Shchi – Russian fresh cabbage soup

One of the most famous and arguably most telling Russian folk sayings is “Shchi and kasha are our food” (Щи да каша — пища наша). It’s not a proverb that really has an English equivalent because its meaning is about Russian-ness. What it’s getting at is the simple essence of what it is to be Russian. Despite the importation and emulation of foreign customs or cuisines over the centuries, Russian people of all backgrounds are united by a core set of simple traditions. These include the lowly cabbage soup (shchi) and porridge (kasha).  Consuming shchi is therefore part of what it means to be Russian.

Borscht may enjoy worldwide renown as the quintessential Russian soup but shchi is a much better candidate for that designation. Shchi is relatively easy to prepare and may be made with or without meat, with or without sauerkraut. Like borscht, there are many variations and everyone has a favorite. We’ll start with a very basic version but feel free to experiment and add to it as it suits you. Many Russians call this version Lenivye shchi (ленивые щи) ‘lazy shchi‘ because you don’t have to make sauerkraut first. You could add prepared sauerkraut as I did for a “Sour shchi” and I suppose that’s still considered ‘lazy.’ More on true sour shchi later.

Starting out – ingredients and stock

What I try to do on Feastern Europe is to give a foundational recipe from which you can try the myriad variations that exist. I base them on either the version I remember most from my travels or as a composite of all the recipes you might find out there in cookbooks, on the internet, etc. This shchi recipe is of the latter type. I recall not altogether enjoying shchi the first time I had it. I knew the basic components of the soup were appealing. So I stripped down the dozens of recipes I consulted in my research to arrive at the core formula for lenivye shchi: fresh cabbage, bouillon, onion, carrots and other root vegetables, and tomatoes or tomato paste. Then quite often there would be celery, garlic, mushrooms and something sour such as pickle juice, vinegar or sauerkraut.

You can begin preparing shchi with a simple vegetable stock, a canned broth, bouillon cubes and water. Or you can make a stock with the meat you plan to serve with the soup, as I did here. I’m using beef short ribs because it’s a wonderfully flavorful bone-in cut that results in very tender meat. You could also use bone-in chicken (try a breast and a leg quarter).

Season the meat with salt and pepper and brown in a little fat right in the soup pot. Add half a carrot, a piece of celery root, a chunk of onion and a half rib of celery. Put in a bay leaf, a teaspoon of salt, a half-teaspoon of peppercorns and about 2 quarts water. Simmer this, covered, for about an hour.

While the beef stock is simmering, prep all the vegetables for the soup. When the meat is tender but not completely falling off the bones turn off the heat. Remove the meat and bones, strain the broth and discard the vegetables. (I hold onto the bay leaf and use it again in the next step). If you want meat in your shchi, cut the ribs into bite-sized chunks, removing any tough gristle and excess fat.

Prepare the soup

To prepare the vegetables for cooking, I peel them first. Dice carrots, celery, turnip and any other vegetables. You can cut potatoes into cubes. Keep them covered in water so they don’t turn brown while you wait to use them. Cut the onion into halves or quarters and slice. Remove the stem and core from the head of cabbage and shred into ribbons no more than three inches in length. This makes them easier to eat with a spoon.

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Wipe out your dutch oven or soup pot and heat a tablespoon of butter. Sauté the diced vegetables for a minute then add the onion and about another tablespoon of vegetable oil. Stir the onion and vegetables together and cook another minute or two. Then add the cabbage and combine it well, cooking until the vegetables have softened but are not browned.

Add the beef stock, the potatoes and the meat chunks, if using. Put about a cup of prepared sauerkraut into the pot. If you are not using sauerkraut then add a tablepsoon or two of a souring liquid such as pickle juice or lemon juice. Add a little more water to submerge everything if needed. I add salt and black pepper to taste and return the bay leaf to the soup pot. Next stir in a couple tablespoons of tomato paste or add a crushed/grated/diced tomato. You could even use tomato salsa or ketchup here. Heat the soup to boiling, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 1-2 hours until everything is tender.

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When ready to serve, discard the bay leaf and ladle soup into serving bowls and add a dollop of sour cream on top. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley and dill. Shchi is also often eaten with a hunk of rye or black bread. You could also add some pelmeni to the soup, especially if you’ve omitted the meat. I think pierogi, any savory kind, would also pair nicely with shchi.

Remember the possibilities for variation are endless. You could put mushrooms in the shchi; you could include diced parsley and celery root instead of turnip; some recipes call for a leak, more tomato, even an apple. And of course as I mentioned you could use chicken or another kind of meat, even fish, if you like. Let me know your favorite variation!

Russian cabbage soup shchi recipe