Ingredients
The base
- 800 mlthick sour milk
- or matsoni, or thick yoghurt
- about 400 ml cold water
- salt
The vegetables and herbs
- 3cucumbers, finely diced
- a large bunch of dill
- a large bunch of coriander
- 4spring onions, chopped
- a bunch of mint
- 2garlic cloves, crushed, optional
Sometimes added
- 200 gcold boiled beef
- finely diced
- 2boiled eggs, chopped
To serve
- crumbled dry bread
- or ice cubes
- very cold
Directions
- Use whole bunches rather than sprigs. Dry bread is crumbled into the bowl. Dice all the cucumbers finely. Cut them small rather than chunky. They should be spoonable in the soup. Peel them if the skin is thick or bitter. Leave it on if it is thin and tender. Both of them are done in Azerbaijan.
- Scoop the seeds out with a spoon. Toss the diced cucumber with a little salt. Let it sit for a good ten minutes. Salt draws water out of the cucumber. That water would thin the soup later. Drain it off before you mix it in. Wash all the herbs thoroughly. Wash them in a large bowl of water. Lift them out and let the grit settle. Chop all of the herbs very finely.
- Chop them properly rather than roughly. Chop them in along with the leaves. Discard only the thick woody ends. Whisk the sour milk in a large bowl. Thick yoghurt is lumpy straight from the tub.
- Whisk in the cold water gradually. Add the water a little at a time. Whisk it fully in before adding more. It should be like a thin pouring cream. Adjust it with more water or milk. Season the whole soup with salt. A cold soup needs more salt than a hot one.
- Taste it cold rather than at room temperature. Crush the garlic to a paste with salt. Stir it into the yoghurt base. It is sharp in a raw cold soup. Use less than you would cooked. Add the drained cucumber to the base. Add all of the chopped fresh herbs.
- Add the spring onions as well. Stir it all through thoroughly. Stir in all the diced cold beef. Add the chopped boiled eggs to it. The beef must be cold and cooked. Cover the bowl and refrigerate it. Give it at least two full hours. Taste it once it is properly cold.
- Adjust the salt if it needs it. Cold food always tastes less salty. Ladle it out into chilled bowls. Add a few ice cubes if you like. Ice keeps it cold at the table. Crumble dry bread into the bowl. Add it at the table rather than before. It goes soggy if it sits about. Stir it again before serving it.
Technique
- Ovdukh is never heated at all, which is the whole difference from dovga, the hot Azerbaijani yoghurt soup: cooking yoghurt takes real technique because it curdles unless carefully handled, and ovdukh sidesteps that entirely by being assembled cold.
- A cold soup needs more salt than a hot one, since cold dulls the perception of it — so taste it once it is properly chilled rather than at room temperature, because what seemed right warm can be flat cold.
- Whisk the yoghurt smooth before any water goes in, then add the cold water gradually, whisking each addition fully in; adding it all at once gives lumps. It should end like a thin pouring cream — thick enough to have body, thin enough to spoon.
Substitutions
- Matsoni, the regional cultured milk, is traditional; thick yoghurt is the usual substitute and works well.
- Diced cold boiled beef and chopped egg make it a fuller meal, and the plain version is a light summer soup; both are genuinely made.
Variations
- Toss the diced cucumber with a little salt for ten minutes and drain it, since the water it gives up would otherwise thin the soup.
- Use whole bunches of dill, coriander and mint rather than sprigs — the herbs are a main ingredient here, not a garnish — and chop the tender stems in with the leaves.
- Crumble the dry bread in at the table rather than beforehand, since it goes soggy if it sits.
History
An Azerbaijani summer soup, close to dovga but never cooked, often eaten with crumbled bread.
Frequently asked questions
What is Ovdukh?
Ovdukh is a soup & stew from Azerbaijan: cold soup of sour milk with cucumber, herbs and sometimes cold meat. An Azerbaijani summer soup, close to dovga but never cooked, often eaten with crumbled bread.
How long does Ovdukh take to make?
Ovdukh takes 25 minutes plus chilling of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Ovdukh?
Yes, within limits. Matsoni, the regional cultured milk, is traditional; thick yoghurt is the usual substitute and works well. Diced cold boiled beef and chopped egg make it a fuller meal, and the plain version is a light summer soup; both are genuinely made.
What is the most important thing to get right in Ovdukh?
Use whole bunches rather than sprigs. Dry bread is crumbled into the bowl. Dice all the cucumbers finely. Cut them small rather than chunky. They should be spoonable in the soup. Peel them if the skin is thick or bitter. Leave it on if it is thin and tender. Both of them are done in Azerbaijan.
