Los Angeles Russian Restaurants

Salmon is the common name for several species of fish of the family Salmonidae. Salmon live in both the Atlantic (one migratory species Salmo salar) and Pacific Oceans, as well as the Great Lakes (approximately a dozen species of the genus Oncorhynchus).

Salmon is a popular food. Classified as an “oily fish”, salmon is considered to be healthy due to the fish’s high protein, high Omega-3 fatty acids, and high vitamin D content. Salmon is also a source of cholesterol, with a range of 23–214 mg/100g depending on the species. According to reports in the journal Science, however, farmed salmon may contain high levels of dioxins. PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl) levels may be up to eight times higher in farmed salmon than in wild salmon. Omega-3 content may also be lower than in wild caught specimens, and in a different proportion to what is found naturally.

Salmon flesh is generally orange to red, although there are some examples of white fleshed wild salmon. The natural colour of salmon results from carotenoid pigments, largely astaxanthin but also canthaxanthin, in the flesh. Wild salmon get these carotenoids from eating krill and other tiny shellfish.

Canned salmon in the U.S. is usually wild Pacific catch, though some farmed salmon is available in canned form. Traditional canned salmon includes some skin (which is harmless) and bone (which adds calcium). Skinless and boneless canned salmon is also available.

You can find authentic Russian Salmon on many Russian Restaurants in Los Angeles.

Botvinya is one of the most typical cold Russian soups. It almost became extinct because it is difficult to make. It is quite difficult to cut corners as cutting corners tends to diminish much of the authentic taste.

A full botvinya consists of three parts:
1.    The soup.
2.    Boiled “red” (most prized) fish (salmon, sturgeon, or stellate sturgeon), that is served separately from soup.
3.    Crushed ice, served on a separate platter or cup.

The name of the soup comes from the Russian word botva, which means “leafy tops of root vegetables”, and the ingredients are in line with the name: leafy tops of young beet, beetroots, oxalate sorrel, green onions, dill, cucumbers, and two types of kvass, then some mustard, lemon juice, and horseradish as spices.

It is eaten as the first course or right after a hot soup, before the second course as an appetizer. It is eaten using two spoons and a fork: the fork is used to eat the fish, the first spoon to sip the soup and the second spoon to put ice into the soup, so it stays cold for a long time. Botvin’ya is eaten with fresh rye bread.

You can find authentic Russian Botvinya on many Russian Restaurants in Los Angeles.

Kefir (alternately kefīrs, keefir, kephir, kewra, talai, mudu kekiya, milkkefir, búlgaros) is a fermented milk drink that originated in the Caucasus region. It is prepared by inoculating cow, goat, or sheep’s milk with kefir grains.

Kefir comes from two Persian words- “kef” (foam) and “shir” (milk).

Kefir grains are a combination of bacteria and yeasts in a matrix of proteins, lipids, and sugars. This symbiotic matrix forms “grains” that resemble cauliflower. Many different bacteria and yeasts are found in the kefir grains, which are a complex and highly variable community of micro-organisms termed probiotics.

Kefir has antimutagenic and antioxidant properties, and can possibly be used to prevent mutagenic and oxidative damage in the human body. One can change the nutrient content by simply fermenting for shorter or longer periods. Both stages have different health benefits. For instance, kefir over-ripened (which increases the sour taste) significantly increases folic acid content. Kefir also aids in lactose digestion as a catalyst, making it more suitable than other dairy products for those who are lactose intolerant. The kefiran in kefir has been shown to suppress an increase in blood pressure and reduce serum cholesterol levels in rats.

While some drink kefir straight, some find it too sour on its own and prefer to add fruits, honey, maple syrup, vanilla, agave nectar, or other flavors or sweeteners. Frozen bananas, strawberries, blueberries or other fruits can be mixed with kefir in a blender to make a smoothie.

Kefir is one of the main ingredients in Lithuanian cold beet soup šaltibarščiai (Polish chłodnik), commonly known as cold borscht. Other variations of kefir soups and foods prepared with kefir are popular across the former Soviet Union and Poland.

You can find authentic Russian Kefir on many Russian Restaurants in Los Angeles.

Crème fraiche (French pronunciation: [kʁɛm fʁɛʃ], “fresh cream”) is a soured cream containing about 28% butterfat and with a pH of around 4.5. It is soured with bacterial culture, but is thicker, and less sour than sour cream.

Originally a French product, it is available in many countries. It is traditional to France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia.

Crème fraiche is produced by a process similar to that of sour cream, with the exception that no ingredients are added. Each processing step requires attention to maintain high viscosity. It can be made at home by adding a small amount of cultured buttermilk or sour cream to heavy cream, and allowing it to stand for several hours at room temperature until the bacterial cultures act on the cream.

Crème fraiche was originally produced in Normandy, a geographical region along the coast of France south of the English Channel. The crème fraiche from a defined area around the town of Isigny-sur-Mer in the Calvados department of Normandy is still highly regarded. However, it is now produced in many other parts of France, with large quantities coming from the major dairy regions of Britanny, Poitou-Charente, Lorraine and Champagne-Ardenne.

Crème fraiche is particularly useful in finishing sauces in French cooking because it does not curdle. However, “light” crème fraiche with a low fat content curdles when heated. Crème fraiche is a substitute for sour cream.

You can find authentic Russian Crème Fraiche on many Russian Restaurants in Los Angeles.

Sour cream is a dairy product rich in fats obtained by fermenting a regular cream by certain kinds of lactic acid bacteria. The bacterial culture, introduced either deliberately or naturally, sours and thickens the cream. Though only mildly sour in taste, the name stems from the production of lactic acid by bacterial fermentation, sometimes referred to as “souring”.

Sour cream, made out of cream, contains from 12 to 16 percent butterfat (about 14 grams per 4 ounce serving), and gets its characteristic tang from the lactic acid created by the bacteria. Commercially produced sour cream often contains additional thickening agents such as gelatin, rennin, guar and carrageen, as well as acids to artificially sour the product.

Used primarily in the cuisines of Europe and North America, sour cream is often used as a condiment. It is a traditional topping for baked potatoes, added cold along with chopped fresh chives. It is used as the base for some creamy salad dressings and can also be used in baking, added to the mix for cakes, cookies, American-style biscuits, doughnuts and scones. It can be eaten as a dessert, with fruits or berries and sugar topping. In Central America, crema, a variation of sour cream, is a staple ingredient of a full breakfast. Sour cream can also provide the base for various forms of dip used for dipping potato chips or crackers, such as onion dip. It is one of the main ingredients used in Beef Stroganoff. Sour cream flavoring can also be found in snack foods such as Pringles, to which onion flavor has also been added.

You can find authentic Russian Sour Cream on many Russian Restaurants in Los Angeles.

Smetana is a Slavic loanword in English for a dairy product that is produced by souring heavy cream. Smetana is from Central and Eastern Europe, a soured cream product like crème fraîche (28%), but much heavier and thicker with usually 36% to 42 % milkfat or even higher, more sour in taste than crème fraîche. It will not curdle when cooked or added to hot dishes. Its cooking properties are different from crème fraîche and the lighter sour creams sold in the U.S., which contain 12 to 16 percent butterfat.

Smetana is widely used in many Eastern European cuisines, in appetizers, main courses, soups and desserts, for example, blended into local soups, vegetable and meat dishes, Cole Slaw, served with Pelmeni, dumplings, Pierogi or as a filling in savoury pancakes. Smetana can be blended to a Liptauer-like cheese spread with local cottage cheeses, onions, paprika and other spices, eaten with bread. It is often used in cooking, as it is high enough in fat not to curdle at higher temperatures. It is used in the preparation of meat or vegetable stews and casseroles, or other dishes that require a long cooking time in the oven. Smetana doesn’t melt in the oven and it doesn’t soak the whole dish like crème fraîche. Hungarian cooks use it as an ingredient in sauces like paprikas and in recipes such as ham-filled crepes (palacsinta).

Smetana is also widely used in Finnish cooking, smetana being more commonly used in Karelia and Ingria. In Ukrainian and Russian cuisine, sour cream is often added to borscht and other soups, and is used as a condiment for dumplings like vareniki and pelmeni.

You can find authentic Russian Smetana on many Russian Restaurants in Los Angeles.

Solyanka (Russian and Ukrainian: соля́нка) is a thick, spicy and sour soup in the Russian and Ukrainian cuisine.

There are mainly three different kinds of solyanka, with the main ingredient being either meat, fish or mushrooms. All of them contain pickled cucumbers with brine, and often cabbage, salty mushrooms, smetana (sour cream) and dill. The soup is prepared by cooking the cucumbers with brine before adding the other ingredients of the broth.

For meat solyanka, ingredients like beef, ham, sausages, chicken breasts, and cabbage, together with salty mushrooms, cucumber pickles, tomatoes, onions, olives, capers, allspice, parsley, and dill are all cut fine and mingled with cream in a pot. The broth is added, and all shortly heated in the stove, without boiling.

Fish solyanka is prepared similarly, but soup vegetables are cooked with the broth. The meat is replaced with fish, like sturgeon and salmon, and freshwater crayfish. Finally, some lemon juice is added to the soup.

For mushroom solyanka, cut cabbage is heated in butter together with vinegar, tomatoes, and cucumber pickles, with little brine. Separately, mushrooms and onions are heated, and grated lemon skin is added. Cabbage and mushrooms are put in layers, breadcrumbs and butter added, and all shortly baked.

Solyanka is also popular in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR – East Germany), where it is commonly found in restaurants and available in canned form in grocery stores

You can find authentic Russian Solyanka on many Russian Restaurants in Los Angeles.

Shchi (Russian: щи, Russian pronunciation: [ɕ:i]) is a soup with cabbage as the primary ingredient. It is very popular in Russia. Generally it is made with either cabbage or sauerkraut and other winter vegetables, although meat can be added. Shchi made with sauerkraut has a sour taste and is called sour shchi. A summer sorrel soup, also popular in pre-Revolutionary and today’s Russia, is known as green shchi (Russian: Зелёные щи, zelyonye shchi). Usually smetana is added into shchi before serving.

Shchi can be made with meat or without it–with sauerkraut or with cabbage or with both. The only thing all cooks seem to agree on is that it should sit and cure for as long as possible, up to a day or two, before eating. This particular recipe is meatless–and can be vegetarian if you use water or vegetable stock instead of beef stock–but it is unusually rich and hearty, full of flavor and textures, using both sauerkraut and cabbage. Serve hot as a meal to 6-8 people, with lots of pumpernickel or rye bread and butter on hand.

Shchi (russ.: щи) is one of the most typical dishes of the Russian cuisine. It can be cooked in different ways. There are three main variations of shchi: ‘green shchi’ with fresh cabbage (russ.: щи свежие), ‘sour shchi’ with sauerkraut (russ.: щи кислые) and vegetarian shchi (russ.: щи постные).

You can find authentic Russian Shchi on many Russian Restaurants in Los Angeles.

A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy.

Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables (such as carrots, potatoes, beans, peppers and tomatoes etc.), meat, poultry, sausages and seafood. While water can be used as the stew-cooking liquid, wine, stock, and beer are also common. Seasoning and flavourings may also be added. Stews are typically cooked at a relatively low temperature (simmered, not boiled), to allow flavors to combine.

Stewing is suitable for the least tender cuts of meat that become tender and juicy with the slow moist heat method. This makes it popular in low-cost cooking. Cuts having a certain amount of marbling and gelatinous connective tissue give moist, juicy stews, while lean meat may easily become dry.

Stews may be thickened by reduction or thickened with flour, either by coating pieces of meat with flour before searing, or by using a roux or beurre manié, a dough consisting of equal parts of butter and flour. Thickeners like cornstarch or arrowroot may also be used.

You can find authentic Russian Stew on many Russian Restaurants in Los Angeles.

Okroshka (Russian: окрошка) is a cold Russian national soup. The name probably originates from “kroshit’” (крошить) which means to chop or break into small pieces.

The classic soup is a mix of mostly raw vegetables (like cucumbers and spring onions), boiled potatoes, eggs and cooked beef or veal (or cooked sausages or ham) with kvass, the so-called bread drink, which is a mildly alcoholic beverage made from fermented black or rye bread. Okroshka is usually garnished with sour cream. Later versions that appeared in Soviet times use light or diluted kefir, mineral water, or even beer instead of kvass.

The ingredients are diced and then mixed with kvass just before eating; the ratio of chopped food to kvass is similar to that of cereal to milk. This allows the vegetables to retain their texture. For that same reason, even though the ingredients are similar to those in a Russian salad, the taste of okroshka is quite different from that of the salad.
Okroshka is sometimes served in summer because the soup combines the refreshing taste of kvass and the lightness of a salad. Salt and sugar can be added according to taste.

You can find authentic Russian Okroshka on many Russian Restaurants in Los Angeles.