Kapusniak - Ukrainian Cabbage Soup

Kapusniak is a Ukrainian soup made of sauerkraut (fermented cabbage) and millet - both are traditional ingredients that have been used through the centuries in Ukrainian cuisine. It's definitely a good recipe for wintertime because of its sourness and thick, nutritious texture. It warms and gives calmness. I love it and wait for the season to have kapusniak for lunch.

This recipe is also very easy to cook and takes about 20 minutes. But the best practice is to make it the day before so the flavor becomes extra rich the next day. 

Kapusniak

• 4-5 middle-sized potatoes
• 2 tablespoon millet
• handful of sauerkraut
• 1 carrot1 onion
• sunflower oil for frying
• bay leaf
• salt
• black pepper
• sugar

The recipe is for 4-5 servings of soup (about 300 g / serving).

1. Put about 1 l of water into a pot and bring it to a boil.
2. Add diced potato and 1 bay leaf.
3. Add sauerkraut and 2 tablespoon of millet. If the sauerkraut is too sour, wash it through with a cold water.
4. Bring the soup to a boil. The whole cooking time will be 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
5. While the soup is cooking, roast chopped onions and carrots with sunflower oil until they are slightly golden.
6. Add it to the boiling soup 5 minutes before the end of boiling.
7. When all the vegetables are cooked, season the soup with black pepper and salt and add a tablespoon of sugar if needed to balance the sourness.
8. Let the soup infuse for a couple of hours.

Serve kapusniak with sour cream or yogurt and fresh chopped greens (parsley, dill, or spring onions).

Below are some pictures of the process. Bon appetit! 🥬

Start with potatoes!

You can use homemade sauerkraut or buy it, for example, in a supermarket. Both options fit well if it is a properly made fermented cabbage with carrots.

Roasted onions with carrots are a very important part of kapusniak. Don't let it be brown, just golden with a nutty aroma.

Put the roasted vegetables into the pot and let them cook together for 5 minutes. 

Serving suggestion: with sour cream and chopped parsley👌

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