Ingredients
Sour starter
- 200 grye flour
- 400 mlwarm water
- 1 tbspactive rye sourdough starter, if you have one
Soup
- 1 litrewater
- 500 gpotatoes, in chunks
- 300 gmushrooms, sliced
- 2 tbspbutter or lard
- 1onion, finely chopped
- 1 tspcaraway seeds
- 2bay leaves
- salt and black pepper
To finish
- 150 mldouble cream or sour cream
- 4eggs
- a handful of chopped chives or marjoram
To serve
- dark rye bread
- fried onion
Directions
- Add a spoonful of existing starter if you have one, which speeds it up. Cover the jar with a cloth rather than a lid. Leave it at room temperature for two days. Stir it once a day with a clean spoon. It should smell distinctly sour and slightly alcoholic, and may bubble.
- Discard it and start again if it does. Melt the butter or lard in a heavy pot over a medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook it for six minutes until soft. Add the sliced mushrooms and raise the heat. Cook them for eight minutes until they have released their water and it has gone. Wet mushrooms make a watery soup, so cook them properly dry.
- Add the caraway seeds and the bay leaves. Add the potato chunks and pour in the litre of water. Season it with salt and bring it to a simmer. Cook it for twenty minutes until the potato is completely soft.
- Crush a few of the potato pieces against the side of the pot. Stir the starter well and strain it if it is very thick. Take the pot off the heat before adding it. Pour the starter in slowly while stirring. Return the pot to a very low heat. Now the crucial point about the heat. Keep it just below a simmer for ten minutes.
- Taste it: it should be clearly and pleasantly sour. Add more starter if it is too mild. Add a little water if it is too aggressive. Temper the cream by stirring a ladleful of hot soup into it. Pour the tempered cream back into the pot. Stir it through and keep the heat low.
- Season with black pepper and check the salt. Make a small well in the surface with a spoon. Crack an egg into it and let it set for three minutes. Repeat with the rest, spacing them apart. They will poach in the thick soup and hold their shape. Poach them separately in vinegared water if you prefer neater eggs. Now serving, which is done immediately.
- Ladle the soup into deep bowls, one egg to each. Scatter chopped chives or fresh marjoram over the top. Add a spoonful of fried onion if you have it. Serve dark rye bread alongside.
Technique
- Never boil the soup once the rye starter is in, or it separates and goes grainy.
- Cook the mushrooms until dry, since wet mushrooms make a watery soup.
- Discard the starter and begin again if it smells putrid or shows fuzzy mould.
Substitutions
- An existing rye sourdough starter, which saves two days.
- Sour cream in place of double cream.
Variations
- Without egg, which some households make.
- With smoked sausage sliced in.
- Made thicker, with more potato mashed through.
History
A Krkonoše mountain dish built on the same sourdough used for bread, once eaten at breakfast.
Frequently asked questions
What is Kyselo?
Kyselo is a soup & stew from Czechia: sour soup of rye sourdough starter with mushrooms, potato and egg. A Krkonoše mountain dish built on the same sourdough used for bread, once eaten at breakfast.
How long does Kyselo take to make?
Kyselo takes 15 min plus 2 days for the starter of preparation and 40 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Kyselo?
Yes, within limits. An existing rye sourdough starter, which saves two days. Sour cream in place of double cream.
What is the most important thing to get right in Kyselo?
Add a spoonful of existing starter if you have one, which speeds it up. Cover the jar with a cloth rather than a lid. Leave it at room temperature for two days. Stir it once a day with a clean spoon. It should smell distinctly sour and slightly alcoholic, and may bubble.
