Cookbook:Kyselo (Czech Sourdough Mushroom Soup)

| Cuisine of Czechia

Kyselo or krkonošské kyselo is a traditional Bohemian sour soup featuring mushrooms and sourdough. It originates from the Krkonoše mountain region in northern Bohemia. Kyselo is a nutritious food, so it is often served as a main course, but in small quantities it could also be served as a soup course.

Ingredients

 * Potatoes
 * 100 g sourdough starter, ideally made with rye flour
 * 15 g dried porcini mushrooms, preferably Central European
 * 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
 * 1250 ml water
 * 1 onion, chopped
 * 20 g butter
 * 3 chicken eggs
 * Salt
 * Vinegar
 * Chopped green herbs, such as parsley or scallion

Equipment

 * Stockpots
 * Bowls
 * Frying pan
 * Mixing spoon

Procedure

 * 1) Boil potatoes with their skins, then peel them, chop onto small pieces and roast it in a pan (without adding grease).
 * 2) Put 250 ml tepid water into a bowl. Stir in the sourdough starter. Cover with a clean cloth, and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to 3 hours.
 * 3) Put 1000 ml water into a stockpot. Add the dried mushrooms and caraway, and boil for at least 15 minutes to make a strong broth.
 * 4) Carefully add the sourdough mixture into the broth, stirring well—there is a danger that the sourdough will shrink into small dumplings.
 * 5) Boil the soup, stirring, until the sourdough thickens the mixture. This should take about 10 minutes.
 * 6) Sauté the chopped onion with butter in a pan. Stir it into the soup.
 * 7) Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt, and scramble them in an ungreased pan. Stir the cooked eggs into the soup.
 * 8) Season the soup to taste with salt and vinegar. It should be mildly sour, flavored primarily by the mushrooms and sourdough.
 * 9) Served the soup hot, garnished with the chopped herbs, with the potatoes as a side dish. Individual diners may wish to add additional vinegar and salt to taste.

Variations

 * The eggs can also be be hard-boiled and chopped instead of scrambled.
 * Sometimes kyselo is made softer by adding cream.
 * 150 g fresh mushrooms may be used instead of the dried ones.
 * The potatoes are sometimes boiled directly in the water: added at beginning into the stockpot and then logically not roasted. But, roasted potatoes are crispy and more delicious. There are also variants without potatoes.