Ramadan food: Hot or cold Russian borscht

Iftar soups

When it is time to break the fast, it is best to ease into eating, rather than going straight for a full-on meal. After having a few dates with tahini or yoghurt, the next best thing before eating is to have soup. But after a while inspiration runs thin for this Ramadan staple. Here we present a soup-a-day to help with culinary brain-freeze during the Holy Month.

Hot or cold Russian borscht
Ingredients
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup canned beetroot, drained
1 tablespoon sugar
4 cups beef stock or beef Maggi in 4 cups water
Salt and pepper
1 lemon, juice only
Optional for serving: Yoghurt or sour cream

Method
Melt butter in a large pan over low heat and slowly cook the onion, carrot, and garlic, turning the vegetables over in the butter. When starting to brown, add beetroot. Stir and continue to cook a few minutes more.
Add sugar and stock to the pan and season with a few grinds of pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook on low heat for about 40 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
Using a blender, puree the soup until it is entirely smooth, then add the lemon juice and salt to taste. Garnish with sour cream or yoghurt, if you like.