Kyselo (Czech Sourdough Mushroom Soup)
Photo: Krakonoš, CC BY-SA 3.0
Kyselo is a sour mushroom soup from the Krkonoše mountains of northern Bohemia, thickened with sourdough instead of cream or flour. Dried porcini and caraway are simmered into a dark broth, then the starter, softened onion and scrambled egg go in. The potatoes are fried dry and served on the side, so they stay crisp rather than going soft in the bowl. It is hearty enough for a main course.
Instructions
Boil the potatoes in their skins until tender, then peel them and cut them into small pieces. Fry the pieces in a dry pan, without any fat, until they are crisp at the edges, and set them aside.
Stir the sourdough starter into 250 ml of tepid water in a bowl. Cover it with a clean cloth and leave it at room temperature for anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours.
Put 1000 ml of water in a stockpot with the dried mushrooms and caraway seeds. Boil for at least 15 minutes, until the broth is strong and dark.
Pour the sourdough mixture into the broth slowly, stirring well as you go. Stirring matters because the sourdough can otherwise shrink into small dumplings.
Keep boiling and stirring for about 10 minutes, until the sourdough has thickened the soup.
Sauté the chopped onion in the butter in a pan until soft, then stir it into the soup.
Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt and scramble them in an ungreased pan. Stir the cooked eggs into the soup.
Season with salt and vinegar to taste. The soup should be mildly sour, with the mushrooms and sourdough as the main flavors.
Serve hot, topped with chopped herbs, with the fried potatoes on the side. Diners can add more vinegar and salt at the table, and should add the potatoes themselves just before eating so they stay crisp.
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