German currywurst, Italian pizza or Spanish paella – hardly anything says more about a particular country than the local cuisine and the traditions associated with it. As the second largest country in Europe, Ukraine boasts an incredibly diverse culinary culture, which has incorporated elements of different European cuisines over the years. Hearty, down-to-earth, but still very sophisticated – this is the best way to describe Ukrainian recipes. Are you ready for a little adventure? Then join us on a truly magical culinary journey and discover some of the most popular and delicious Ukrainian main dishes.
Ukrainian recipes: Borscht original recipe
Rich, delicious and filling, borscht soup is undoubtedly one of the most popular Ukrainian recipes to know. There are lots of variations on the classic, but below we have the best borscht recipe grandma's style for you.
Ingredients for 8 servings:
- 3 large beets, peeled and diced
- 300 grams of potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 large onion, chopped finely
- 3 large carrots, diced
- 350 grams green or red cabbage, cut into thin slices
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 170 grams of diced canned tomatoes
- 2 liters of beef broth
- 20 ml olive oil
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 bay leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
- Place beef broth and bay leaves in a large pot and bring to a boil.
- Add cabbage to pot, cover and bring to a boil again.
- Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sauté onion, garlic cloves and carrots for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Add the beetroot and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
- Add the sautéed vegetables to the pot along with the potatoes and tomatoes, cover and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat, season with salt and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
- Turn off heat and add vinegar and pepper. Stir well and leave on the stove for 10 minutes.
- Garnish with a little sour cream if desired and your Ukrainian borscht is ready.
The best chicken Kiev recipe
Do you love Cordon Bleu? Then you should definitely try our recipe for classic chicken Kyiv! Tender on the inside, crispy on the outside and with a juicy butter filling – the Ukrainian main dish is guaranteed to be a culinary delight!
Ingredients for 4 servings:
- 4 chicken breast fillets
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 90 grams of wheat flour
- 200 grams of breadcrumbs
- Olive oil for frying
- Salt and pepper to taste
Butter filling:
- 150 grams butter, at room temperature
- 15 ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- Fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper
Preparation:
- Put the ingredients for the butter filling in a bowl and beat with a hand mixer for 1-2 minutes until creamy.
- Form into a roll, wrap with cling film and place in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Pat the chicken breast fillets dry and carefully flatten them slightly.
- Season the meat with salt and pepper.
- Remove the filling from the cupboard and cut into 4 equal pieces.
- Place 1 piece of butter in the middle of each fillet and roll up tightly. Secure the ends with toothpicks.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
- Dip the chicken breast fillets first in the wheat flour, then in the egg mixture and then in the breadcrumbs.
- Fry the meat for 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown.
- Place the fried fillets in a baking dish and bake for 18-20 minutes.
- Serve the chicken Kyiv with your choice of side dishes and enjoy.
Ukrainian holubtsi recipe
Tradition combined with diversity – this is the easiest way to describe Ukrainian recipes. Almost every nation in the world has its own version ofKohlrouladenand holubtsi is undoubtedly one of the most popular Ukrainian dishes ever. The roulades can be prepared either vegetarian or with minced meat and taste simply perfect, especially on a cold winter day.
Ingredients for 10 servings:
- 1 large cabbage
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 large carrot, grated
- 240 grams of ground beef
- 240 grams of minced pork
- 1 can of diced tomatoes, 400 grams
- 150 grams of cooked rice
- 260ml water
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 2 bay leaves
- Fresh dill, chopped finely
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
- Remove the core from the cabbage and carefully separate the leaves.
- Blanch the cabbage leaves in salted water for 2-3 minutes and then rinse under ice water.
- For the filling, heat rapeseed oil in a pot and fry half of the onion and carrots for 5-6 minutes.
- Add tomato paste and sugar and simmer for 1-2 minutes.
- Then add water, diced tomatoes and bay leaves to the pot and simmer covered for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt.
- Mix the minced meat, rice and remaining onion well in a large bowl with wet hands. Season with salt and pepper.
- Now put about 2 tablespoons of the filling in the middle of a sheet, fold the sides over and roll up tightly.
- Place the rolls in the pot, seam side down.
- Bring everything to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer covered for 40-45 minutes.
- Garnish the Ukrainian cabbage rolls with chopped dill and sour cream and enjoy.
Ukrainian recipes: Classic vareniki with potato filling
Most Ukrainian recipes are characterized by the fact that they have incorporated elements from different European cuisines. Vareniki are filled dumplings and are considered the Ukrainian version of Polish pierogies. Classic fillings include potatoes, meat, mushrooms or fresh berries. Whether savory or sweet – vareniki are always delicious. And here is our recipe for Ukrainian dumplings with potato filling.
Ingredients for the dough:
- 450 grams of wheat flour
- 1 No
- 250 ml water, cold
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
Filling:
- 600 grams of potatoes
- 100 grams of bacon
- 1 large onion, chopped finely
- 30 Gramm Butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
- Peel the potatoes and cook them in salted water.
- Pass the still warm potatoes through a press or puree them with a potato masher.
- In the meantime prepare the dough. To do this, whisk water, eggs and water together in a large bowl.
- Add wheat flour and salt and knead everything into a smooth dough. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
- For the filling, fry the bacon in a pan over medium heat for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the onions, reduce the heat and sauté for 20 minutes until the onions are caramelized.
- Mix the pureed potatoes with the butter and the bacon mixture in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
- Roll out the dough thinly on a floured work surface and cut out circles with a glass.
- Put about 1-2 tablespoons of filling on each circle and fold the dumplings together.
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil and cook the vareniki in it for 5-6 minutes.
- Then heat some butter in a pan and fry the vareniki for 1-2 minutes per side until golden brown.
Ukrainian-style jelly meat kholodets
When we think of Ukrainian recipes, this dish cannot be missed! Kholodets is a meat jelly and the dish is mainly eaten at Christmas and Easter. Admittedly, jellied meat doesn't sound particularly appetizing and isn't for everyone, but most Ukrainians love it. Maybe you will too, who knows?
Ingredients for 10-12 servings:
- 900 grams of pork legs, soaked in cold water for 3-4 hours
- 8 large chicken drumsticks
- 2 medium onions, diced
- 1 large carrot
- 1 stick of celery, cut into thin rings
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
- Place pork and chicken legs in a large pot and cover with water.
- Cover and bring to a boil.
- As soon as it starts to boil, remove the pot from the heat and drain the water.
- Rinse the meat well and cover it with water again in the pot.
- Cover and bring to the boil again.
- Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 hours.
- Add the vegetables and bay leaves to the pot and season with salt and pepper.
- Let simmer for another 1 hour.
- Remove the chicken drumsticks and carrots from the pot and let them cool.
- Discard the pork legs, celery, onion and bay leaves and strain the broth through a sieve.
- Tear the chicken apart with two forks and cut the carrot into thin rings.
- Then place the carrot slices on the bottom of small serving bowls and top with meat.
- Cover the meat with broth and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Remove the kholodets from the molds and your Ukrainian main dish is ready!
Ukrainian recipes with potatoes: The best recipe for deruni
Ukrainians love their potatoes and that's why it's not surprising that there are so many Ukrainian recipes with potatoes. Crispy on the outside and deliciously soft on the inside, these Ukrainian-style potato pancakes are ideal for a quick weeknight dinner.
Ingredients for about 16 potato pancakes:
- 750 grams of potatoes
- 1 medium onion
- 1 No
- 40 grams of wheat flour
- 20 grams of sour cream
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Rapeseed oil for frying
Preparation:
- Finely grate the potatoes and onions and mix well.
- Add the wheat flour, egg and sour cream to the bowl and mix everything into a homogeneous mixture.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add about 2 tablespoons of the mixture to the pan and fry for 4-5 minutes per side until golden brown.
- Garnish the Ukrainian deruny with a little sour cream and enjoy.
Ukrainian garlic bread “Pampuschki”
And what would be the perfect addition to all the delicious Ukrainian recipes? A wonderfully delicious and aromatic garlic bread, of course! Our recipe for Pampuschki Garlic Bread is the ultimate accompaniment to any Ukrainian main dish and is guaranteed to become the whole family's new favorite.
Ingredients:
- 400 grams of wheat flour
- 15 grams of fresh yeast or 7 grams of dry yeast
- 225 ml water, lukewarm
- 6 garlic cloves, crushed
- 45 ml olive oil
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1/2 bunch fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tsp powdered sugar
- 1 tsp salt
Preparation:
- First mix yeast and sugar with the water.
- Add 200 grams of wheat flour and stir.
- Cover with cling film and let rise in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Add the remaining flour and salt and knead everything into a smooth dough on a floured work surface.
- Divide the dough into 8 pieces and shape into round rolls.
- Place in an oiled baking pan and let rise covered in a warm place for 30-40 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 220 degrees.
- Mix olive oil, garlic, parsley and a little salt in a small bowl.
- Brush the rolls with the egg and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
- Immediately baste with the garlic and your Ukrainian garlic bread is ready!
Paska recipe: Ukrainian yeast bread for Easter
Yeast plaitis simply part of Easter! How about trying some Ukrainian recipes for a change this year? Rich, full of flavors and super delicious – the classic Ukrainian yeast bread Paska is an absolute must at Easter time.
Ingredients:
- 580 grams of flour, type 550
- 100 grams of milk, lukewarm
- 200 grams of granulated sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 80 grams butter, room temperature
- 200 grams of sour cream
- 20 grams of fresh yeast or 7 grams of dry yeast
- 150 grams of raisins, soaked in rum for 2-3 hours
- 1 TL Vanilleextrakt
Frosting:
- 150 grams of powdered sugar
- 1 egg white
Preparation:
- Mix the lukewarm milk with the yeast and 20 grams of sugar.
- Weigh 400 grams of flour into a bowl and add 2 tablespoons of it to the milk mixture. Stir well and let rise covered for 20 minutes.
- Beat the egg yolks with the remaining sugar with a hand mixer for 4-5 minutes until you get a light yellow mixture.
- Add sour cream and vanilla extract and stir.
- Stir in the yeast mixture.
- Gradually add the remaining flour and stir everything into a smooth dough.
- Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours.
- Add the remaining flour to the dough and knead well again.
- Gradually incorporate the butter and let the dough rise in an oiled bowl for another 2 hours until it has doubled in volume.
- Spread the dough out on a floured work surface and scatter the raisins on top. You can also use chopped nuts if you like.
- Divide into two equal parts and place in 2 13cm diameter baking tins.
- Cover again and let rest for 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and bake the Ukrainian yeast plait on the lower shelf for 1 hour.
- Mix the ingredients for the icing until smooth and spread it over the still warm yeast bread. And your Ukrainian paska is ready!
