Equipment
Ingredients
Soup Base
- 15 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 yellow onion, finely diced
- 400 g waxy potatoes, peeled and diced into 1.5cm cubes
- 1000 ml vegetable stock, cold or room temperature
- 200 g fresh sorrel, washed, tough stems removed, roughly chopped
- fine sea salt
- black pepper, freshly ground
Garnish
- 4 eggs, large
- 120 g sour cream, chilled
- 15 g fresh dill, finely chopped
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 256 kcal
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbohydrates
- 22 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fiber
- 5 g
- Sugar
- 3 g
- Sodium
- 1337 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 7 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 4 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 212 mg
- Potassium
- 715 mg
- Calcium
- 154 mg
- Iron
- 4.8 mg
- Magnesium
- 39 mg
- Phosphorus
- 175 mg
- Zinc
- 1.2 mg
- Vitamin A
- 757 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 44 mg
- Vitamin D
- 1.0 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.7 mg
- Vitamin K
- 2 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.4 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.5 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.07 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.35 mg
- Niacin
- 1.2 mg
- Folate
- 55 mcg
- Water
- 181 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Using a chef's knife and cutting board, finely dice the onion and cut the potatoes into even 1.5 centimeter cubes. Wash the sorrel, trim away any thick fibrous stems, and chop the leaves roughly.
Melt the unsalted butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the diced yellow onions and saute until translucent and fragrant, being careful not to let them brown.
Pour the vegetable stock into the large pot and add the diced potatoes. Bring the liquid to a gentle boil at 100 degrees Celsius or 212 degrees Fahrenheit, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the potatoes are completely tender.
Remove the large pot from the heat completely. Stir the chopped sorrel leaves directly into the hot soup. The residual heat will wilt the leaves instantly. Season the soup with fine sea salt and black pepper to taste.
Transfer the hot soup to a large cooling bowl. Allow it to sit at room temperature for thirty minutes to let the steam blow off, then place it in the refrigerator to chill completely.
While the soup is chilling, place the eggs in a small saucepan of boiling water at 100 degrees Celsius or 212 degrees Fahrenheit and boil for nine minutes. Transfer immediately to an ice bath to stop the cooking, then peel and slice them in half.
Ladle the fully chilled soup into individual serving bowls. Top each bowl with two egg halves, a generous spoonful of sour cream, and a sprinkle of fresh chopped dill.
Chef's Notes
- Do not be alarmed when the vibrant green sorrel leaves instantly turn a drab olive color upon hitting the hot broth. This is a completely normal chemical reaction of the plant's chlorophyll responding to the heat and its own natural oxalic acid.
- If your sorrel is harvested early in the season and lacks its signature tart punch, you can stir in a small splash of fresh lemon juice or white vinegar just before chilling the soup to simulate the classic flavor profile.
- Waxy potatoes hold their shape beautifully in chilled soups. Starchy potatoes tend to break down and release starch into the broth, which can give cold liquids an unpleasantly grainy or gluey mouthfeel.
- For the absolute best presentation and texture, ensure the soup is completely chilled before stirring in the sour cream. Adding sour cream to warm or hot broth can cause the dairy to separate and curdle.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store the soup base separately from the egg and sour cream garnishes to maintain texture.
Reheating: This soup is designed to be eaten chilled. If preferred hot, gently warm over low heat without bringing to a boil to prevent the delicate sorrel from degrading.
Troubleshooting
The soup tastes overwhelmingly sour or astringent
Cause: Late-season sorrel leaves can develop a very high concentration of oxalic acid, making them intensely tart
Fix: Stir in an extra portion of sour cream into individual bowls and add a tiny pinch of white sugar to balance the astringency
Prevention: Taste a tiny piece of raw sorrel before cooking to gauge its natural acidity levels
The potatoes turned mushy and disintegrated into the broth
Cause: Starchy baking potatoes were used instead of waxy varieties, or they were boiled far too vigorously
Fix: Cannot be fixed structurally, but the soup will still be delicious as a thicker, rustic potato-sorrel potage
Prevention: Always use waxy potatoes like Yukon Gold or Charlotte and maintain a gentle simmer rather than a rolling boil
Cultural Context
Known widely as Green Borscht, Shchav, or Szczawiowa, this vibrantly tart soup is a cherished springtime and summer staple across Ukrainian, Polish, Russian, and Ashkenazi Jewish culinary traditions. Historically, wild sorrel was one of the very first edible green shoots to emerge from the thawing ground after long, harsh Eastern European winters, making this dish a deeply celebrated culinary marker of the changing seasons and returning warmth.
