Sauerkraut Shchi
The soul of Russian cuisine — a rich, dark soup made from braised sauerkraut and beef on the bone, slow-cooked for hours. Gets better overnight, develops incredible depth of flavor. The only soup that improves with freezing.
Ingredients
- 1 kgbeef on the bone
- 600-700 gsauerkraut
- 4-5 piecespotatoes
- 1 piecelarge carrot
- 1 piecelarge onion
- 2 tbsptomato paste
- 3-4 clovesgarlic
- 3 tbspvegetable oil
- 2 piecesbay leaves
- 5-7 piecesblack peppercorns
- salt to taste
- fresh dill and parsley
- thick sour cream for serving
Method
- Wash beef, cover with cold water, bring to a boil. Skim foam, reduce to minimum heat. Add peppercorns and cook covered for 2-2.5 hours until the meat is very tender.
- If sauerkraut is too sour, rinse lightly and squeeze, reserving the brine. In a deep pan, heat oil and sauté cabbage 5-7 minutes. Add tomato paste, pour in 1-2 ladles of broth, cover and braise on low heat for 1-1.5 hours until soft and fragrant.
- Finely chop onion, grate carrot. Sauté onion until translucent, add carrot and cook another 5-7 minutes.
- Strain broth and return to pot. Dice potatoes and cook 10 minutes. Add braised cabbage and sautéed vegetables. Remove meat from bones, slice and return to soup. Add bay leaf, cook another 10-15 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper. Add a little sauerkraut brine if needed. Turn off heat, take out the bay leaves, stir in minced garlic and herbs, cover. Let rest at least 1 hour — ideally refrigerate overnight for even better flavor.
- Serve with thick sour cream and fresh herbs.
FAQ
Sauerkraut gives the soup a distinctive tang and depth of flavor impossible to achieve with fresh cabbage. The lactic acid also makes it more nutritious. Overnight shchi — the legendary 'sutochnye shchi' — is always made with sauerkraut: left to rest overnight, the flavors meld into something extraordinary.
If the sauerkraut is very sour, rinse it briefly under cold water before adding. A pinch of sugar or extra carrots also helps balance the acidity. Don't rinse too thoroughly — some of that sourness is essential to the soup's character.
Overnight shchi ('sutochnye shchi') are made the day before and left to rest overnight — traditionally in a cooling oven. During that time collagen from the meat turns to gelatin, the sauerkraut releases its full aroma, and all the flavors fuse together. Reheated the next day, they are a dish in their own right.
Yes — meatless 'postnye shchi' are a classic of Orthodox fasting. Replace meat with dried or fresh porcini mushrooms and use vegetable oil. Mushroom broth paired with sauerkraut creates a rich, satisfying flavor without any meat.
The most common reasons are too little sauerkraut or a weak broth. Use bone broth, not water. Braise the sauerkraut separately with onion and carrot before adding — it unlocks the flavor. And don't rush: proper shchi needs at least 1.5 hours on the stove.
Rate this
Recipes by email
One letter a week: a recipe picked for your taste, plus whatever is new on the site. Unsubscribe in one click.
Welcome gift: Sergei's cookbook (e-book).
By subscribing you agree to the privacy policy.
Tell us what you like to cook (30 seconds) →Keep browsing
More dishes from the Russian archive — picked by overlap with what you're cooking now.
Join the conversation
Comments (1)
Season this sauerkraut shchi in stages, not all at once. I add salt three times: when the beef on the bone goes in, halfway through cooking, and a final adjustment right before serving. Each addition builds on the last.