How to make okroshka on kvass useful? A nutritionist gave advice on preparing summer soup

nutritionist-consultant, deputy director of ANO SIC “Healthy Nutrition”

“Okroshka is an interesting and useful dish. However, it is not suitable for daily consumption”.

Some people prefer okroshka on kvass, others – on kefir. The classic variant is on bread yeast drink. It is this ingredient that is mentioned in the book “Old Russian housewife, keywoman and stryapuha” in 1790.

Until two centuries ago, cold soup was eaten at a traditional Slavic drink. It was especially popular in tsarist Russia. It used to be made with unroasted malt (soaked and sprouted cereal seeds), so it had a light color. It was only in the USSR that it began to be produced in the dark color that we are accustomed to.

By the way, it was in the Soviet era that the trend of okroshka on kefir appeared. In common use, such a dressing was introduced by nutritionist and gastroenterologist Manuil Pevzner. The doctor considered this fermented milk product very useful for the body.

Today okroshka is prepared not only on kvass and kefir. There are a lot of options. For example, whey, mineral water, tan, ayran, water with vinegar, cucumber brine, sourdough, yogurt, birch juice are used.

Today we will talk about the traditional option – okroshka on kvass.

The benefits and harms of okroshka on kvass

The main quality of the cold summer soup is to saturate the body with liquid in hot weather. It also has a number of health benefits.

The variant on kvass helps to destroy pathogenic microflora, stimulate metabolic processes and normalize the gastrointestinal tract. This drink stabilizes cardiac activity.

Yeast in its composition affects the body as an antibiotic, which helps prevent the formation of boils and pustules.

However, it is worth mentioning the negative effects. Kvas is not recommended for people with chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) or in their acute phase. For example, it is harmful for ulcers, gastritis and increased stomach acidity.

It is important to note that this drink increases appetite. Therefore, it should be abandoned by people with obesity and those who are losing weight. Also, all products that are obtained by fermentation are forbidden with gout and liver pathologies.

What kvass to choose for okroshka?

When dressing the okroshka with kvass, it is better to choose less sweet varieties of this drink. Manufacturers observe different proportions in its preparation. Carefully study the labels.

Do not buy with a high sugar content. This is harmful, as the risk of diabetes and obesity increases. In addition, it strongly affects the taste.

Give preference to kvass with a characteristic sourness. It should not be strongly carbonated. Otherwise, the drink will interrupt the flavor of the main products, rather than complement.

The best solution is to drink homemade. However, if there is no time for this, kvass of live fermentation without additional flavorings and flavor enhancers will do. This will be indicated by a sediment at the bottom of the bottle. As a rule, plastic containers are presented in stores. It will be easy to study the purchase. Also important is the smell of kvass: the stronger it is, the tastier it is.

Recipes for okroshka on kvass

Classic okroshka

Ingredients:

• potatoes – 4 pcs;
• cucumbers – 3 pcs;
• radish – 200 g;
• eggs – 4 pcs;
• sausage – 250 g;
• green onions – 3 bundles;
• dill – 1 bunch;
• parsley – 1 bunch;
• salt – 1 tsp;
• sour cream – 100 g;
• kvass – 1.5 liters.

Preparation:

1. Boil the potatoes and eggs and cool down.
2. Shred the green onion and salt it well. Using a fork, mash it so that it gives juice.
3. Chop the dill and parsley. Combine with the onions.
4. Cut cucumbers, radishes, potatoes, eggs and sausage into small cubes.
5. Mix all the ingredients.
6. Spread the resulting mixture on plates and pour kvass.
7. Add sour cream and salt to taste.

Okroshka with shrimp

Ingredients:

• frozen shrimp – 400 g;
• potatoes – 5 pcs;
• eggs – 6 pcs;
• green onions – 1 bundle;
• dill – 2 bundles;
• kvass – 700 ml;
• radish – 6 pcs;
• cucumbers – 4 pcs;
• sour cream – to taste;
• salt – to taste.

Preparation:

1. Boil the shrimp. To do this, send them to boiling salted water. After boiling again, cook the seafood for three minutes. Take out and cool down.
2. Boil the potatoes and eggs and cool down.
3. Cut all vegetables into small cubes. The radishes can be grated.
4. Finely chop the greens.
5. Mix all the ingredients, salt and pour the okroshka with kvass.
6. Add sour cream and mix. Put shrimp on top.

Vegetable okroshka

Ingredients:

• kvass – 1 liter;
• cucumbers – 4 pcs;
• radish – 6 pcs;
• eggs – 4 pcs;
• mayonnaise – 20 g;
• potatoes – 3 pcs;
• dill – 3 bundles;
• green onions – 3 bundles;
• parsley – 3 bundles.

Preparation:

1. First boil the potatoes and eggs. Then peel them and cool down.
2. Grate the cucumbers and radishes on a grater.
3. Cut the potatoes and eggs into small cubes.
4. The greens should be crushed with a mortar and finely chopped.
5. Mix all the ingredients in a deep container. Salt.
6. Spread on plates, pour kvass and add mayonnaise.

Tips for cooking okroshka

To make the okroshka turned out delicious, there are a number of recommendations.

1. During cooking, use chilled ingredients. The lower their temperature, the better. To achieve this result, you can put the products and dishes in the freezer for 10 minutes.
2. It is important that the ingredients are chopped rather than minced with a grater. This texture will make the dish delicious. An important factor – the size of the cubes should be the same.
3. First of all, chop the greens and let it stand so that it empties its juice. And only after that, combine with the rest of the products.
4. It is better to leave the dish overnight in the refrigerator. This will give it to infuse and will positively affect the taste qualities.
5. If you want the okroshka to turn out not only tasty, but also beautiful, then the ingredients should be cut not in cubes, but in straws. This option is often resorted to by restaurant chefs.

How to serve okroshka?

More often, okroshka is served immediately after cooking. Note that potatoes and eggs should be chilled. Otherwise, they will spoil the flavor.

In addition to sour cream, spicy mustard or horseradish is added to the dish. As a rule, cold summer soup on kvass is served without bread. However, it can be eaten with garlic croutons and herbs or a baguette heated in the oven.

Many eat as a snack with boiled potatoes. To make this option more elegant, serve with country-style baked slices. However, in terms of health benefits, it’s best to forgo the extra carbohydrates. Otherwise, do not add the root vegetable to the dish, but use it as an appetizer in boiled form.

How to make okroshka more useful?

To make the dish bring only benefit, pay attention to the following points.

• Okroshka is a cold dish, but you should not add ice to it or serve it too chilled. This will negatively affect the condition of the mucous membranes. As a result – gastric spasm and constipation may occur.
• Do not remove the skin from cucumbers. It contains a large amount of fiber, which gives a feeling of satiety.
• The most useful recipe – without the use of sausage. In extreme cases, it is better to replace it with boiled poultry. Some restaurants offer shrimp as protein.
• It is necessary to dress with low-fat sour cream, but mayonnaise should definitely be abandoned.
• It is also necessary to reduce the portion of potatoes. The root vegetable has a high glycemic index.

The glycemic index is an indicator that indicates the rate at which products are broken down in the body and converted into glucose and the amount of insulin released by the pancreas in response to this product.