Kulish is a traditional Ukrainian recipe for a classic thick pottage-style soup made proso millet, potatoes, salo, onions and carrot. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Ukrainian version of: Kulish.
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In the Ukrainian language kulish (куліш) means 'millet porridge' or 'millet pottage'.
Kulish is a traditional Ukrainian dish that derives from Zaporizhian Cossack culture. It's a pottage, made of millet, salo, potatoes and onions, was highly praised by Cossacks for its easy-to-cook and nutritive characteristics. Quite often, kulish was eaten as a substitute of full-fledged dinner during their military marches. The Salo called for in the recipe is a traditional Ukrainian food made from salt-cured slabs of pork fat, often enjoyed raw with rye bread and spices. It holds a significant cultural place in Ukraine and is considered a national dish.
As of today, the Ukrainian housewives have considerably diversified the Cossacks pottage, adding new ingredient such as mushrooms, meat and haricot beans.
Proso millet is the commonest type of millet found in Ukraine and would be recommended for this recipe. Kulish is a traditional dish that's counted amongst the national dishes of Ukraine.
Salo or slanina is a European food consisting of salt-cured slabs of pork subcutaneous fat with or without skin and with or without layers of meat. It is commonly eaten and known under different names across Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. It is usually dry salt or brine cured.
Ingredients:
120g proso millet
4 large Potatoes, peeled, washed and cut into chunks
150g Salo with streak of meat in it, cut into chunks
2 Onions, peeled and diced
1 Carrot, peeled and diced
pinch of Salt
Parsley to garnish
oil for frying
Method:
Bring a pan of water to a boil then add the millet. Return to a simmer and cook for 2–3 minutes.
Now add the potatoes and continue simmering for 10 minutes.
In the meantime, set a frying pan over medium heat. Add a little oil and use to fry the salo pieces until half done. This will also render some of its fat into the pan. Transfer the salo to a plate and set aside.
Add the onion and carrot to the frying pan and cook for about 5 minutes, until the onions are soft.
Add the onion, carrots and fried salo to the pan with the potatoes and millet.
Return to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat.
Ladle into warmed soup bowls and serve with crusty bread.
