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Shchi (cabbage and caraway soup)

Name: Shchi (cabbage and caraway soup)
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Yield: Serves 4-6
Ingredients: 2 onions; 4 garlic cloves; 1 leek; 2 carrots; 400g waxy potatoes; 500g white cabbage; 4 tbsp sunflower oil; 2 tbsp tomato purée; 1 tsp caraway seeds; ¼ tsp sweet smoked paprika; 1.5 litres vegetable stock; 2 bay leaves; ½ bunch dill; Rye bread to serve

By: Georgina Hayden

Published: 4 Jun 22
Updated: 25 Mar 24

This simple cabbage soup may be frugal but has big flavours thanks to the smoked paprika and caraway. “It’s wonderfully satisfying,” says Georgina Hayden.

Recipe from Nistisima: The Secret to Delicious Vegan Cooking from the Mediterranean and Beyond by Georgina Hayden (Bloomsbury £26). Photography ©Kristin Perers.

Browse more easy vegan recipes here.

Easy
April 2022

Test kitchen approved

Serves 4-6
Hands-on time 25 min. Simmering time 1 hour.

This simple cabbage soup may be frugal but has big flavours thanks to the smoked paprika and caraway. “It’s wonderfully satisfying,” says Georgina Hayden.

Recipe from Nistisima: The Secret to Delicious Vegan Cooking from the Mediterranean and Beyond by Georgina Hayden (Bloomsbury £26). Photography ©Kristin Perers.

Browse more easy vegan recipes here.

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 201kcals
Fat: 7.9g (1g saturated)
Protein: 4.1g
Carbohydrates: 24.4g (11g sugars)
Fibre: 7.7g
Salt: 0.1g

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Ingredients

2 onions
4 garlic cloves
1 leek
2 carrots
400g waxy potatoes
500g white cabbage
4 tbsp sunflower oil
2 tbsp tomato purée
1 tsp caraway seeds
¼ tsp sweet smoked paprika
1.5 litres vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
½ bunch dill
Rye bread to serve

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Method

Peel and finely chop the onions and garlic. Trim and finely slice the leek, then rinse it well in a colander to get rid of any dirt. Peel the carrots and potatoes, then chop them into 2cm pieces, keeping them separate. Halve the cabbage, remove the core, then finely shred the leaves.
Put the sunflower oil in a large casserole or saucepan over a low-medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, leek and carrots and fry for 15 minutes until softened and sticky. Stir in the tomato purée, caraway seeds and paprika then, after a minute, add the shredded cabbage, chopped potatoes, veg stock and bay leaves. Turn up the heat and bring to the boil. Season generously, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook on a low heat for 1 hour until the vegetables are tender and the broth is rich.
Taste the soup and tweak the seasoning, then leave to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Roughly chop the dill, then ladle the soup into bowls and serve scattered with dill, with a slice of rye bread on the side.