CHŁODNIK (Cold Polish Beet Soup)
Soured milk, beetroot juice, boiled eggs and natural yoghurt.
I know what you are going to say – “That sounds so so wrong” but believe me it’s so right, especially on a hot summer day that you just want to meltdown and become one with your cold tiles in the bathroom. I swear we’ve all been there!
Introducing to you cold beetroot soup. The creamy goodness that will help with those absolute vile temperatures outside.
I will show you my quick version with a shortcut, without cooking the fresh beets. All ingredients will be ready to just mix together. I like to call this recipe a “no fuss chlodnik”. There is no excuse now!
Don’t worry. Kefir (soured milk), beetroot juice and concentrate you can easily find in your local Polish deli. Krakus is usually the brand that I go for. I included a picture of them so you know what to look for.
You will be surprised how well those ingredients work with each other and I hope it will become a staple for you like it is for us in our home during the summer season. We will add all sorts of good stuff to it so it will fill you up and keep you cool at the same time….There is nothing more amazing than that.
CHŁODNIK (Cold Polish Beet Soup)
Ingredients
- 1 kg Kefir soured milk
- 500 g Natural Yoghurt full or low fat
- 3 Chicken Breasts
- 3 cups Beetroot Juice
- 0.5 cup Beetroot Concentrate
- 6 Eggs
- 8 stalks Spring onion
- 1 Large Cucumber
- 10 Red Raddish Bulbs
- 3 Large Garlic Cloves
- 4 tbsp Fresh Dill
- Lemon Juice
- Salt & Pepper
Instructions
- Clean the chicken breasts and cut them into small cubes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook the meat on the frying pan with 2 tbsp of oil. Once its nicely browned transfer into a plate lined with a paper towel and let it cool down completely.
- Chop the cucumber and the radish into a small cube. Next chop the fresh dill and the spring onion
- Pour the milk, yogurt, beet juice, and beet concentrate into a large soup pot. Add all of your vegetables, the chicken, following with dill, spring onion and crushed garlic. Give it a good mix.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add lemon juice to give the soup a little bit of acidity. Add as much as you think fits.
- Let your chlodnik rest in the fridge for at least 5h. I recommend making it first thing in the morning, so it has enough time to properly chill.
- Cook eggs for 7 min in boiling water just before serving the soup. 1 egg per person should be enough.
- Serve in a deep soup bowls. Top it up with egg and enjoy.