Okroshka (Oкрoшка)
If ever there were a soup to divide a dinner table, it would be okroshka. To be sure, you either love it, hate it, or just plain don’t understand the appeal. I for one really enjoy the cold Russian soup in most of its forms, like when kvas or buttermilk is used as its base. Basically, okroshka is part soup and part salad. It’s a combination of diced, uncooked vegetables, mainly cucumbers, green onions, radishes, and dill, as well as diced boiled potatoes and eggs, and diced veal bologna, ham, salo, or cooked meat like ground beef or sausage. It’s often topped with smetana (sour cream) and diluted with water or sparkling water depending on what liquid the soup is made with, like buttermilk or kefir, but not with kvas as it’s already fizzy.
For those of you unfamiliar, kvas is a non-alcoholic fermented rye bread drink that is bubbly and tastes sweet. I like it, but many people can’t wrap their brains around using it for soup. That’s where the buttermilk or kefir versions come in. These two iterations have a completely different flavor profile than the kvas version. They’re creamier and richer, and the latter of which tastes tangy and sour. I suggest you start out with the buttermilk version because, in my experience, it’s the safest bet if you don’t know whether or not you’ll like this slice of summer dish. However, I really enjoy both the kvas and buttermilk styles of okroshka, but not so much the kefir one. I’ll explain more about that later.
This photo is pretty much what a dacha smells like
Russians must really love chopping and dicing food, eh?
Okroshka is a very easy recipe to prepare. All you have to do is peel vegetables, dice or mince the ingredients, and mix everything together. The only parts of this soup that need to be cooked are the eggs and potatoes, which only need to be boiled. I like to lightly salt everything before I pour in the soup portion, but when I’m using salo and not bologna or ham I use a considerably less amount because pork belly is salty enough on its own. On the whole, it’s a healthy and nourishing dish that basically tastes like summer.
I initially had Okroshka when I was in my early twenties visiting a friend in Krasnoyarsk, Russia on my first three-month stint to the country. At the time, I was a vegetarian, so I ate this salad without any meat in it and I still enjoyed the recipe very much. I had the kvas version before the others, and as you can imagine, Okroshka was unlike any food that I had up until that point. I thought the concept was so strange, which of course meant that I had to try it. However, since my diet was plant-based, I was hard-pressed to find someone who was willing to make it for me without any meat in it, but luckily the friend I was staying with didn’t mind omitting the bologna for me.
Pre mix
Post mix
Okroshka with kvas
Okroshka with buttermilk
I have to say, I think okroshka is a bit of an acquired taste. I pretty much don’t know anyone that likes it besides my Russian or Ukrainian friends who grew up eating it, especially the kvas version, which more than a few people I know say is too sweet or just plain weird to eat because it’s essentially a fizzy, fermented bread soda soup. Personally, I enjoy the kvas and buttermilk versions the best and the kefir base the least. I just think it smells and tastes really off-putting, and yet, I keep trying it expecting to eventually like it at some point! Alas, the sour, funky flavor isn’t so appealing to me. I know as a fermented milk beverage, it has lots of probiotics, so it’s definitely good for you. Despite my distaste for the drink, there are plenty of people who love it, but I’m just not one of them. To each their own, I guess!
Additionally, if you try this soup with kvas, buttermilk, or kefir and you’re still not into it, just eat the okroshka as a salad with a little sour cream. You can even use your favorite salad dressing and toss the ingredients over some lettuce or baby spinach and it will taste great, too. Also, okroshka is meant to be eaten with a ratio similar to cereal and milk and it should also be served cold. I like to dip brown bread into my soup after I’ve polished off the vegetables, but maybe that’s the Italian in me always getting my bread dip on whenever possible!
Vkusno!
Ingredients
1 qt of half sweet kvas or 1 qt of buttermilk diluted with 2 cups of water or sparkling water (or alternatively, kefir diluted with 2 cups of water or sparkling water)
1/4-1/3 lb of bologna or ham or salo (diced)
2-3 potatoes (boiled, peeled, and diced)
1 bunch (7-10) of radishes (diced)
2 pickling cucumbers (peeled and diced)
4 eggs (hard-boiled and diced)
3 green onions (sliced)
1 bunch of minced fresh dill (at least 1/2 cup)
Salt and pepper to taste
(optional) 1 dollop of smetana (sour cream) to serve per bowl (with kvas version)
(optional): 2 1/2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard for buttermilk or kefir versions
(optional): 2 tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice for the buttermilk version
Cooking Instructions
Boil the potatoes in salted water and remove them when they are cooked and tender. After they are cool, peel and dice the potatoes
Boil the eggs and set them aside in cold water. After they are cool, peel and dice the eggs
Peel and dice the cucumbers, then dice the radishes, slice the green onions, and mince the dill. Lightly salt the vegetables
Dice the bologna, ham, or salo
Combine the ingredients in a bowl and pour the kvas or diluted buttermilk or diluted kefir over the mixture
Salt and pepper to taste and add a dollop of smetana (sour cream) on top of each individual bowl (omit this step if using buttermilk or kefir). Serve with brown bread
