Shchi - Russian Cabbage Soup

Shchi (Щи) pronounced "shee", is a heartwarming and comforting Russian Cabbage Soup, perfect cozy meal when it's cold outside. Rich broth with tender vegetables, a hearty and flavorful dinner. You'll love this healthy, nutritious, low-calorie, budget friendly meal that you can customize.

What is Russian Cabbage Soup?

Shchi soup has been eaten in Russia for about a 1000 years, ever since cabbage was introduced to Russia. Shchi is a staple on every Russian table, usually served with sour cream and rye bread. There are many variations of Shchi, and it's made almost like a Borscht without beets.

Ingredients You'll Need

• Beef Stock (see homemade recipe below)
• small Cabbage
• Potatoes
• large Onion
• Carrot
• 3 Tomatoes or 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
• small Red Pepper
• Bay Leaf
• fresh Parsley and Dill for garnish

Start with a Tasty Broth

It's easy to buy broth from the store, but homemade broth tastes better and adds meaty chunks to your soup. The fastest way is to make Instant Pot Broth, which only takes an hour, but I've included the traditional soup broth recipe below.

You'll need the meatiest beef soup bones you can find, so you can pick off the meat to use in your soup. You can also use a chunk of bone-in steak or Beef Short Ribs to add extra flavor and meat to your broth.

1. Fill - place 2 pounds (1kg) Soup Bones into a pot and fill the pot with water
2. Aromatics - add 2 Onions, 2 Carrots, 2 ribs of Celery, ½ head of Garlic, and fresh Parsley
3. Season - add a teaspoon Black Peppercorns and 2 Cloves and a Bay Leaf
4. Simmer - bring to a boil, reduce to simmer for 2-3 hours (the longer the better)
5. Strain - skim off any impurities, strain the Broth and set aside the meat to place into your soup.

How to Make Shchi

Prepare the Vegetables

• shred the cabbage
• cube the potatoes
• chop onion
• grate carrot
• chop tomatoes
• dice red pepper

Making Shchi Soup

1. Heat - bring Beef Broth to a boil.
2. Simmer - add shredded Cabbage, Bay Leaf and Potatoes. Simmer for 20 minutes. (When you add the Cabbage into the soup, it's very full, but it cooks down significantly)
3. Caramelize - while simmering, caramelize Onions and Carrots in a frying pan until they are golden. Add diced Red Peppers and Tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes.
4. Combine and Simmer - mix in caramelized vegetables into the soup pot, including meat from the soup bones and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Season - taste and season with Salt and Pepper, garnish with fresh herbs.

Shchi Soup Variations

• Peppers - Most Shchi soups don't have red peppers in the recipe. The further south you were located in Russia, the more likely you would add red peppers. They add a nice sweetness, color and vitamins to your soup.
• Sauerkraut - Shchi has an element of sourness. It's common to add a small jar of Sauerkraut, just adding a bit of tang to your recipe. You'll be surprised how good it tastes. Simmer for an extra 15 minutes if adding Sauerkraut so it fully softens
• Rassol - another method of adding tang to your soup is adding Rassol, which is the liquids from your dill pickles or pickled tomatoes. You don't need a lot, taste and adjust to taste.
• Sorrel - when Sorrel (Schavel) is in season, add a small handful to increase sourness.

Recipe Tips and FAQs

• Pro Tip: prepare the broth the night before, so all you have left is to make the soup when you're ready!
• Vegetarian Shchi - use a Vegetable Broth and substitute meat with Mushrooms. Add 8oz (225g) of Wild Mushrooms, Cremini, or Button Mushrooms.
• Dill Generous - don't skip by adding fresh dill to the soup, it's a key flavor
• Deepen Flavors - this soup tastes even better the next day. Before serving, allow flavors to meld for 15 minutes, best overnight!
• Change the Meat - instead of Beef, substitute with Chicken Thighs, Pork or even Turkey.
• Cabbage Substitute - swap Green Cabbage for Savoy Cabbage, milder Napa Cabbage, or Kale. Consider adding Sauerkraut if using Napa or Kale to keep flavors right
• Canned Tomatoes - if fresh Tomatoes aren't available, a budget friendly option is to use a can of Diced Tomatoes.

Shchi Serving Suggestions

• Dark Rye Bread and Smetana (sour cream)
• Grenki - Rye Bread Croutons
• Fried Piroshki or Baked Piroshki
• Pickled Tomatoes with Veggies
• Pickled Garlic with Beets
• Boiled Potatoes with Garlic
• Dill Pickles or Malosolnie Ogurtsi

Can you Make Shchi in Advance?

Yes. Prepare all ingredients the day before. Make the beef broth, strain and keep in the fridge. The vegetables can all be shredded and cut in advance, covered in cling wrap or in tupperware ready to be cooked. The potatoes can be diced, but need to be placed in water so they don't go brown.

Storage and Reheating

• Fridge - place in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.
• Freezer - cool soup and place in freezer proof container (airtight). Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in fridge overnight before reheating.
• Reheating - place in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer for 5-10 minutes until heated. To reheat in microwave, place soup in a bowl, and heat for 1 minute. Check temperature and continue to heat in 30 second increments until hot.

Russian Soups You'll Love

• Solyanka Soup
• Ukha Fish Soup
• Vegetarian Cabbage Soup
• Beef Borscht
• Sorrel Soup (Schavel)
• Instant Pot Cabbage Soup with Sauerkraut

This Shchi Cabbage Soup recipe is classic Russian and Eastern European comfort food. A hearty, budget friendly and delicious soup, perfect this fall or winter. Bon Appetit! Приятного аппетита!

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