that the water is almost up to the top. Add desired amount of salt. Place on medium heat and let cook.

Step 2: Peel the onion, chop into little square pieces, and place onto a plate. Wash carrot, celery stalk, and tomato. Chop the celery and the tomato into little square pieces, and the carrot into thin shredded slices. Place onto a plate.

Step 3: Pour grapeseed oil into a skillet and let heat over medium heat. Once skillet is hot add the chopped onions and cook until lightly golden, stirring occasionally with a spatula.

Step 4: Add the sliced carrots to the skillet with the onions and let them cook for a few minutes, also stirring occasionally. Add more grapeseed oil to the skillet if necessary.

Step 5: Add the chopped celery and cook for a few minutes, stirring all the ingredients with a spatula.

Step 6: Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for a few minutes. Do not forget to stir and add some grapeseed oil.

Step 7: Squeeze a good amount of ketchup into a little sauce dish. Then add two teaspoons of Aji Mirin and stir. Add to the skillet with the veggies. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Then sprinkle with dried parsley flakes and stir. Turn off the skillet and leave the ingredients there.

* If you find that you are out of ketchup you can substitute it with tomato sauce that comes in those little cans. One little can will do the trick. Still add two teaspoons of Aji Mirin to the tomato sauce and stir before adding to the skillet with the veggies. You can even use both tomato sauce and a little bit of ketchup together with Aji Mirin. Either way the taste will be delicious.

Step 8: When the cabbage in the pot is tender enough add all the ingredients from the skillet to the pot. Then add a slice of butter and stir everything with a spatula. Cook for a few more minutes and then turn off the heat and let the soup sit for a little bit. Then pour some soup into a bowl, add a tablespoon of sour cream and enjoy with some fresh black bread and butter.