Cold Beetroot and Kefir Soup
The Lithuanian summer soup: grated beetroot, cucumber and dill in cold kefir, with hot potatoes on the side.
60 min
4 servings
Difficulty 1/5
Lunch · Supper
Prep 20 min · Cook 40 min
Nothing in the bowl is cooked except the beetroot and the eggs, and the potatoes stay on their own plate so they do not warm the soup. The hot-and-cold pairing is the point of the dish, not a serving suggestion.
Per serving
368
kcal / serving
Ingredients
Written for 4 servings. Change the servings to rescale every amount.
Soup
Kefir
1,000 milliliters
Beetroot
400 grams
Cucumber
200 grams
Green Onion / Spring Onion
4 stalks (60 grams)
Dill
1 handful (15 grams)
Boiled Egg
3 pieces (150 grams)
Salt
to taste
On the side
Potato
600 grams
Salt
to taste
Steps
Boil the beetroot whole and unpeeled for 40 minutes, until a knife goes in easily. Cool it under cold water and slip the skins off with your thumbs.
40 min
Boil the potatoes in salted water for 25 minutes and keep them hot. They are served beside the soup, never in it.
25 min
Grate the cooked beetroot coarsely into a large bowl.
5 min
Cut the cucumber into small dice, slice the green onion thinly and chop the dill. Add all three to the beetroot with a good pinch of salt.
8 min
Pour in the cold kefir and stir. Do not thin it with water — the kefir is the whole body of the soup.
2 min
Chill it at least 30 minutes. Cold is not a serving temperature here, it is the dish.
30 min
Halve the boiled eggs, set them in the bowls and ladle the soup over. Serve the hot potatoes alongside.
5 min
Serving suggestion
Serve it in a cold bowl. A warm bowl takes the edge off in a minute.
Storage
Two days in the fridge. The colour deepens and the taste only gets better.
Notes
Ready-cooked or vacuum-packed beetroot works and saves the 40 minutes. Pickled beetroot makes it sharper.
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