This traditional Russian vinaigrette (vinegret) salad is a perfect winter dish incorporating root vegetables. You will love the convenience of cooking the vegetables in Instant Pot. Russian vinaigrette salad is healthy, refreshing and easy to make. Prepare it ahead of time for best flavour, and it will be ready to serve for quick meals anytime.
I have always been fascinated by traditional cultural foods and wisdom. When Lucy, my Russian cousin-in-law, taught me this dish, I was so excited to try it out. Not only this recipe is authentic, it is full of probiotics to heal the gut and improve digestion. Traditionally, Russian families make this vinaigrette salad with either pickles or sauerkraut. I used my homemade sauerkraut in this recipe, as how Lucy would make it.
Russian Vinaigrette Salad Ingredients
- Potato
- Beet
- Carrot
- Onion
- Sauerkraut
- Sunflower oil or olive oil
Instant Pot Method
Usually, cooks would boil root vegetables in this dish (potatoes, carrots and beets) in water on the stovetop. I used my Instant Pot instead, as pressure cooking saves time and the programmable functions of Instant Pot allow me to walk away during cooking.
I used the “steam” feature of Instant Pot and placed all the root vegetables on a trivet. This preserves more nutrients of the vegetables by not submerging them in water.
If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can still make this recipe. Simply boil or steam the vegetables with skins on, on the stove.
Preparation Tips
The following tips will help you make the most successful Russian vinaigrette salad.
- Cut the potatoes and beets in half, and place them skin side down on the trivet. This will cook the potatoes and beets evenly throughout.
- Keep the skins on the beets, potatoes and carrots during cooking to preserve nutrients. Peel the skins after steaming and cooling off the vegetables.
- Cut the steamed vegetables into small dices, about 1/4-inch size. This helps them to take on the flavour of the sauerkraut.
- Don’t waste the sauerkraut juice, use them along with the sauerkraut in this dish. Sauerkraut juice is full of nutrients and adds a punch as a dressing.
- Mix all the ingredients well and let them soak up the flavour of the sauerkraut. The salad tastes the best after a day.
Probiotic Russian Vinaigrette Salad
Not only this Russian vinaigrette salad is loaded with vegetables, it’s a great way to eat your probiotics too! Unpasteurized fermented sauerkraut has many health benefits – it is full of probiotic microbes and enzymes, nutritious, great for digestion, and it restores healthy gut flora.
You can find unpasteurized fermented sauerkrauts in the refrigerated section of some supermarkets. However, the sauerkrauts on the unrefrigerated shelves are pasteurized. They no longer contain live probiotic microbes, because the heat have killed them. Alternative to buying, you can make your own sauerkrauts to ensure they are of the best quality and have not been heated.
I used a plain homemade sauerkraut in this recipe, as how traditional Russian families would make this salad. But I think my pineapple-turmeric-ginger sauerkraut also goes extremely well in this Russian vinaigrette salad, with an even more interesting flavour.
More Healthy Salads You Will Love:
- Warm Brussels Sprout Salad in Miso Dressing
- Avocado Salad in Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing
- Smoked Salmon Potato Salad with Pickle Juice Dressing
- Cucumber Wakame Salad
- Tahini Lime Dressing + Sprouted Salad
- Instant Pot Beets Salad (Paleo, Whole 30, Vegan)
Instant Pot Russian Vinaigrette Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 medium beets unpeeled
- 2 medium potatoes unpeeled
- 2 medium carrots unpeeled
- 1/2 medium onion
- 1 1/2 cups sauerkraut with juice
- 2 tablespoons cold pressed sunflower oil or olive oil
Instructions
- Cut unpeeled potatoes and beets in half.
- Place a trivet inside the inner pot of Instant Pot. Add 2 cups of water into the inner pot.
- Place unpeeled whole carrots, halved potatoes and beets with skin side down on the trivet.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot. Close the pressure valve. Press the "steam" button, and set the Instant Pot on high pressure cooking for 15 mintues.
- Meanwhile, peel and thinly slice the onion.
- When steaming is done, manually release the pressure of Instant Pot immediately. Open the Instant Pot and let the vegetables cool to the temperature touchable by hands.
- Remove the skins of cooked potatoes, beets and carrots. Cube the vegetables into same size, about 1/4-inch dices.
- Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Serve immediately, or marinate for 1 day for best flavour. Store the salad in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
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