BELARUS

COUNTRY	Belarus
Dishes	Draniki (Potato Latke), Borscht
Time	1 hour
Effort	5/10
Rough cost	£5

COUNTRY	Belarus
Capital	Minsk
Population	9, 491, 446 (93rd)
Land mass	207, 595 km2 (84th)
Languages	Belarusian, Russian
Religions	no official, but primarily orthodox Christianity

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Lockdown grub-trott number 4 – Belarus! We kept it simple and went for the national dish Draniki, which is a fried potato cake, and Borscht, which is a delicious beetroot soup. Both of these dishes are comforting and so tasty, cheap and easy to make. Lets jump right in!

RECIPES

Draniki (Potato Latke) *vegan

INGREDIENTS

• 6 large potatoes, peeled + grated
• 1 large onion, grated
• 1/2 tsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika 
• vegetable oil for frying
• *optional can add 1 egg to the mix, in order to help it bind a bit

TO SERVE *optional

• sour cream  
• applesauce
• crispy, salty bacon bits

METHOD

1. Peel and grate the potatoes. Place grated pieces in a bowl of water. 
2. When all of the potatoes have soaked, drain the excess water through a dish-cloth or muslin.
3. Mix the rest of the ingredients into the potatoes. Take around 3 tbsp of mixture and form a flattened patty shape.
4. Heat the veg oil on the stove in a heavy bottomed pan. When oil is hot enough, add the patty, flatten with a spatula, and fry until brown. Flip and fry until the other side is brown.
5. Drain on paper towel to remove excess oil. Repeat!

TOPPINGS

• Apple sauce – cook chopped apples and blend to smooth
• Bacon bits – fry streaky bacon and cop into bits.

1. Serve with sour cream or apple sauce. Enjoy! 

Borscht (Beetroot soup) *vegan

INGREDIENTS

• 3 medium beetroots, sliced
• 2 large potatoes, diced
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 2 large chopped tomatoes
• 1 1/2 ltrs vegan stock, in water
• salt + pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Fry the onion and garlic in vegetable oil, until browned + soft.
2. Add the beetroots, carrot and potato to the mix and heat for 3 minutes.
3. Then add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Add the tomato and salt + pepper. Cook for a further 20 minutes.
5. At this point, you have 2 choices: Let it cool + enjoy OR let it cool, blitz + enjoy! *We went for the second option as Bridget loves smooth soup.

Dziakuj and see you in Belgium! M + B

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