Pronounced 'akroshka' but the rules of Cyrillic to Roman transliteration dictate that it's spelled with a 'o' in English. But let's not be too pedantic (I know, I started it), the soup will taste the same whatever.
This is a lovely summer soup which, provided you have all the ingredients to hand, or most of them, is quick and easy to make. It can be eaten immediately but will taste better after an hour or two in the fridge. Use the freshest ingredients you can get. It will make a big difference, but don't be afraid to experiment with other ingredients than those I've listed below. We usually go to our local bazaar and buy vegetables for three or four days at a time, but if we are planning okroshka, we make it as soon as we get back.
Our bazaar is magic, by the way. It's called 'Zelony' or 'Green' bazaar and it's in the middle of the city. It's supposed to occupy a couple of blocks but in practice it sprawls all over the place and the surrounding streets are full of mobile cardboard box 'stalls' which disappear 30 metres in front of strolling policemen and reappear 30 metres behind them. Each area specialises in different things and our flat is just off Spare-parts-for-cars Street (better than Sheep's Head Street, I can tell you). There are people from all over central Asia and they all have their own styles and specialities. The colours, the noise, the crowds and, in summer, the smell, are overwhelming. I lied about making okroshka as soon as we come back from the bazaar - we usually lie on the bed for an hour to recover first.
I'm always disappointed when Western visitors pass this way (they're usually 'volunteers' or businessmen as it's almost impossible to enter the country as a casual tourist or backpacker) and they say Zelony Bazaar is not an authentic Central Asian bazaar. Because it sells car parts? What do they want, magic carpets? I suppose the romantic image is of Ali-Babas in funny hats sitting on embroidered rugs and haggling over piles of mysterious spices, dried apricots and jewel-inlaid daggers, while we've got pickpockets, Chinese fake-Sony-battery sellers and big scary guys with loads of gold teeth and scarred faces - if your ever unlucky enough to see a dagger at Zelony Bazaar it will be too late to tell anyone about it.
If we do start getting enough tourists, the government will probably put together a genuine Central Asian bazaar with mini-bus pick-up points at all the five-star hotels. We've already got a genuine 'nomads summer village' with yurtas and camels and artisans-in-residence (I think they buy most of their kit at Zelony Bazaar).
It's time to get back to the recipe. I use stuff called ayran to make this soup but that's just thin yoghurt. When I was in Scotland I used yoghurt thinned with water and it was fine. Choose your own consistency.
Ingredients
2 large tubs of yoghurt, thinned with water
4 large cooked potatoes
1 large cucumber
1 onion
A handful of radishes
A large bunch of mixed fresh green herbs - e.g. dill, parsley, chives,
cress, mint
Salt
Ground black pepper
Chop all the vegetables and herbs finely, paying special attention to getting the radishes and onions into tiny pieces. Mix with the yoghurt, salt and pepper. What could be easier?