In Ukraine, the main and most delicious first course is borsch, which has long been selected outside this country and simply conquered us with its delicious taste and aroma. But not only in Ukraine and Russia they like first courses with beets as the main ingredient, Poland and Lithuania, Romania and many other countries are not far behind. What conquers borscht even of the most fastidious gourmets? This is an excellent satiety, and a bright red color, and, of course, the taste of the dish.
However, many young housewives, for the first time trying to cook this simple at first glance dish, face many questions. After all, there is a need to observe the correct laying of vegetables and cooking delicious broth. There are problems and questions about the fact that beets often lose their saturated color, when and how much vinegar and sugar, tomato paste to add to borscht, and indeed why this should be done. How to cope with all this and avoid mistakes? This is what will be discussed in our article.
What affects the bright color of borsch?
To understand this issue, you must first understand why the housewives do not get a saturated color and what they do wrong. After all, it may happen that at the initial stages the dish is bright, and at the end of cooking the borsch becomes orange or pale pink.
In fact, the color of the soup will depend on the variety of the root crop, and if the result is not obtained, then, most likely, the hostess makes two most important mistakes:
- The root crop lost color due to prolonged heat treatment. Perhaps the beets were too lowered into the broth, or the preparation of the soup was delayed. So that the beets do not lose their bright saturated hue, it must be cooked for no more than 10 minutes, otherwise the dish may “fade” when reheated or cooled after cooking.
- Small maroon beet salad is ideal for cooking borsch. You can also use the Kuban root crop, which has dark veins.
How to keep the color of the dish? Chasing the truth
In order for the dish to have an attractive appearance, it is recommended to add acid to it. No, not sulfuric or solar, but, for example, tomato paste, vinegar or lemon juice. This technique will allow the beets to remain bright, but this does not mean at all that the root crop can be subjected to heat treatment indefinitely. How much vinegar to add to borsch and what techniques will help to make a burgundy dish?
- It is recommended to beetroot in a separate frying pan, without adding other vegetables, with the addition of tomato paste at the very beginning of cooking.
- Do not want to use tomato paste - arm yourself with high-quality vinegar and after cutting the root crop, sprinkle it with a small amount of this seasoning. And only after that you can start frying. Do not overdo it with the amount of vinegar, so as not to acidify the taste of the dish. To make the tastes softer, you can use a flavored product - wine or apple vinegar.
- How much vinegar to add to beetroot soup? You can dilute a tablespoon of acid in a glass of water and soak the chopped vegetable for 10 minutes in this marinade, squeeze, and then fry. The addition of acid will be minimal, but the color will remain, and acidity will be present in the dish itself.
- Instead of tomato paste and vinegar, you can use lemon juice and repeat the previous manipulations: the product is added at the very beginning of beetroot passage.
- At the very end of the preparation of the borsch, along with the passer beets, 100 ml of freshly squeezed beet juice can be added to the borsch. This will add color and add sweetness and zest to the soup.
- The color and sourness of the dish can be given using canned or fresh (ripe) tomatoes. It is only important to remove the peel from them, especially from pickled or salted tomatoes.
Add the fried, stewed or sautéed beets to the dish as a last resort, just a few minutes before cooking, along with chopped fresh herbs and chopped garlic.
About other ways
How much vinegar to add to borsch and is it necessary to do this? You can not add acid to the dish and at the same time preserve its color, for example, using granulated sugar. It is also added to the chopped root crop at the very beginning of cooking, and this technique will preserve the color of the dish, and significantly improve its taste.
If you are a proponent of acid, you should know when and how much vinegar to add to borsch. This will be discussed further.
Why is beetroot added with acid added to borscht last?
The thing is that if you put the beets fried with vinegar in a dish where the rest of the vegetables are not yet ready, it will delay the process of their preparation. The potato will not boil, and the cabbage, for example, will become stiff and tasteless at all.
So, how much vinegar do you need to add to the borsch? No more than a tablespoon of the product for a couple of liters of the finished dish. Otherwise, the taste will deteriorate, the borscht will become too sour, and correcting this by adding excess water is not an option. Then the dish will get a watery flavor, the color will turn pale or brown, and everything will be completely ruined.
When to add vinegar to borsch?
How much to add vinegar to borsch, you already know. And when is it better to do it? Typically, this product is added when frying beets in a pan, a very small amount, and already finished beets - a few minutes before the dishes are ready. This method allows you to give an amazing taste thanks to the acidity of the soup, if, of course, you observe proportions and follow the correct laying of products.
So, we repeat the basic principles
- Add vinegar only to beets, in small quantities, simmer the root crop until ready in a separate frying pan and lay in the soup a few minutes before cooked.
- We use only a good product, and the use of wine or apple vinegar will additionally emphasize the taste.
- Do not add tomato paste and sour tomatoes if vinegar is used.
- Be sure to adjust the acid by adding sugar: a teaspoon of vinegar will require a generous pinch of sand.
- To make the taste softer, use lemon juice.
- For cooking use only 6% of the product, in no case not the essence.
Now you know how to cook a delicious borsch and when, how much and how many percent vinegar to add to the borsch. Bon appetit and bright maroon dish!