The Main Secrets Of Making Delicious Okroshka

Okroshka is a light cold summer soup, one of the few cold soups that have taken root in Russian-speaking countries. Speaking about his recipe, you can deploy serious battles.

Okroshka is a light cold summer soup, one of the few cold soups that have taken root in Russian-speaking countries. Speaking about his recipe, you can deploy serious battles. After all, every cook has his own opinion about the necessity and appropriateness of certain ingredients in a dish. But we still dare to give a number of recommendations that can make your okroshka even better.

 

Chop finely, but not all

Yes, okroshka is from the word “crush”, but there are tricks here. Potatoes and meat / fish are cut a little larger than radishes and cucumbers, and you can even grind them on a grater. This will make the texture of the dish more expressive.

Meat selection

The best option is boiled chicken or turkey, because this meat has a low fat content. Before using after cooking, it must be dried in a colander to stack the broth. If you prefer sausage, then also choose low-fat types, the so-called "varenka" is better. If meat products let fat into the okroshka liquid, it loses its refreshing effect.

Which fish is best?

For fish okroshka, types of fish with a sweetish aftertaste are suitable, for example, pink salmon, pike perch, tench, trout, cod. It is better to take immediately peeled fillets.

To cook fish for okroshka, cut the fillet into cubes, put it in a gauze bag and tie it, then dip it in boiling water for 15 minutes. You can salt or fish in advance, or water.

 

Potatoes are boiled in their skins

Then it will be crumbly when it cools, and it will be able to interact well with dressings. Boiling it in a peeled form, you will get loose and unpleasant-tasting potatoes in okroshka.

fill

Okroshka can be poured with whey, mineral water, kefir, cucumber pickle or white kvass, although for many it is rye dark sweetish kvass that is ideal. Kefir and mineral water can be mixed in equal proportions.

If you prefer kvass as a filling for okroshka, then add grated egg yolks to it, then the taste will be richer. By the way, the yolks before adding can be mixed with soft mustard, pepper or grated horseradish.

Avoid garlic

Although garlic is a versatile spice, its oily taste and aroma will be superfluous for okroshka. They will overpower the smells of other fresh vegetables rather than reveal them. The only exception may be green shoots of garlic.

 

Refueling

This is not a mandatory component of okroshka, but it can add variety to the dish. For a non-dairy filling, the dressing can be a spoonful of sour cream or homemade mayonnaise just before serving.

Grind greens with salt

Fresh herbs will give a brighter and richer flavor if finely chopped and ground in a mortar before serving.

Several ice cubes

In the hot season, the okroshka heats up quickly, so add a few ice cubes to the bowl.

 

Do not pour the entire vegetable mixture at once

Greens, filling and chopped vegetables should be kept separately until serving. Especially if there are a lot of cuts. It can easily be stored for several days in the refrigerator. If you immediately pour okroshka, then the vegetables will soften and become tasteless.

Not enough ingredients?

Potatoes can be replaced with turnips or carrots, radishes with radishes, meat and fish with mushrooms, soybeans. Or you can put more eggs, add black bread.