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Chilled Beetroot, Tomato & Watermelon Soup {A Summery Borscht}

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Summer Borscht {chilled beets, tomato & watermelon soup}

We’ve been trying to eat as much fresh vegetables and fruits as one possibly can this summer. And it feels good. We’ve also been trying to get our hands on the freshest produce we can. After every visit to the Farmer’s Market, I’m almost tempted to throw together a loaded veggie pizza, but I just cannot imagine cranking up the oven all the way to 450. Ouch! So far it’s been quick zucchini stir fries, Indian style mixed vegetable curries, pan-fried eggplants and okra, and of course, fresh salads.

I had some beets lying around. Just when I was wondering what to do with them that would involve minimum prep work, I thought of soups. I’ve never been a fan of cold soups, not even in summer. To me, a bowl of soup must be piping hot, scorching my lips and tongue, even in the middle of a heat wave. I’m never tempted by the thought of a cold gazpacho or a bowl of ceviche. How can one possibly eat a bowl of cold stuff unless its dessert?

Chilled Beetroot, Watermelon & Tomato Soup

But one really hot day, I decided to make those beets into a cold soup. I cooked them with some tomatoes and ginger. Then I added in a good amount of ripe watermelon chunks while blitzing the cooked vegetables. If its going to be cold, it might as well have fruit in it! It worked like a charm. You can also throw in your favorite fresh herbs (think basil, mint or cilantro). Just chill it and enjoy a cold bowl of (almost) borscht. Borscht usually doesn’t contain fruit, so let’s just call it an almost borscht – a summery version of it perhaps?

Watermelon Chunks for Chilled Soup

This is a great soup to make on a Friday evening. Just let it sit in the fridge overnight, go have fun outdoors, and when you come home beat in the evening, you have a nutritious and chilled bowl of soup waiting for you. You can blend the soup till all the vegetables and fruit are fully pureed or you can leave a few chunks lying as such. Better still, reserve a few pieces of beetroot and watermelon and add to the soup while serving. I like finding such bits to chew on in my soup. (Do I sound like a spoiled brat? I don’t like chilled soup, don’t care for pureed soup and all that. Guess who passed on the fussy gene to Boy!)

Beetroot, Watermelon & Tomato Cold Soup

The brave can still crank up the oven to roast the vegetables. I just cooked it in a large pot on the stove. That way you can reserve the cooking liquid if you need to thin the soup later. Add a tiny bit of cream, yogurt or sour cream while blending the soup. The final color will depend on how many beets and how much dairy you use. And my vegan buddies can add coconut milk instead of cream or yogurt. Throw together a fresh green salad and it’s like having a summer picnic inside with air-conditioning and real china!

Fresh Greens & Dried Cranberries Salad

The soup is really easy and of course, entirely customizable. Add a few spoons of sugar or orange juice if you don’t want to use watermelon. To make it heartier, add lots of vegetables like leeks, carrots and celery.

Cold Summer Borscht {chilled beets, tomato & watermelon soup}

Here’s the recipe.

SUMMER BORSCHT {CHILLED BEETROOT, TOMATO & WATERMELON SOUP}

You will need: (Makes 5 cups)

  • Beetroot – 2 medium-sized
  • Tomato – 1
  • Ginger – a 2-inch piece, roughly chopped
  • Cilantro leaves – 3-4 sprigs
  • Watermelon chunks – 2-2 1/2 cups (as per taste)
  • Yogurt/cream/sour cream/coconut milk – 1/4 cup (or more as per taste)
  • Salt and pepper – to taste
  • Water – as needed

Chilled Beetroot, Watermelon & Tomato Soup Ingredients

How to:

  •  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (enough to comfortably submerge the beets and tomato). Add the beets, tomato, ginger and a couple of sprigs of cilantro. Reduce the heat and cook the vegetables.
  • The tomatoes will be soft in just a couple of minutes. Remove it and peel the skin off when slightly cooled. Keep aside.
  • Cook the beets further, maybe half an hour or so. Once done (a knife or fork will easily pierce the flesh), remove the beets, cool slightly and peel them. Save half of a beet if you like to add them chopped to the soup.
  • Strain the cooking liquid, discard the ginger and cilantro and cool slightly. Reserve some of it to thin the soup as required.
  • Blend together the beets, tomato, watermelon chunks and yogurt/cream/coconut milk. Add some of the stock till desired consistency is reached. I went for a pouring consistency and used about 1/2 cup of stock.
  • Finish by blending in pepper powder and more salt as per taste. Taste and add more watermelon or stock or yogurt or even some lemon juice. Serve chilled along with some of the chopped beets and garnished with fresh cilantro leaves.

Notes:

  • If you want, you can blend the ginger too along with the beets and watermelon. Use herbs of your choice as well.
  • You can cook the beets by wrapping them in foil and roasting them in the oven.
  • If you don’t want to use watermelon, add a few spoons of sugar or orange juice while blending. To make the soup heartier, add more cooked vegetables like leeks, carrots and celery.
  • Make sure the watermelon chunks are well chilled, this will cool the soup once blended. Otherwise, refrigerate the soup for a while and serve chilled.
  • Serve with more cream or yogurt over the soup if you’d like.

Chilled Summer Borsht (Beet Soup)

Do try this lovely (and easy) soup for a delicious and nutritious summer meal.

Tell me, do you like cold/chilled soup? Any favorite recipes? Do share.

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Comments

  5. Gorgeous Anjana, I can’t get over that amazing red color! What a treat for a cup of soup in the summertime. Oh and by the way, I had some friends over for an Indian vegetarian meal last night. One of the things I prepared was your spinach/potato parathas. I’ll be blogging on it another time and of course will give you the credit 🙂 It turned out amazing, and quite simple really. I was worried about adding the spinach and potato to the mix, but honestly it was all great, and tasted even better. Thanks 🙂

    Reply

  11. Happy Happy Fiesta Friday Anjana!! Wow! This looks so deliciously refreshing…and that color…oh, that color! It’s the beauty of the combination of those wonderful summer fruits and vegetables… Your photos are spectacular! It’s the perfect dish to bring to our table tonight! Thank you so much for sharing this with all of us… LOVE. <3

    Reply

  23. This is the first refreshing soup I have seen, Anjana! Heating up the oven up to 450 is really crazy when the sun is screaming hot. Thanks for bringing this to FF table. Happy FF to you! 🙂

    Reply

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