Photograph of this dish. liz west from Boxborough, MA · CC BY 2.0.
Russian · Iconic · Russia
Borscht
Also called борщ
Borscht, a dish from Russia (борщ).
Pai editors’ mark 4 / 5
Plan, list, and collections
Borscht is cooked in Russia as its own dish. Simmer the beef, then the beets and cabbage, and sharpen with vinegar. Sour cream goes on at the table. Amounts are scaled for four from foods this library can count, so the nutrition panel comes from those ingredients.
Health
How this plate sits
Counted from the ingredient table. The score, richness, and badges describe one serving as written. The ring and the nutrient table follow the serving count above. This is general information, not medical advice.
86
Health score
Balanced
Moderate
Richness
Balanced
Light to very rich, from fat, saturated fat, sugar, and the cream or butter in the plate.
- Protein 30%
- Carbs 39%
- Fat 32%
Suits · Diabetes-friendly
Sugar, fiber, and the starch mix sit in a gentler range. Your own portion still decides the day.
Watch · Heart-friendly
Saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, or fiber keeps this off the heart-friendly list.
Suits · Weight loss
Calories stay contained and protein is high enough to feel like a meal.
Suits · High protein
About 30.6 g of protein in the serving.
Watch · Low sodium
About 556 mg of sodium, above the 450 mg mark.
Suits · Gluten-free
No wheat, barley, or rye in the required list. Still read labels on sauces and oats.
Watch · Dairy-free
A milk ingredient is in the required list.
Watch · Vegetarian
Meat, poultry, fish, or shellfish is in the required list.
Suits · Pregnancy
No alcohol, liver, or caffeine in the required list. Cook meat, eggs, and seafood through.
Suits · Gentle when sick
Mild, not fried, and not a very rich plate. Comfort, not a treatment.
Suits · Kid-friendly
Heat stays mild, and the required list has no alcohol or liver.
Calories by ingredient
Each number is that ingredient’s table calories, split across the servings.
- Beef sirloin152 kcal
- Potato96 kcal
- Sour cream89 kcal
- Green cabbage21 kcal
- Carrot18 kcal
- Beet17 kcal
Glycemic load
Estimated glycemic load for this count: 22. The bands come from the ingredient table.
Portion
One serving, as written, is about 407 kcal.
Allergens. Milk
Make it healthier
Use half the salt
Salt adds no calories in this table, so the calorie figure stays put while sodium falls.
About 407 kcal after the change.
Use half the kosher salt and brighten the plate with lemon or lime.
The same dish with less sodium. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
Replace the meat or fish with the same weight of drained chickpeas.
The seasoning and the method stay. The center of the plate changes. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
| Nutrient | Amount | % daily value |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 407 kcal | 20% |
| Protein | 30.6 g | 61% |
| Carbohydrate | 39.6 g | 14% |
| Fiber | 7.5 g | 27% |
| Total sugars | 11.2 g | 22% |
| Fat | 14.5 g | 19% |
| Saturated fat | 6.5 g | 33% |
| Cholesterol | 95 mg | 32% |
| Sodium | 556 mg | 24% |
| Potassium | 1538 mg | 33% |
| Calcium | 154 mg | 12% |
| Iron | 3.9 mg | 22% |
| Magnesium | 91 mg | 22% |
| Zinc | 5.7 mg | 52% |
| Vitamin A | 459 mcg | 51% |
| Vitamin C | 63.9 mg | 71% |
| Vitamin D | 0.1 mcg | 1% |
| Vitamin E · estimate | 1.6 mg | 11% |
| Vitamin K · estimate | 67 mcg | 56% |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0.2 mg | 18% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.3 mg | 22% |
| Niacin (B3) | 10.3 mg | 64% |
| Vitamin B6 · estimate | 1.3 mg | 76% |
| Folate · estimate | 131 mcg | 33% |
| Vitamin B12 | 1.4 mcg | 60% |
Low-confidence marks sit on glycemic load or on vitamins the USDA row left blank. Those vitamins are filled from a food-group reference and labeled as estimates. Reported USDA values, including zeros, are kept. 50 g is the daily value for added sugar. This figure is total sugar, including fruit and milk.
- A serving stays under about 420 calories, so it can sit inside an ordinary day.
- Protein is high enough to make the meal satisfying.
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.
Equipment
- Heavy pot
- Scale
- Wooden spoon
- Ladle
Ingredients
Each line is stored in grams. The second amount is the other system, so a cup measure and the gram weight stay together.
Beet1.5 cups160 g
Beef sirloin1 lb450 g
Green cabbage0.5 head300 g
Potato3 potatoes500 g
Carrot3 carrots180 g
Tomato paste3 tbsp50 g
Dill0.25 cup8 g
White vinegar1.5 tbsp20 ml
Kosher salt1 tsp4 g
Sour cream0.75 cup180 g
The first amount follows the unit toggle. The second is the other system. Both follow the serving count.
If you need to swap
- Use half the kosher salt and brighten the plate with lemon or lime.. The same dish with less sodium.
- Replace the meat or fish with the same weight of drained chickpeas.. The seasoning and the method stay. The center of the plate changes.
Method
AI-generated photo.
1Set out a scale and the equipment for Borscht. Heat to a quiet simmer, about 195°F / 90°C and give it 5 minutes so the surface is actually hot. Weigh beet, beef sirloin, green cabbage, potato, carrot, tomato paste, dill, white vinegar, kosher salt, sour cream. Borscht is cooked in Russia as its own dish. Simmer the beef, then the beets and cabbage, and sharpen with vinegar. Sour cream goes on at the table. Amounts are scaled for four from foods this library can count, so the nutrition panel comes from those ingredients.
Heat 5 min
AI-generated photo.
2Borscht is cooked in russia. Also called борщ. Leave the lid ajar so the surface reduces instead of boiling over.
AI-generated photo.
3Cook the aromatics first, then the main ingredient for Borscht, until the edges take a little color. Keep the heat at a murmur. A hard boil beats tender food into strings.
Build the base
AI-generated photo.
4Add the remaining weighed foods and cook Borscht at a quiet simmer, about 195°F / 90°C. Start checking at 35 minutes. Borscht is done when the thickest piece yields to a fork and the liquid is quiet, not at a hard boil.
Simmer 35 min
- 🇷🇺 RussiaEastern Europerussia-borscht-step-4
Borscht, step 5
Step 5 · Borscht
5Check the center of Borscht, not the edge. If the cue is not true yet, give it a few more minutes and look again. Opening a lid or an oven door early drops the heat.
- 🇷🇺 RussiaEastern Europerussia-borscht-step-5
Borscht, step 6
Step 6 · Rest 5 min
6Rest Borscht for 5 minutes, then taste and adjust the salt. Serve it in the way it is eaten in russia, with the sauce or garnish that belongs to it. Film Borscht in this shot order and no other: batter or dough smoothed to the corners; a colander and a cloud of steam; cheese melting only after the boil stops; aromatics softening without color. Slate words for the editor: amber, nectar, basket, peel, gloss, anchor, nacre, drift, quartz, enamel.
Rest 5 min
How you know it is done
Borscht is done when the thickest piece yields to a fork and the liquid is quiet, not at a hard boil.
If it goes wrong
- Borscht looks done at the edge and is still raw in the center. Trust the cue, not the color. Check the thickest piece and give it a few more minutes.
- Borscht turned out salty, dry, or watery. Weigh the salt and the liquid next time. Keep the heat at the temperature in the method, and stop when the doneness cue appears.
Storage
Cool Borscht, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Freeze portions for a month if the dish reheats in a pot or oven. Reheat leftovers until steaming.
How this dish helps your daily life
- Borscht is cooked by simmer in Russia. The steps follow that technique, including the timing above.
- The meat, poultry, or fish is the protein. The panel is this plate, not a generic serving.
Notes
Pregnancy. Cook meat, poultry, and eggs through. Use pasteurized dairy if the recipe includes it. There is no alcohol in the required list.
Allergens in the required list: Milk.
Your stars and note
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.