In a large pot, over medium-high heat, add the sunflower oil. Once that’s shimmering, add the pork ribs and brown the meat for about 20 minutes.

Once the meat has been browned, turn the heat to medium, add the diced onion and saute for about 4-5 minutes.

Add the grated carrot and saute for another 4-5 minutes.

Add the drained sauerkraut. If you want the kapusniak to be less sour, you could rinse the sauerkraut under running cold water first. We didn’t as we prefer the kapusniak to be sour.

Add 3 bay leaves.

Add 1 cup of hot boiled water, and mix everything.

Cover the pot with a lid and leave it on medium-low heat on the stove for about 15 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, and sugar. Mix and put the lid back on and keep cooking for about 10-15 minutes.

Add 4 cups of boiled water and keep cooking over medium-low heat until the sauerkraut is soft and the meat falls off the bones. For us, that was another 45-50 minutes. That will depend on the meat and sauerkraut you use, so just check it from time to time.

Pull the meat out, pull the meat off the bones, and put just the meat back into the sauerkraut soup.

Once ready, you can ladle the soup into bowls, piping hot from the pot.