Kalya soup is a traditional dish of Russian cuisine, but nowadays you cannot call it popular and widespread. In some families, of course, old recipes are stored, and you can find this name in the menu of Russian restaurants around the world, however, this recipe is unfamiliar to many chefs.
In our article we will consider the dish in detail. It is worth it to cook and try. Many of those who have already mastered the recipe for Kali assure that the food has taken a worthy place in their cookbooks. Perhaps the recipe will settle in yours.
Dish features
The recipe is based on a harmonious union of a thick salted-acid soup and oily fish. An ancient recipe for Cali Soup did not contain potatoes, later this ingredient was added for density and nutrition.
Prepare potassium brine. To diversify the structure of the dish, pickled cucumbers are added to it. It is not surprising that in some ways this dish resembles a pickle. But experts explain: these are different soups, kalyu, rather, can be considered the forerunner of pickle.
A dish with history
In cookbooks, hookah soup began to be described from the 19th century. But mention of it dates back to the XVI-XVII centuries.
Dahl also gave a description of the food. According to him, this is a kind of borsch, which also included roasting beets. However, this component can not be called mandatory, there are many old recipes for Kali, in which there are no beets or carrots.
Varieties
The traditional hookah soup is made from fish. But there are other varieties. In Russia, a thick stew was prepared from the meat of duck, chicken, and black grouse.
And for the broth they used not only cucumber pickle, but sometimes even sauerkraut juice and even kvass. An acid-salty liquid provided a taste.
Most varieties of fish Cali contain caviar. This component gives the dish a truly unique charm. For the most dear guests, on a special occasion in Russia, they cooked feces without any meat and fish, and only with caviar alone. A recipe with red fish is considered festive.
Cali Products
If you decide to surprise your home with a magnificent antique dish, it will not be difficult to find all the necessary ingredients. Kalya fish soup is prepared from the fillet of any oily fish with a low bone content. Halibut, for example, is an inexpensive, common, and very tasty variety.
Prepare a few pieces with a total weight of 400 grams. In addition to fish, you need a bulb, 2-3 small crunchy pickles, 50-70 grams of caviar, an incomplete glass of brine. For serving, you can use herbs, sour cream, lemon. As in the hodgepodge, you can add several olives when serving.
If you want the broth to be brighter, it is permissible to put fried carrots and beets in it. You can add a small amount of tomato paste and chopped potatoes.
You can add aroma with the help of allspice or any other favorite spices. But salt may not be useful at all.
Cooking method
First of all, rinse the fish thoroughly, fill it with cold water, so that it only covers the pieces, put on a small fire, covering it with a lid. When the fish is completely cooked, remove it, strain the broth. Remove the ribs and small bones from the filet, if any. Take the fish meat apart. It is permissible to cut it into large pieces, but it can be divided into pieces the size of a walnut. It depends on the variety of fish and your own preferences.
Load the fish into the broth again, put in a boil. Chop onions and cucumbers as you like. Someone prefers to grind them into cubes, someone to taste the ring. Add vegetables to the soup.
When cooking, you can add a small amount of fresh or dried dill and bay leaf.
Dilute caviar with a small amount of water, mix, being careful not to damage the eggs. Pour into the broth with a trickle, stirring, immediately add brine.
Dip the incense over low heat for about 40 minutes. Try on salt, salt if necessary.
Serving to the table
Kalya is a soup with a story, so in order to maintain the style, you can serve the table with embroidered napkins and clay dishes. Suitable and low pots. Many Russian restaurants offer wooden painted spoons for similar dishes instead of traditional ones (but this option is not convenient for everyone).
Do not forget about bunches of fresh herbs, young garlic, fragrant homemade bread, Borodino or rye. It is acceptable to serve croutons or shu buns for this soup.