Simple solyanka

You don't need many ingredients to make solyanka. Our recipe makes about 6-8 servings of soup. You can increase the ingredients to make more.

Step-by-step recipe

Homemade solyanka is very easy to prepare—the whole process takes no more than 40-50 minutes (if the broth is ready). If you follow this simple recipe, it will turn out delicious.

Step 1:

Place the meat and onions in a large saucepan, then add 2-3 liters of water. Place the saucepan on the stove and simmer the meat broth for 1-2 hours (depending on the type of meat used).

NOTE: When cooking, remember to skim off any foam. You can use ready-made meat broth to save time.

Step 2:

Remove the meat and onions from the broth. Next, move on to the meat products.

Step 3:

Cut all meat products (sausage, smoked meats) into strips or circles.

NOTE: If you like meat, you can add more. To make the dish truly meaty, use at least three types of smoked meats and by-products (for example, cooked sausage, smoked brisket, and hunter's sausages).

Step 4:

Finely chop the onion and grate the carrots on a coarse grater. Prepare the remaining ingredients.

Step 5:

Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan, then add onions and carrots.

Step 6:

Sauté the carrots and onions for about 5 minutes, while you dice the pickles into small cubes or strips. Add the cucumbers to the sautéed vegetables, then the tomato paste, mix well, and simmer for a couple of minutes.

NOTE: Sautéing is an important step in this soup recipe. Simmering the tomato paste in vegetable oil with onions will give the soup a richer color. You can add finely chopped fresh tomatoes or thick tomato juice.

Step 7:

In another frying pan, lightly fry all the sliced ​​meat in oil.

Step 8:

Add stewed vegetables and fried sliced ​​meat to the pot with meat broth.

Step 9:

Add the cooked meat from the broth to the same pan; it should be cut into pieces first. Let the solyanka simmer for 10-15 minutes over medium heat.

NOTE: You can add a little cucumber brine to enhance the sourness.

Step 10:

While all the ingredients are simmering, add the spices, salt, and pepper to taste. Add the bay leaf along with them. Our simple homemade solyanka is ready.

Step 11:

Turn off the heat and let the soup simmer for 15–20 minutes. Add olives/capers to the soup—they enhance the piquant flavor of the solyanka.

NOTE: The amount of pickles and olives/capers in our recipe can be adjusted.

Cooking tips

Classic solyanka is served with sour cream, lemon, and fresh herbs. Slice the lemon into thin wedges and add one at a time when serving.

Broth is the foundation of flavor. For best results, use a rich beef or chicken broth.

For solyanka to be truly delicious and have a beautiful color, you need to use plenty of tomato paste. Fresh tomatoes can impart a more natural tomato flavor to the soup.

In this recipe, cucumbers and brine can create that tartness everyone loves in solyanka. But if you add brine, be careful and taste the soup first, otherwise it may turn out too sour.

If you've added too much brine or cucumbers and the soup is too tart, you can add a small pinch of sugar. Sugar won't make it sweet, but it will help balance the tartness.

The amount of ingredients ensures a thick consistency of the soup.