Description
Okroshka is a traditional Russian summer soup that combines boiled potatoes, ham, cucumbers, hard-boiled eggs, and fresh herbs in a refreshing, tangy cold broth made from sour cream, vinegar, and cold water. Perfect for hot weather, this chilled soup is light, flavorful, and easy to prepare.
Ingredients
Scale
Cold Broth:
- 8 cups cold water
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 3 1/2 Tbsp vinegar, divided
- 2 1/2 tsp salt
Soup Ingredients:
- 3-4 medium cooked potatoes, peeled and diced
- 3 hard-boiled eggs, diced
- 3-4 cucumbers, diced
- 1/2 lb good ham (preferably black forest ham), diced
- 3 Tbsp chopped dill (fresh or frozen)
- 1/2 cup green onion, finely chopped
Instructions
- Cook Potatoes: Peel and dice the potatoes into 1/4″ cubes. Place them in a medium pot, cover with water, add 1 Tbsp of vinegar, and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes or until potatoes are cooked but still firm. Drain well and cool, rinsing with cold water if desired.
- Cook and Prepare Eggs: Boil 3 eggs until hard-boiled, then cool in ice water. Once cooled, dice the eggs.
- Dice Vegetables and Ham: Dice 3-4 cucumbers and 1/2 lb of ham. Chop 3 Tbsp of dill and 1/2 cup of green onions. Place all these ingredients along with the diced eggs and potatoes into a large pot.
- Prepare Broth and Combine: In a separate large bowl, whisk together 8 cups of cold water, 1/3 cup sour cream, 2 1/2 Tbsp vinegar, and 2 1/2 tsp salt until well combined. Pour this mixture over the ingredients in the large pot. Stir gently to combine all components evenly.
- Serve: Serve the soup immediately chilled. This soup is best enjoyed cold on a hot day.
Notes
- Use fresh or frozen dill based on availability; fresh dill provides a brighter flavor.
- The Vidalia Chopper is helpful for uniform potato cubes but any dicer or knife works fine.
- Black forest ham gives a smoky flavor, but other good-quality ham can be substituted.
- Cool ingredients thoroughly before combining to keep the soup desired cold temperature.
- For a vegetarian version, replace ham with extra cucumbers or radishes.
