Okay, lemme tell you about white borscht – this stuff is seriously legit! It’s nothing like that bright red beet soup you’re probably thinking of. This Polish Easter classic (they call it biały barszcz over there) is this amazingly tangy, creamy soup that’ll knock your socks off. It’s got this awesome sour kick from fermented rye flour, plus smokiness from kielbasa, and a little zing from horseradish. Trust me, once you try it, you’ll be hooked!
Tips from WebHealthy for Perfect Homemade White Borscht
- For an authentic żurek soup experience, hunt down some real-deal Polish kielbasa if you can – the supermarket stuff just ain’t the same, y’know?
- Don’t even think about skipping the żurek starter fermentation step! Yeah, it’s a pain in the butt waiting, but that sour funk is what makes this traditional Polish soup special
- This white borscht with kielbasa is like a good chili – tastes WAY better the next day after the flavors get all cozy with each other
- For your first time making this Easter white borscht, go easy on the horseradish – you can always add more, but you can’t take it out once it’s in there!
White Borscht (Biały Barszcz) Recipe
- Total Time: 75
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
Scale
For the Żurek Starter (Zakwas):
- 2 cups rye flour (the darker, the better)
- 1 garlic clove, smashed to bits
- 2 bay leaves (the ones that don’t look all dusty and sad)
- 3 allspice berries
- 4 cups lukewarm water
- 1 slice sourdough rye bread with crust (optional, but speeds things up)
For the Soup:
- 1 lb smoked kielbasa, sliced into rounds (the fattier, the better, don’t be shy)
- 1 lb pork ribs or pork shoulder (totally optional but adds crazy flavor)
- 1 large onion, peeled and cut in half
- 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped however you want
- 1 parsnip, peeled and chopped (if you hate parsnips, just skip it)
- 1 leek (white part only), cleaned super well cuz leeks are dirt magnets
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, smashed
- 2 bay leaves (again, fresh-ish ones)
- 4 allspice berries
- столовая ложка dried marjoram (if you can’t find it, oregano works too)
- 8 cups chicken or veggie broth (homemade is awesome, but who’s got time for that?)
- 3 tablespoons prepared horseradish (from a jar is fine, I won’t tell)
- 1 cup sour cream (full-fat, we’re not counting calories here)
- 2 столовые ложки all-purpose flour
- 6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut in half
- Salt and pepper to taste (don’t be stingy)
- Handful of fresh dill, chopped
- Another handful of fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
How to Ferment Żurek Starter (Start This 3-5 Days Before You Actually Want Soup):
- To begin your authentic żurek starter, grab a big glass jar and dump in the rye flour and lukewarm water. Mix it till it’s smooth-ish. Don’t stress if there are lumps.
- Chuck in the smashed garlic clove, bay leaves, and allspice berries.
- If you’re using the bread slice, throw that in too. It’s like giving the fermented rye soup base a headstart.
- Cover the jar with a piece of cheesecloth or a clean kitchen towel and secure it with a rubber band. Don’t seal it tight or it’ll explode – for real, I learned this the hard way!
- Stick the jar somewhere warm in your kitchen. On top of the fridge works great.
- Once a day, stir the gloop with a wooden spoon. After a couple days, it’ll start bubbling and smelling sour. It might smell weird, but that’s how this Polish sour soup base is supposed to be!
- After 3-5 days, when it smells sour but not like something died, your fermented rye starter is ready. Strain it through a sieve to get rid of the chunky bits.
How to Make Polish White Borscht at Home:
- For this traditional kielbasa soup recipe, throw the kielbasa, pork (if you’re using it), onion, carrots, parsnip, leek, celery, garlic, bay leaves, allspice, and marjoram into a big pot.
- Pour in the broth and crank up the heat to get it boiling.
- Once it’s bubbling away, turn the heat down low, slap a lid on it, and let it simmer for about 30 minutes until everything’s tender. Your kitchen’s gonna smell amazing with this traditional Polish soup!
- Fish out the meat. Once it’s cool enough to handle, chop up the pork if you used ribs.
- Strain the broth – you can keep the carrots if you want, but my grandma always tossed all the boiled veggies when making biały barszcz. Your call.
- Pour the broth back into the pot and add about 2 cups of your funky żurek starter. Bring it back to a gentle simmer. This is where your sour rye soup really develops its character!
- In a separate bowl, mix the sour cream and flour till smooth. This next part’s important for your homemade white borscht – add a few spoonfuls of hot broth to this mixture while whisking like crazy. If you skip this step, you’ll end up with weird sour cream blobs in your soup, and nobody wants that.
- Slowly pour this mixture back into the soup, stirring constantly.
- Toss in the kielbasa, pork meat, and horseradish. Let it simmer for another 5 minutes or so. The horseradish gives this Polish Easter soup its distinctive zing!
- Give it a taste and add salt and pepper till it makes you happy.
- Ladle that bad boy into bowls and plop a halved hard-boiled egg in each one. Now you’ve got classic white borscht with eggs!
- Sprinkle with fresh dill and parsley before serving and watch everyone’s faces light up when they taste your authentic żurek!
Notes
- If you’re thinking “no way am I waiting 5 days for soup,” you can try this easy Polish sour rye soup recipe variation: cheat with 2-3 tablespoons of sourdough starter plus 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or white vinegar. It won’t be quite the same authentic żurek, but it’ll do in a pinch.
- For a showstopper presentation, try a white borscht bread bowl recipe! Some Polish folks serve this biały barszcz in a hollowed-out bread bowl, which is extra but totally worth it for Easter celebrations.
- Good traditional Easter white borscht recipe should taste tangy and a little sour, but not make-your-face-pucker sour. The richness from the meat and sour cream should balance out the fermented rye soup base.
- Gotta have some hearty rye bread on the side of your homemade white borscht – it’s non-negotiable!
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 45
White Borscht Recipe Variations
- Vegetarian Żurek Soup: Skip all the meat and use veggie broth for this fermented rye soup. Throw in a bunch of mushrooms (those fancy dried porcinis are bomb) for that meaty vibe without the meat. Some roasted veggies wouldn’t hurt either.
- Quick Polish Sour Soup: Grab some sauerkraut juice from the jar and use that instead of making the żurek starter. It’s not exactly the same traditional Polish soup, but it’ll do when you’re in a time crunch.
- Easter White Borscht Bread Bowl: Hollow out some round bread loaves and serve your biały barszcz in there. It’s extra work but makes for a killer white borscht bread bowl recipe presentation when the in-laws are over.
- Extra Creamy Homemade White Borscht: Double the sour cream because YOLO. This makes the richest, most indulgent version of the traditional Easter white borscht recipe.
- Spicy Horseradish Soup Version: Go nuts with the horseradish in your white borscht with kielbasa and add some cayenne. Just keep a glass of milk nearby! This makes the ultimate winter warming soup.
My Personal Touch
So here’s what I do differently – don’t tell my Polish mother-in-law! I throw in a big knob of grated ginger because it plays so nice with the horseradish. Also, I’m addicted to dried mushrooms (like seriously, I have a problem), so I always toss in a handful while the broth is simmering – they give it this incredible earthy flavor that’ll make you wanna slap somebody. Sometimes I’ll throw in some diced roasted red peppers at the end for color and sweetness. Oh, and the absolute BEST way to serve this is with a dollop of garlic-infused sour cream on top. It’s not traditional, but it’s freaking delicious!
Nutrition Facts
Per serving (about 1.5 cups):
- Calories: 375
- Total Fat: 24g (my doctor would not approve)
- Saturated Fat: 9g
- Cholesterol: 145mg
- Sodium: 950mg
- Total Carbs: 22g
- Fiber: 3g
- Sugars: 5g
- Protein: 16g
- Vitamin D: 8%
- Calcium: 10%
- Iron: 15%
- Potassium: 12%
Honestly, these numbers are just ballpark figures. Depends what brands you use and how heavy-handed you are with ingredients!
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