Koji
Bright Red Beetroot Borscht with Shio Koji
A beef and vegetable soup coloured deep red with beetroot. Half the beetroot is cut into matchsticks and simmered; the other half is grated and added at the end so the colour stays vivid. Served with sour cream and dill.
- Serves
- Serves 4
- Time
- About 1 hour 40 minutes
Ingredients
- Beef round (or shin), in one piece400 g
- Shio koji (for the beef)2 tsp
- Peppera little
- Beetroot150 g (1 medium)
- White wine vinegar (or other vinegar)2 tbsp
- Onion1
- Carrot1/2
- Celery5 cm
- Garlic1 clove
- Potatoes2
- Cabbage150 g (about 1/8)
- Olive oil1 tbsp
- White wine100 ml
- Water800 ml
- Bay leaf1
- Salt1 tsp, or to taste
- Peppera little
To serve
- Sour creamas you like
- Dill (or parsley)as you like
Method
- Cut the beef into 3 cm cubes and season with the shio koji and pepper.
- Peel the beetroot. Cut half into matchsticks and grate the other half. Toss each with 1 tbsp of the vinegar.
- Cut the onion and carrot into 1 cm dice, slice the celery thinly and finely chop the garlic. Cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces and soak in water. Roughly chop the cabbage.
- Warm the olive oil, garlic and celery in a pot over low heat. When fragrant, turn to medium, add the beef and brown it all over.
- Add the wine and let it bubble for about 1 minute, then add the water and bay leaf. When it boils, skim, set the lid ajar and simmer on low for about 1 hour, until the beef is tender.
- Add the onion, carrot and beetroot matchsticks and simmer for about 15 minutes.
- Add the potatoes, cabbage and grated beetroot and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the potatoes are soft.
- Season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with sour cream and dill.
Tips
- Shio koji is a Japanese seasoning made from rice koji, salt and water. It seasons the beef and helps keep it tender. Find it at Japanese grocery stores or online, or make your own. If you have none, season the beef with a little salt instead.
- Tossing the beetroot with vinegar keeps the colour from fading. Adding the grated half at the end makes it even brighter.
- Beef round softens in about 1 hour, shin in about 1 1/2 hours. In a pressure cooker, step 5 takes about 15 minutes at pressure.
- Stir the sour cream in as you eat for a mellow, tangy richness.
- The flavours settle overnight. Keeps 2–3 days in the fridge. Reheat without boiling hard to keep the colour.
Chie made this borscht on a cold evening and had it again the next morning. The beetroot red looks its best in a white bowl, shio koji keeps the beef tender, and a spoonful of sour cream and herbs makes it feel like a feast.
See how to make it in Shio Koji, or make koji seasonings by hand in UMAMI & KOJI LAB in Tokyo.
