Spending their lives on campaigns and in the Sich, the Cossacks faced many questions, one of the eternal ones being "what would we eat?" 500 years ago, there was certainly not much time to look for an answer to this question among the inhabitants of the undeveloped lands of the Dnieper and Buzh regions: there would have been time to fight off the Polish nobility and local lords. So, they had to, as they say, "go around."
Thus was born a dish that is difficult to classify in the modern world. It is often confused with yushka, porridge, or even ordinary soup. As you may have guessed from the title, we are talking about the famous Cossack kulish.
In the days when recipe books were not yet written (and even if they were, they would hardly have found a place in Cossack huts), our warriors had to get out of the situation with the help of what was “at hand”. Millet, lard, salt, water (and when there was a campaign, then also game, fish, mushrooms, etc.) made up the daily ration of a Cossack. To diversify it, our ancestors decided to combine all this deliciousness in one dish.
In ancient times, kulish was an exclusively field product, but over time, Ukrainian housewives have significantly domesticated it. In this article, we have collected a real "honeycomb" of recipes for various kulishes, not forgetting to pay tribute to the times (classic Cossack kulish on a bonfire) and to introduce you to today's bizarre novelties, such as kulish in a slow cooker.
Kulish with lard
Ingredients:
- millet – 150 g
- lard – 100 g
- potatoes – 2 pcs.
- carrot – 1 pc.
- onion – 1 pc.
Preparation:
- cook millet for 20-30 minutes;
- Add the chopped potatoes to the pan and boil for 10 minutes;
- Drain the water from the millet and add it to the potatoes, cook until soft;
- fry the lard until golden brown, as soon as the fat comes out, add and fry the onion and carrot;
- Transfer the lard and vegetables to a saucepan, leave on low heat for 10 minutes.
Kulish with meat in a slow cooker
Ingredients:
- meat – 200 g
- millet – 1 cup
- potatoes – 4 pcs.
- carrots – 2 pcs.
- onion – 1 pc.
- lard – 100 g
- salt, spices - to taste
Preparation:
- turn on the multicooker in the "Baking" mode (for up to 40 minutes) and add the pieces of lard;
- Chop the onion and carrot and fry for up to 10 minutes, then add the meat cut into small pieces;
- Cut the peeled potatoes into "straws";
- after finishing “Baking”, we switch to the “Stewing” mode;
- Add millet and potatoes to the vegetables, salt and pour over boiled hot water;
- Cook with the lid closed for up to 1 hour.
Crayfish kulish
Ingredients:
- crayfish – 1 kg
- millet – 2 cups
- onion – 3 heads
Preparation:
- it is necessary to scald the previously washed crayfish with boiling water and cut off their heads;
- Stuff the crayfish abdomen with washed millet and place in a saucepan;
- Pour in water, salt, add finely chopped onion and cook until tender.
Kulish with mushrooms
Ingredients:
- millet – 75 g
- dried mushrooms – 100 g
- lard – 100 g
- potatoes – 3 pcs.
- garlic – 3 cloves
- onion – 2 heads
- basil, pepper, spices
Preparation:
- first you need to soak the mushrooms for 2-3 hours, then
- boil them (15 min.);
- boil the millet until it becomes soft;
- in parallel, fry the lard;
- remove the greaves and fry the vegetables in the rendered fat;
- add everything to the kulesh, cook for up to 5 minutes;
- add basil, garlic and herbs, bring to a boil;
- Let the dish stand for 10 minutes and sit down at the table.
Cossack kulish on the fire
Ingredients:
- millet – 100 g
- fresh lard – 100 g
- potatoes – 2 pcs.
- carrot – 1 pc.
- onion – 1 pc.
- butter – 50 g.
- herbs, spices
Preparation:
- Cut the lard into cubes and put it in a bowl so that it browns and gives off fat;
- Add chopped vegetables to the cauldron, fry for 5-7 minutes;
- pour in 1 liter of water and leave to boil;
- add potatoes, cook for the same 5-7 minutes;
- We wash the millet, throw it into a pot, and when it is cooked,
- add butter, herbs and spices.
Kulish with chicken and garlic
Ingredients:
- domestic chicken – 400 g
- millet groats – 100 g
- onion – 1 pc.
- carrot – 1 pc.
- butter – 2 tbsp.
- garlic – 1-2 cloves
- parsley
Preparation:
- cook the chicken for about 1.5 hours, salt it closer to the end of the process;
- then you need to strain the broth and put it back on the stove;
- Throw the washed millet into the broth and cook until cooked (≈ 20 minutes);
- At this time, sauté the carrots and onions in a pan and separate our chicken from the bones;
- when the cereal is at the final stage of cooking, add the sautéed vegetables and chicken meat to it;
- add garlic, mix and cook for 1 minute over low heat;
- after removing the pan from the stove, it is worth keeping it in a warm place for some time;
- It is best to serve the dish with a sprinkling of parsley.
Buckwheat kulish with pork
Ingredients:
- pork – 400 g
- buckwheat groats – 1 cup
- carrot – 1 pc.
- onion – 1 pc.
- bacon – 50 g
- meat broth – 1 l
- black pepper
Preparation:
- chop the pork, onion, and carrot and fry them together in lard;
- Pour hot broth over this mixture, add sifted grains, salt, pepper and bring to a boil;
- cover the plate and put in the oven for 60-70 minutes;
- Sprinkle the finished kulish with herbs.
Fish stew
Ingredients:
- crucian carp – 4 pcs. (can be replaced with any other river fish)
- millet – 75 g
- onion – 1 head
- carrot – 1 pc.
- potatoes – 4 pcs.
- vegetable oil – 25 ml.
- salt, spices, herbs
Preparation:
- First, you need to gut the crucian carp and cut them in half; boil the potatoes for 5-10 minutes, then add the millet and cook for another 5 minutes;
- At this time, fry the carrots and onions in oil;
- throw the crucian carp into the pan, add salt and after a few minutes add the vegetables from the pan;
- Cook all this for about 15-20 minutes;
- Sprinkle the finished dish with herbs.
- >
Kulish with an egg on a fire
Ingredients:
- millet – 200 g
- potatoes – 4 pcs.
- pork stew – 300 g
- egg – 5 pcs.
- carrot – 1 pc.
- onion – 1-2 pcs.
- bay leaf
- sunflower oil
Preparation:
- pour oil into a cauldron and put it on the fire;
- add chopped carrots and onions and fry over open fire;
- then we throw the potatoes into the pot, salt them and fill them with water;
- wait until the potatoes are stewed and begin to fall apart (about half an hour);
- then add millet and herbs to taste to the cauldron, simmer for 10-15 minutes;
- then we do the same with the stew;
- Finally, beat the eggs and add them to the cauldron. Five minutes after that, you can start serving.
Kulish with hare
Ingredients:
- rabbit meat (the dish is prepared from the back of the rabbit) – 0.5 kg
- onion – 2 pcs.
- carrots – 2 pcs.
- black pepper – 6-8 peas
- dill – 2 sprigs
- ground black pepper
- smoked lard or fatty brisket – 120 g
- millet – 150 g
- vodka with pepper – 100 ml
Preparation:
- first of all, soak the hare;
- Place peppercorns with bay leaves on the bottom of the plate, and sliced onions and carrots on top;
- then we spread out the pieces of hare, pour in water and put on the fire;
- after boiling, reduce the heat and cook the hare for at least two hours, leaving the lid barely open;
- dice the lard (breast), carrots and onions, fry in a pan;
- the next stage – take out the hare and pour the sauce through a colander;
- we no longer need the vegetables, and we return the hare to the plate;
- salt, add fried vegetables with lard and pour in millet, cook over low heat until cooked;
- At the end, you can add vodka with pepper and sprinkle the dish with herbs.
Write a comment