Kyselo Czech Sourdough Soup

Do you want to try an authentic Czech specialty? Try sourdough soup with mushrooms and a generous portion of fried eggs! Czechs call this soup Kyselo. It is most often served in the northern regions of Bohemia, a mountainous area around Krkonoše (Giant Mountains).

Course Soup

Cuisine Czech

Keyword Recipe with mushrooms

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings

Calories 120kcal

Author Petra Kupská

Ingredients

1 cup sourdough starter (240 ml)
1 handful dried porcini mushrooms
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
2 teaspoons salt
1 Tablespoon lard or vegetable oil – Sunflower, Canola
1 onion
5 eggs
6 cups water (1.5 l)

Instructions

The day before:

Put the dried mushrooms in a saucepan and cover them with about two cups of water. Let them swell overnight.
Dissolve the sourdough starter in a cup of lukewarm water and leave it on the kitchen counter overnight. A mix prepared in this way will ensure that the soup is only slightly tart, not too sour.
If you want to serve peeled potatoes with the soup, cook the potatoes with the skin on. Count on about two smaller potatoes per serving.

Making the sourdough soup:

Bring the soaked mushrooms to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes over low heat. Do not pour off the mushroom broth!
Remove the mushrooms (still in the mushroom broth) from the stove, add the mixed sourdough starter, whisk it well. Pour in the water, salt the base and add the caraway seeds.
Bring the soup to a boil, turn the heat down to about half power and cook for 15-20 minutes. Do not forget to stir from time to time. The sourdough flour sits at the bottom of the pot, where it can burn.
Peel the onion and chop it finely. Heat the lard or oil in a frying pan and fry the onions in it until golden brown, stirring. Crack the eggs into the pan with the onions, stir and fry them.
Add the fried eggs to the finished soup, season with salt if necessary, and serve.

Notes

SERVING: Czech Kyselo is a hearty and filling soup. For this reason, it is usually served as a main course. The soup pairs well with a slice of fresh bread. However, peeled potatoes are also a good choice. These are placed in the middle of the soup plate. Pour a little melted butter over the potatoes and sprinkle them with chopped chives.
Kyselo is a meatless soup; it does not include broth. It is cooked with plain water. If we close our eyes to the lard on which the onions and eggs are fried, you can easily describe this soup as "vegetarian."
The sourdough starter, which is the main ingredient here, contains flour. The flour thickens the soup as it cooks. It may seem too thick the next day if any soup is left over. In that case, add a little water to the soup while heating and stirring well.

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