Khaladnik (Халаднік (Khaladnik))
Overview
Khaladnik is the cold beetroot soup of Belarus, eaten on hot summer days. Young beetroots are boiled and grated, and their deep pink cooking water is cooled and mixed with kefir, soured milk or sour cream, then sharpened with lemon juice or vinegar and a little sugar. Fresh cucumber, radishes, plenty of dill and spring onion are chopped and stirred in. The soup is served very cold, bright pink in colour, with halves of hard-boiled egg on top and hot boiled potatoes with dill on the side. It is light, tangy and refreshing.
History
Khaladnik means cold dish in Belarusian, and it is one of the best-known summer foods of the country, along with draniki potato pancakes. Similar cold beet soups are made in Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine, but Belarusians see khaladnik as their own, and it is served everywhere from village kitchens to Minsk cafés from June onwards. Beetroot has long been a basic crop of the region, and the young beets and their leaves are used as soon as they appear in the garden.
Main ingredients
Beetroot, kefir, cucumber, hard-boiled eggs, dill, spring onion. The soup is built on beetroot broth with kefir and is usually served cold. Diet: vegetarian; usually gluten-free.
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Recipe
Method
- 140 min
Boil the beetroots in 1 l water for 30 to 40 minutes, then peel and grate them, keeping the water.
- 2
Cool the beetroot water and stir in the kefir, lemon juice, sugar and salt.
- 3
Add the grated beetroot, cucumber, radishes, spring onion and dill.
- 4≥ 1 h
Chill for at least 1 hour.
- 5
Serve cold topped with halved eggs, with hot boiled potatoes on the side.
- ✓
Serve. About 1 h from start to bowl.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
