Western Restaurant Borscht Recipe

I. Ingredients
Vegetables
1 medium - sized onion
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
Half a head of cabbage
2 tomatoes
1 potato
Meat and Others
200g sirloin brisket
2 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 teaspoon of paprika
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
1 bay leaf
800ml beef broth (if not available, water can be used instead)
II. Steps
Pre - process the ingredients
Peel and dice the onion, carrots, and potato. Dice the celery, shred the cabbage, cut the tomatoes into chunks, and cut the sirloin brisket into small pieces. Mince the garlic for later use.
Fry the beef
Pour a little oil into the pot and heat it over medium - high heat. Put the sirloin brisket pieces into the pot and fry until their surfaces change color and turn slightly golden. Then take out the beef and set it aside.
Stir - fry the vegetables
Melt the butter in the remaining oil in the pot. Add the diced onion and stir - fry until it becomes semi - transparent. Then add the diced carrots, celery, and minced garlic, and stir - fry for about 5 minutes until the vegetables become slightly soft.
Add the shredded cabbage and continue to stir - fry for 3 - 5 minutes until the cabbage starts to wilt.
Add tomatoes and sauce
Put the tomato chunks into the pot and stir - fry for a few minutes until the tomatoes release their juice.
Add the tomato paste and paprika, and stir well. Keep stir - frying for 2 - 3 minutes to fully blend the flavors.
Simmer the ingredients
Put the fried sirloin brisket back into the pot, pour in the beef broth (or water), add the bay leaf, black pepper powder, salt, and sugar, and stir evenly.
Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn to low heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 30 - 40 minutes until the vegetables are tender, the soup is thick, and all the flavors are well - integrated.
Season and serve
Taste the soup and adjust the seasonings by adding salt, pepper, or sugar according to personal taste.
Ladle the borscht into bowls and serve it while it's hot. If you like, you can garnish the soup with a spoonful of sour cream.