Šaltibarščiai
Cold beetroot soup
Šaltibarščiai: Lithuanian bright pink cold beetroot soup with hot potatoes
Šaltibarščiai is the shocking-pink soup of Lithuanian summers, so loved that Vilnius holds a pink soup festival every June: cooked or pickled beetroot grated into cold kefir with cucumber, dill, spring onion and boiled egg, served with a plate of hot boiled potatoes on the side. The contrast of icy soup and steaming potatoes is the point. A common mistake is using warm beetroot, which dulls the colour and warms the soup. Chef's tip: grate chilled beetroot into ice-cold kefir and let it stand for 10 minutes; the colour deepens to vivid fuchsia.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the soup
- 10 ½ oz cooked beetrootchilled and grated
- 4 ¼ cups ice-cold kefir
- 1 cucumberdiced
- 4 spring onionssliced
- ⅔ oz fresh dillchopped
- 2 eggshard-boiled and chopped
- ¾ tsp salt
To serve
- 1 ⅓ lb new potatoes
- ⅛ oz fresh dillchopped
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Method
0/3 doneStep 1: Boil 1 ⅓ lb new potatoes for 15 minutes, until tender. Toss with ⅛ oz fresh dill and keep hot.
15 minStep 2: Stir 10 ½ oz cooked beetroot, 1 cucumber, 4 spring onions, ⅔ oz fresh dill and ¾ tsp salt into 4 ¼ cups ice-cold kefir. Leave 10 minutes for the colour to deepen. Common mistake: warm beetroot; the colour dulls.
10 minStep 3: Ladle into bowls, top with 2 eggs and serve with the hot potatoes on the side.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 10 g
- Carbs
- 28 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does šaltibarščiai take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of cucumber?
- Courgette, same weight (in salads, use young ones).
- What can I use instead of spring onions?
- Chives, or a little finely sliced onion.
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