Beetroot soup (svekolnik), cold borscht, kholodnik, khlodnik, beet okroshka

Vegetable Soups | Russian

Beetroot soup (svekolnik), cold borscht, kholodnik, khlodnik, beet okroshka are different names for the same soup. This cold soup is made from beet or beetroot-carrot broth, sometimes with the addition of kvass or cucumber brine. The broth can be even replaced with mineral water! The beetroot soup has a Polish-Lithuanian-Belarusian origin (Polish chlodnik). The soup named svekolnik has spread in the European portion of Russia and is considered the second most popular soup after borscht. It is served cold.

Ingredients

Young beetroot - 1 kg
beet leaves - 100 g
salt – to taste
sugar – to taste
lemon juice - 50 g
water - 5 l
fresh cucumber - 20 g
red radish - 20 g
quail eggs - 3 pcs.
mixed greens - 10 g
30%-fat sour cream - 50 g

Preparation method (receipt)

Wash beets, peel, cover with water and cook with beet leaves and 500 g beetroot under a low heat, so that the beetroot gives all the flavor and color to the broth at most. Bake the peeled beetroot in foil at 200 °C until done (you can check it with a wooden skewer). Then let the beetroot cool and cut into strips, together with cucumber and radish. Strain the saturated broth through a sieve and season with salt, sugar and lemon juice, then cool. Put the sliced vegetables and boiled quail eggs on a plate and cover with cold broth. Dress atop with lots of greens and serve separately with sour cream.

young beetroot beet leaves lemon juice cucumber red radish quail eggs mixed greens sour cream