Okroshka is a cold Russian soup topped with kvas (a fermented beverage made from bread), which combines chopped vegetables and cooked meat or fish. The name originates from verb ‘kroshit’ (soft t), that means to crumble. The history of the dish varies. One says it came from the old simple dish – mix of sliced radish and chopped onion topped with salt and kvas, lately some boiled potatoes were added. Another says, it came from burlaki, who ate salted fish with kvas.. Anyhow, okroshka had been made from remains of roasted pork, beef, turkey, and grouse; the meat was chopped along with pickled or fresh cucumbers, onions, sometimes with splash of brine (from pickled cucumbers or cabbage) or vinegar, and of course, homemade kvas. Peasants who work in fields took vegetarian okroshka and kvas for their lunch; kvas is well-known drink to quench a thirst, and okroshka is wonderful and refreshing dish during hot summer months.
You can vary vegetables in okroshka to suit your own taste, add more or less some of them, you can add some boiled carrots, rutabaga (swede), turnip, pickled cucumbers, onion, or tarragon. It’s commonly accepted that meat or fish should be 1:1 to veggies.
For the spice dressing, in a cup mix some kvas with black pepper and a teaspoon of mustard or horseradish; or rub some chopped spring onion, parsley and/or dill with salt. This dressing is added to a bowl with okroshka, then you should stir okroshka with a spoon and keep for 20-30 minuted to allow all flavours to meld; only after that you can pour over kvas, and add sour cream.
The authentic okroshka should be topped with kvas, but nowadays in Russia you can find okroshka with
kefir, pure or diluted with mineral water, or
airan. Such soup can be called ‘
cold soup‘, not okroshka. While the original recipe did not significantly change over time, the Okroshka may slightly vary across Russia and the recipe has been slightly modified during Soviet time, some ingredients (like particular fish and meat) were not available or hard to find in a regular grocery, and people buy and use regular pork mortadella, because it contained about 90% of meat those days, and it was a good alternative to meat. Using mortadella was also making the Okroshka easier and faster to cook, and it could be make in a short time as regular salad. Many people in Russia since Soviet era still considering Okroshka with mortadella as original, despite all ingredients for the traditional recipe are widely available.
So, the choice is up to you! 😉
Russian Okroshka
Ingredients
500-600g boiled beef (or 300g beef+300g chicken), medium cubes
4 medium potatoes
5-6 large cucumbers
6-7 radishes, sliced
4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped or cut into quarters
a bunch spring onion, chopped
a bunch parsley and/or dill, chopped
1 Tbsp sour cream and 1 tsp mustard, per serving
cold kvas (kefir or laban up), 250-300 ml per serving
salt and black pepper to taste
Rye bread, for serving
Method
Wash and rub potatoes. Place unpeeled whole potatoes a big pan with cold water, bring to boil and cook for 30 minutes or until soft. Let it cool, peel and cut into medium cubes.
Cut cucumbers into medium cubes. If you want to keep the mixture in a fridge for 1-2 days, I suggest to discard the seeds.
In a large bowl combine meat, vegetables, onion and greens, gently stir. You can add eggs on this step, or later into each plate.
Put some okroshka into a serving plate, add mustard, sour cream, season to taste and give it a good stir. Pour over kvas or kefir. Enjoy!
Do you like matryoshki – those lovely wooden dolls? 😀
Like this:
Like Loading...
milkandbun 
I’ve been craving soup for a while but warm soup isn’t really what I want right now. This seems perfect!
You can even it as a salad (dress it with some sour cream). Thanks for stopping by!:)
Sounds delicious, I love soup with lots of vegetables and this is perfect for hot weather. How do you make kvas?
I haven’t post a kvas recipe yet, but I’m planning to do it soon. You can have a look kvas recipe at Sue blog, she made it already 🙂
http://burgerbird.wordpress.com/2014/05/09/botvinia-russian-chilled-sorrel-soup-with-salmon/
I’ve had this soup with Kvas and really liked it. Yours looks even more colorful, and your photos are superb! 🙂
Thank you so much, Ronit! I think, okroshka with kvas is more refreshing and cooling 🙂
yum yum yum!!! reminds me of the Botvinia I made a while back, it was so good . . . somehow this looks better though and I want to make it!
I remember about that:) you are such a good cook!
and yes I sure do like those little dolls!
I’m dreaming about your kvas, Sue!:)
This looks unbelievably delicious. I love cold soups in the summer like gazpacho and borscht and this one looks right up there. I too would love to learn how to make kvas. Wonderful recipe and history.
Thank you, Amanda! I also do like gazpacho!:) but borsch originally is hot soup, in Russia we eat it only hot, especially during cold months. I know, there are some borsch variations, but such soups are just cold soups, kinda borsch.. 🙂
So interesting. When I order it in the Russian restaurants here they serve it cold although they have served it hot too. I think it depends on the weather. Regardless, this soup looks amazing.
I believe, beyond Russia all Rus soups with beets are called borsch 🙂 It is similar to another cold beet soup – sveckolnik.
https://milkandbun.com/2013/08/11/russian-cold-soup-sveckolnik/
There is one more hot soup, similar to borsch, but without beet – schi. 🙂
https://milkandbun.com/2014/02/26/russian-schi-cabbage-soup/
So interesting. I had no idea. Thank you. 🙂
No need to thank me, it’s nothing. We blog to discover something new 🙂 and I’m glad to hear your comments.
Such a unique recipe for a cool summer dish. And I have to comment on your beautiful looking rye bread. Looks so delightful. Love this post.
Thank you! The soup is very easy to make, and you can even substitute kvas with light beer! 🙂
What a fantastic dish, I love how you modelled it with the babushka dolls 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Those dolls are so young to be called babushka 😀 It is a inaccurate name of matreshka, because Babushka is the Russian word for grandmother. 😉
oooh oops haha but thank you 🙂
This looks lovely Mila, very unusual! My daughter loves your matryoshki dolls, wants to look at the pictures again & again 😀
Oh, yes, they are so cute! How old is your daughter, Naina? 🙂
She is 3 🙂
Little one 🙂
What a beautiful dish, looks refreshing 🙂
Hello there! Glad to see you!😊