July 17, 2009

Cold Beet Soup with Kefir, Cucumbers, Dill and Egg

It's the middle of July and we still haven't had a good summer weather here. Yes, we had a couple of hot days here and there, but overall it doesn't feel like summer yet. But still, when the weather is above 24C (75F) and it's humid, I don't feel like cooking. So, I've been having a lot of sandwiches and... soups. Yes, soups, just cold soups. Actually, just one cold soup in particular. I discovered it last summer and spent a few months eating it practically every day, the combination of ingredients might sound weird to you, but the taste is phenomenal! I am not sure about the origin of this recipe, some say it's Russian, some say it's Lithuanian or Latvian, but regardless of where it came from, it's amazingly tasty, filling and refreshing.The recipe is really versatile and the ingredients can be added, increased, decreased or omitted according to taste, I've been known to exclude beets all together and added radishes. I've heard that it's really good with piping hot boiled potatoes on the side. It's a perfect easy summer soup!

Cold Soup with Kefir, Beets, Egg, Cucumber, Radishes, Green Onion and Dill

recipe adapted from carina-forum

  • Beets, boiled or baked, grated - 1 large or 2 small
  • Cucumbers, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes - 2 small
  • Eggs, boiled, chopped - 4
  • Dill, finely chopped - 4 tablespoons or more to taste
  • Green onion, chopped - 2 (optional)
  • Radishes, chopped - 5 (optional)
  • Lots of salt
  • Kefir - 700 ml or more if you'd like a thinner soup

 

- Mix all the ingredients together and season to taste! It's that easy!

Comments
- Sometimes I am asked about the taste of this concoction. How does it taste? Well, all those ingredients without kefir make a pretty good salad, so it's sort of like a salad with lots of dressing, a.k.a kefir. Try it, it's great!!!

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15 comments

I make this with buttermilk instead of kefir. My husband thinks he has died and gone to heaven! The color in the picture is perfect...and is very hard to describe to someone!
Alyce posted on Jul 17, 2009 at 18:38
That looks delicious - beet makes such a wonderful summery soup.
chocolate shavings posted on Jul 17, 2009 at 21:54
It does look good!
peachkins posted on Jul 17, 2009 at 22:42
Oh wow, The color pops out at you! It must have tasted awesome!
Amrita posted on Jul 18, 2009 at 08:38
The color alone should convince anyone to try it. Any food that can attain that vibrancy (without, of course, food coloring) has got to be good for you. Plus, it sounds like it's delicious. I can get behind this!

Best,
Casey
Editor
www.tastestopping.wordpress.com
TasteStopping posted on Jul 18, 2009 at 09:03
Alyce, thanks, the colours do pop :) I like buttermilk in cakes, pancakes and marinades, but I am not a fan of its raw taste somehow. But you are absolutely right buttermilk and kefir are interchangable.

Chocolate shavings, yep, beets always associate with summer for me, although we (russians) have some wintery dishes with beets.

Peachkins, thanks :)

Amrita, thanks :) and it tasted really really good!

Casey, I hope you try it some day because it's really good, very tasty, filling, refreshing and... healthy :)
Julia posted on Jul 18, 2009 at 10:24
Looks amazing and soo familiar - for the last couple of days the weather here (here=Warsaw, Poland) is more tropical than European, so cold soup like this one You have presented here are my foodie heroes. Especially the version with beetroots and loads of dill. As I come from Poland, such a soup (in Polish chlodnik, which one could translate as "Coldie" in English) is a traditional Polish dish, though it is called here "Lithuanian cold soup" ("chłodnik litewski"). I assume that the name cames from the very old days, when the territory of today Lithuania had belonged to Poland. But whoever You would ask in Poland, he would say it is the best Polish summer dish You can get. Well, maybe together with dumplings with blueberries, served with chilled, sweetened, sour cream and some mint leaves. Yum!
malgosia posted on Jul 19, 2009 at 07:11
Malgosia, in Russian the name of the dish is very similar to the Polish name, it's called "Cholodnik". And I too love dumplings with berries (I prefer cherries) and sour cream :)
Julia posted on Jul 20, 2009 at 11:07
This makes me so nostalgic for my childhood! It looks absolutely delicious. Could we include it in the recipes on our website? We're collecting them here: http://lifeway.net/HealthWellness/RecipesSubmitRecipes.aspx We'd link back to you of course. Let me know if you don't mind.
Lifeway Anna posted on Jul 20, 2009 at 12:30
My mom makes this soup all the time in the summer - very delicious!! The color of yours really does "pop" :)
Anna posted on Jul 26, 2009 at 22:58
Anna, yes, it's a great summer soup :) It's not too hot here right now, but I'll make it again when the weather gets better
Julia posted on Jul 27, 2009 at 09:51
Lifeway Anna, yes, you may include this recipe on your site as long as you link back to my site :) Thanks!
Julia posted on Jul 27, 2009 at 10:02
That looks and sounds delish! One question, what is kefir? Thx. jan
Jan posted on Jul 30, 2009 at 16:44
Jan, thanks! Kefir is similar to buttermilk, but a little different. I am sure that it can be substituted in this recipe with buttermilk. Usually Kefir is sold in organic sections of supermarkets, I see it in almost every store now. Here's some info on Kefir
Julia posted on Jul 30, 2009 at 23:56
It's national tradicional Lithuanian dish. Enjoy :)
Lietuvaite posted on Jan 07, 2010 at 20:03

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