EasyFit Tom Yum – Thai Hot-and-Sour Shrimp Soup
An aromatic Thai soup made with lemongrass, kaffir lime and shrimp — low in calories but high in protein.
- Total
- 30 min
- Calories
- 190 kcal
- Servings
- 2 servings
Polish Barszcz – Clear Beetroot Soup
Poland's red beetroot soup is clear, tangy and remarkably light — 118 calories a bowl, and it carries the beetroot's natural nitrates intact.
- Total
- 75 min
- Servings
- 6 servings
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories · per serving
- 118 kcal
Written by
Ecem Akkaba · Dietitian
Dietitian, graduate of İstanbul Medipol University. She develops the recipes and nutrition values on FitZen.
Updated:
In short
Polish Barszcz – Clear Beetroot Soup contains 118 calories per serving: 4 g protein, 20 g carbohydrate and 3 g fat. It takes 75 minutes in total and makes 6 servings.
About this recipe
Barszcz czerwony is a winter fixture on Polish tables and an all but compulsory starter on Christmas Eve. It is not a thick, cloudy soup — its clarity is the whole point, and that comes from steeping the beetroot rather than boiling it.
Traditionally the sourness comes from fermented beet juice (zakwas). This version uses lemon and vinegar instead, so you get the same balance without waiting a week for a ferment.
Beetroot is among the richest vegetable sources of natural nitrates, and a long hard boil damages both the colour and those compounds. That is why this soup never reaches boiling point.
Method
- 1
Put the beetroot, onion, carrot and celery in a pot and pour over the stock. Add the spices.
- 2
Do NOT bring to a boil. Hold it at a temperature where only the occasional bubble breaks the surface and steep for 45 minutes. Boiling turns the colour brown.
- 3
Take off the heat, rest for 10 minutes, then strain through a fine sieve. Do not press the vegetables — that is what makes it cloudy.
- 4
Return the clear liquid to the pot and add the garlic, lemon juice, vinegar and honey.
- 5
Season with salt and pepper. Adjust acid and sweetness in small increments; you are aiming for sharp but rounded.
- 6
Warm through over low heat for 5 more minutes, again without boiling.
- 7
Ladle into warm bowls, add a spoonful of yoghurt to the centre and finish with dill.
Tips
- Cut the beetroot into matchsticks rather than grating it. Grating releases too much starch and clouds the broth.
- Acid is what keeps the colour vivid. Adding the lemon after you take the pot off the heat works far better than adding it during cooking.
- The acidity settles overnight and the flavour deepens. Keeps 4 days refrigerated — do not freeze, the beetroot loses its texture.
Language
- Polonya Barszcz – Pancarlı Berrak Çorba (Türkçe)
- Polnischer Barszcz – Klare Rote-Bete-Suppe (Deutsch)
- Barszcz polaco – Sopa clara de remolacha (Español)
- Barszcz polonais – Soupe claire à la betterave (Français)
- Barszcz polacco – Zuppa chiara di barbabietola (Italiano)
- البارشتش البولندي – شوربة شمندر صافية (العربية)
- Barszcz Polandia – Sup Bit Bening (Bahasa Indonesia)
- ポーランド風バルシチ — 澄んだビーツのスープ (日本語)
- บาร์ชช์โปแลนด์ – ซุปบีทรูทใส (ไทย)
- Barszcz Poland – Sup Bit Jernih (Bahasa Melayu)
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