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Soup

Okroshka

A chilled Russian soup made with boiling water, chicken bouillon, buttermilk, vegetables, eggs, ham, lemon juice, salt, and dill.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 11 ingredients
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Why it works: Lemon and celery match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,467 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Okroshka

Ingredients

Directions

Make the broth

  1. Add chicken bouillon base to boiling water, stir, set aside to cool to room temperature.

  2. While broth is cooling, prepare vegetables, eggs, and ham.

Assemble and chill

  1. Add buttermilk and lemon juice, vegetables, eggs, and ham to the broth, and stir well.

  2. Add salt and dill to taste.

  3. Refrigerate.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

716Calories
75 gProtein
31 gFat
32 gCarbs

Counts 10 of 11 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 10 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Pork100g cooked242
Chicken100g cooked165
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Cucumber1/2 cup sliced (52g)16
Lemonjuice of 1 lemon (48ml)12
Celery1 stalk (40g)6
Dill5 sprigs fresh (1g) / 1 tsp dried4
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Lemon + celerytop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,467 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  2. Onion + celerytop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together18,518 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

  3. Cucumber + celerytop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,745 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  4. Onion + cucumbertop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together6,050 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  5. Chicken + oniontop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,814 recipes

    Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Buttermilk
Provides a tangy, creamy base that gives the soup its body and sour flavor.
Lemon juice
Adds acidity that brightens the flavor and balances the richness of the buttermilk.
Eggs
Add body and richness as chopped pieces suspended throughout the soup.
Chicken bouillon base
Supplies savory, salty depth to the cooled broth that carries the other ingredients.
Cucumber
Adds cool, crisp texture that contrasts with the creamy liquid.

The step that matters

Cool the broth fully before adding buttermilk. Buttermilk added to hot liquid can curdle and separate, leaving a grainy texture. Letting the broth reach room temperature first keeps the dairy smooth.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, egg, buttermilk, cucumber, ham, lemon, celery):

  1. Asparagusfits better
  2. Chivefits better
  3. Mustardfits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, egg, buttermilk, cucumber, ham, lemon, celery. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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