Kapuśniak - vegan version of Polish classic

 Kapuśniak [read: khapooshnyak] is a Polish soup - a complete classic. The main ingredient of it is sauerkraut. 

Sauerkraut has been having a moment for the past couple of years. In the UK it can be extremely expensive [£4.99 - £14.99 for a small jar!!!!!]. In Poland you can get it in every small local shop, as it is the vitamin powerhouse with helps to stay healthy during those famous Polish winters. 

The tip for you - try to get sauerkraut form a Polish or Lithuanian shop around you. It may taste better, and it will be cheaper. Or...make your own. Maybe I shall post a recipe with sauerkraut making tips? 

Anyway back to our today's kapusniak. Traditionally it is made with some bacon cracklings, or a smoked Polish sausage, and with potatoes.We did not have potatoes, so I replaced them with lentils! Protein instead of carbs - good swap! 

This version is completely vegan, using smoked paprika for the authentic flavour. 

Let's get cooking!

All vegetables are of medium/ average size. Not too small, not massively large, although I know how imprecisely this sounds 😄. But, trust me, everything will be just fine.

2 onions chopped

2 carots cut in large chunks

200g of celeriac [one can be massive, about 1 kg], cut in chunks

2 parsnips cut in chunks

6 Tbsp cooling oil [sunflower or rapeseed oil is good]

4 cloves

3-4 garlic cloves crushed 

10 juniper berries

1 tsp caraway seeds

2 bay leaves 

1 tsp marjoram

1,5 tsp salt [to start with, you may need to add more at the end, to your taste]

In a 4-5 l pot heat up oil and add everything from above. Cook for about 10-15 minutes on medium, occasionally stirring.

Now add:

200g split red lentils [they cook very quickly and have a mild sweet flavour]

1 tsp sweet paprika powder

1,5 tsp smoked paprika powder

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp ground mustard seeds

and cook for another 30sec or 1 minute. Paprika does not need a lot of frying, as it can get bitter, so it is better to add it at this stage. It is fine with cooking in liquids.

Now add 1,5 l of water, bring to boil and simmer for 15 minutes, to soften lentils. 

And now we add the main ingredient:

1 kg of sauerkraut [yes, around this much. In a Polish shop you can get sauerkraut in big jars. They contain 800g-1kg of sauerkraut. Do not drain it, just add all in. The more sour the cabbage, the better. 

Add 1 more litre of water, cover the pot and cook for 1/2 hour on small.

Taste before serving. It there is not enough salt - add to your taste. It there soup in not sour enough - add some freshly squeezed lemon juice. I prefer the soup to be more sour then salty, thats why I do not add a lot of salt to it. 

Also, as any cabbage dish, it taste better the next day. 

Enjoy! 😊

Kasia