A vegetarian dish
Today at NeMoskva we have a long-awaited vegetarian dish!
A simple to prepare and laconic in taste dish from Komi - asya shyd — a sour soup, the recipe for which was shared by our reader Natalia Makarova.
Azya shyd was traditionally made from barley grains with the addition of spring-harvested and fermented young shoots of Siberian hogweed (az). The barley grains were steamed in the oven until tender, then the starter was added, and the soup was baked again. Peas were often added to this soup. Later, whey or curdled milk came to be used instead of the starter.
"In the Komi language, the word 'shyd' means soup: yaya shyd is meat soup, tshaka shyd is mushroom soup, koslunya shyd is Lenten soup, and azya shyd is a type of sour soup," explains Natalya. "My mother often cooked azya shyd in a large Russian stove in a cast-iron pot. It took quite a while, as the food simmered rather than cooked. I've continued my mother's tradition, except I've replaced the stove with a slow cooker, and instead of a sour base, I use kefir. Surprisingly, my son, who was active and watched his diet, appreciated this soup. The combination of natural protein and carbohydrates fit perfectly with healthy eating guidelines."
1. Ingredients for making the soup: whole peas, pearl barley, kefir, salt, water, sour cream.
2. Recipe: rinse 100-120 grams of peas, 120-130 grams of pearl barley, pour into the multicooker bowl, add 0,5 liters of water and turn on the stewing mode for 1 hour.
3. Since the barley and peas will foam a lot when cooking, you can open the multicooker lid after 10-15 minutes to let the steam out. After an hour, add half a liter of 2,5% fat kefir and salt to taste to the now-cooked barley and peas. If you prefer a thinner soup, add another half a liter of water; if you prefer a thicker consistency, you can use 0,2-0,3 liters.
4. Simmer the contents of the multicooker for another hour, and the azya shyd is ready. When serving, be sure to add a spoonful of sour cream and finely chopped fresh onion.
Note. Natalia Makarova recommends using whole peas, as they have a richer flavor and cook faster. For those who don't like peas, she recommends making the soup using only pearl barley.
