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Cabbage soup with pork

Sauerkraut Shchi with Pork

The tastiest, most fragrant, rich, and appetizing soup! Sauerkraut shchi (cabbage soup) with pork is one of the most beloved and well-known first courses. It comes out hearty and thick, with a deep, tangy flavor — and it's especially good in the cold months.

Julia M.

Recipe author

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Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Pork

500

Potatoes

Carrot

Onion

Sauerkraut

150

Water

Vegetable oil

Bay leaf

Salt

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 27 % 3 g

Fats 36 % 4 g

Carbohydrates 36 % 4 g

62 kcal

GI: 100 / 0 / 0

Cooking method

Step 1:

How do you make sauerkraut shchi with pork? Gather your ingredients. For a rich, full-bodied broth, use bone-in pork. Choose naturally fermented sauerkraut, without vinegar. Wash the onion, carrot, and potatoes under running water and peel them.
Step 2:

Pour cold water into a pot and add the pork and one potato. Set it over medium heat and bring it to a boil. Foam will form as it heats — skim it off with a slotted spoon. Once it boils, reduce the heat and simmer the broth for about an hour. The exact time depends on the size and quality of the cut.
Step 3:

Then lift out the potato and meat and strain the broth. Pull the meat off the bone, cut it into small pieces, and return it to the broth. Mash the cooked potato with a fork, adding a little broth, and stir the purée back into the pot. Why bother? It makes the finished shchi heartier and thicker.
Step 4:

Cut the remaining peeled potatoes into small pieces and add them to the pot along with the sauerkraut. If the sauerkraut is coarsely chopped, you can cut it smaller.
Step 5:

Bring the broth back to a boil with the potatoes and cabbage, then leave it to simmer over low heat for 10–15 minutes.
Step 6:

Meanwhile, make the sauté. Finely chop the onion and grate the carrot.
Step 7:

Pour a little vegetable oil into a hot skillet and add the chopped vegetables. Sauté everything together for a couple of minutes over low heat, stirring so nothing burns.
Step 8:

Add the sauté to the pot. Drop in the bay leaf and add a little salt to taste — keep in mind the sauerkraut will release some salt of its own into the broth.
Step 9:

Simmer everything together over low heat for another 30 minutes, then take the pot off the heat. You can pull out and discard the bay leaf — it's already given the dish its aroma. The shchi needs to rest before serving — give it at least an hour. But it'll taste even better the next day.
Step 10:

Ladle the finished shchi into bowls and serve. Add a spoonful of sour cream and a sprinkle of chopped fresh herbs if you like. Enjoy!

Important! Whether or not the recipe specifies an amount of water, it's always best to go by your own preference (do you like a thick soup or a thinner one?), the size of your pot, and the ingredients you're using. Keep in mind that the author has their own idea of how much meat, potato, grain, and other ingredients belong in the soup, and it may not match yours. In practice, if it's your first time making it, don't cook a whole pot at once. Make a small tasting batch for one or two people: scale all the ingredients down to 1–2 servings and figure the water at roughly 1 cup per serving for a very thick soup, up to 1½–2 cups for a thinner one. Remember that some of the liquid will boil off as it cooks. After tasting that small batch, you can adjust both the amount of liquid and the proportions of ingredients to your taste. Before long, like most seasoned cooks, you'll be adding water and ingredients by eye.
For tips on choosing the perfect pot for soup, porridge, or pickling, see our article on pots.
It's best to cook with neutral-tasting filtered or bottled water. Tap water can give the dish an off, characteristic taste.