The Help Force

It’s important to me because I’ve grown up in Lithuania, so it’s one of those foods that immediately reminds me of home and my culture. It’s also something I grew up knowing and eating, so there’s a bit of nostalgia attached to it. I also remember being very young in an summer camp and just not enjoying the food there until they brought this beast of a soup. Was my favourite lunch time there. Anyway, I think what I love most is that it’s such a simple, everyday dish, but it feels very Lithuanian. It’s also perfect for summer because you have this really cold, refreshing soup alongside warm potatoes. I could honestly eat it all the time, but I need go buy special dairy for it in the UK as my body CANNOT tolerate British dairy.

Ingredients:

1. 500 g cooked beetroot
2. 1 litre kefir or buttermilk
3. 2–3 fresh small cucumbers, or one large one
4. 1 small onion or a bunch of spring onions (spring onions are more authentic)
5. 2–3 hard-boiled eggs
6. A generous handful of fresh dill (has to be fresh dill!!!)
7. Salt, to taste
8. Boiled potatoes, to serve

Instructions:

1. Cook the eggs until hard-boiled, then cool them and chop them in half
2. Grate or finely chop the beetroot.
3. Chop the cucumbers, onions and dill. I usually cube the cucumbers, chop onions more finely and just chop the dill to your liking.
4. Put the beetroot, cucumber, onion, dill and eggs into a large bowl.
5. Pour over the kefir/buttermilk and mix everything together.
6. Season with salt to taste.
7. Chill thoroughly in the fridge before serving.
8. Serve the cold pink soup with hot boiled potatoes on the side.

Do you have any tips or tricks on making it, or why people may like this recipe, or any memories from it?

My biggest tip is to make it properly cold and give it some time in the fridge before eating it. The flavours come together much better that way. Obviously if you don’t like it too cold, you don’t have to fridge it Also, don’t be scared of how bright pink it is! It looks almost ridiculous the first time you see it, but that’s part of the funnnn. I think people might like it because it’s really refreshing and not heavy, especially when it’s hot outside. And obviously, you need plenty of dill!!! I don’t think you can really have too much dill.

Thank you for this very delicious recipe! Do you have anything else to say to the audience?

If you’ve never tried Lithuanian pink soup before, please give it a chance! It might look strange and you might think, “Why is this soup pink?”, but I promise it’s worth trying. And if you do make it, definitely have it with potatoes! That’s the important part. It’s basically summer in a bowl. And I guess if you like pink 🩷 or the Barbie franchise it would look dope in the pictures.
Oh and Latvians claim it’s their recipe, but it isn’t, they just love it too, so I hope you love it with us!

And with that, we’ve reached the end of the post. I will be back next time with more fresh and delicious content. If anyone would like to share a recipe with us, DM me with your ideas!

Bon Appétit! <3

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