Today we’re heading to Ukraine, a country with an incredibly rich, soulful cuisine, where every dish holds the memory of generations. We’ll make two iconic Ukrainian dishes that will win you over with their simplicity and depth of flavor.
A sumptuous Hutsul porridge made from corn grits, cooked in rich homemade sour cream. The result is incredibly tender and creamy, with a deep buttery flavor and the gentle sweetness of corn. It is served with crisp cracklings and brined bryndza cheese — the contrast of textures and flavors is simply magnificent.
Ingredients (for 4 servings):
• Fine corn grits — 200 g
• Full-fat sour cream (at least 20%) — 400 g
• Water — 300 ml
• Pork belly — 150 g
• Bryndza cheese (or feta) — 120 g
• Salt — to taste
Preparation:
Step 1. Preparing the pork for cracklings.
Cut the pork belly into cubes roughly 1×1 cm, removing the rind. Place the cubes in a dry frying pan and set over medium heat. Render the fat for 10–12 minutes, stirring from time to time. It’s ready when the cracklings have turned golden amber, crisp on the outside, and a sufficient amount of clear fat has rendered into the pan. Transfer the cracklings to a paper towel.
Step 2. Making the sour cream base.
Pour the water into a heavy-bottomed saucepan or small cauldron, add the sour cream, and whisk thoroughly until smooth. Set over medium heat and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, stirring constantly. It’s ready when tiny bubbles appear on the surface and the mixture is completely smooth and hot.
Step 3. Adding the corn grits.
Reduce the heat to the lowest setting. In a thin stream, gradually add the corn grits while stirring continuously with a wooden spoon or spatula. Add them slowly so that no lumps form. This process should take 2–3 minutes.
Step 4. Cooking the banush.
Continue cooking over the lowest possible heat, stirring constantly in one direction with a wooden spoon. This is essential — stirring continuously in one direction is what gives banush its distinctive creamy texture. Cook for 20–25 minutes, salting to taste at the 10-minute mark. It’s ready when the mixture has thickened to the consistency of dense polenta, pulls away from the sides of the pan as you stir, and droplets of sour cream fat begin to rise to the surface — the main sign of a true banush.
Step 5. Preparing the bryndza.
While the banush cooks, crumble the bryndza (or feta) with your hands into small, irregular pieces about 1–1.5 cm across. If the cheese is too salty, soak it in cold water for 15 minutes beforehand, then pat dry.
Step 6. Serving the dish.
Spoon the hot banush into a mound on a plate or into a clay bowl. Generously scatter the crisp cracklings and crumbled bryndza over the top. If desired, drizzle with a little of the rendered fat from the pan. Serve immediately, while the banush is piping hot and the cracklings are still crisp.
Step 7. Serving recommendations.
Banush should be eaten right away — as it cools, it thickens and loses its delicate creaminess. It is perfect with pickled mushrooms or fresh vegetables. Each diner mixes the cracklings and bryndza into the porridge on their own plate, creating the ideal blend of salty, creamy, and crisp.
💡 Fact: Banush is the calling card of Hutsul cuisine in the Ukrainian Carpathians. Traditionally, highland shepherds cooked it high in the mountains over an open fire in a copper cauldron. It was believed that only a man could make a true banush, and a cook’s skill was judged precisely by the number of fat droplets rising to the surface of the porridge — the more there were, the more masterful the cook.
Fluffy, airy yeast rolls with the vivid aroma of garlic sauce. On the outside — a thin golden crust; within — a soft, weightless crumb. Every pampushka is generously soaked in a garlic-and-oil dressing with dill, sending its fragrance through the whole house. The classic accompaniment to borscht, though they are magnificent as a dish in their own right.
Ingredients (for 12–14 pieces):
• Wheat flour — 400 g
• Warm milk (35–38°C) — 200 ml
• Fast-acting dry yeast — 7 g (1 packet)
• Sugar — 1 tbsp
• Salt — 1 tsp
• Vegetable oil (sunflower oil) — 3 tbsp (for the dough)
• Chicken egg — 1
• Garlic — 5–6 cloves
• Fresh dill — 1 small bunch (about 20 g)
• Vegetable oil (unrefined, fragrant sunflower oil) — 4 tbsp (for the dressing)
• Warm boiled water — 2 tbsp (for the dressing)
• Salt — a pinch (for the dressing)
Preparation:
Step 1. Making the sponge.
Dissolve the sugar and dry yeast in warm milk (35–38°C — pleasantly warm to the touch, but not hot). Stir and leave in a warm place for 10 minutes. It’s ready when a fluffy, foamy “cap” 2–3 cm high has formed on the surface — that means the yeast has activated.
Step 2. Kneading the dough.
Sift the flour into a deep bowl and make a well in the center. Pour in the sponge, add the egg, salt, and 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Start mixing with a spoon, then switch to kneading by hand on a lightly floured surface. Knead vigorously for 8–10 minutes. It’s ready when the dough is smooth and elastic, no longer sticks to your hands, and slowly springs back when pressed with a finger.
Step 3. First proof.
Grease a bowl with a thin layer of vegetable oil, place the dough inside, and cover with cling film or a clean towel. Put it somewhere warm (around 28–30°C — for instance, in an oven with the light switched on). Leave for 1–1.5 hours. It’s ready when the dough has increased in volume by 2–2.5 times, and an indentation made with a light press of your finger slowly fills back in.
Step 4. Shaping the pampushky.
Punch down the dough and turn it out onto your work surface. Divide it into 12–14 equal pieces, about 45–50 g each. Roll each piece into a smooth ball: pull the edges down and toward the center underneath, then roll it against the table with your palm in a circular motion. Arrange the balls on a parchment-lined baking tray, 1.5–2 cm apart (while baking, they will “cling” together at the sides — that is exactly as it should be, creating their characteristic soft sidewalls).
Step 5. Second proof.
Cover the tray of pampushky with a towel and leave in a warm place for 25–30 minutes. They’re ready when the rolls have visibly risen, become fluffy, and are almost touching one another; the dough should feel airy at a light touch.
Step 6. Baking.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (convection) or 190°C (top-and-bottom heat). Place the tray in the middle of the oven. Bake for 20–25 minutes. They’re ready when the pampushky have taken on an even golden color, sound hollow when tapped on the bottom, and reveal a fully baked, airy crumb with no damp patches when broken open.
Step 7. Making the garlic dressing.
While the pampushky are in the oven, make the dressing. Peel the garlic and press it through a garlic press (or chop it very, very finely with a knife until it becomes a paste). Wash the dill, pat it dry, and chop finely. Combine the garlic, dill, 4 tablespoons of fragrant unrefined sunflower oil, 2 tablespoons of warm water, and a pinch of salt. Mix thoroughly. Let the dressing stand for 10 minutes.
Step 8. Soaking and serving.
Take the hot pampushky out of the oven. While they are still hot, generously brush each one with the garlic dressing — over the top and around the sides. Don’t be stingy with the dressing! Pour any remaining dressing over the top. Cover the pampushky with a towel for 5 minutes so they can soak it up. Serve warm — they should be glossy and fragrant, with visible pieces of dill and garlic on the surface.
💡 Fact: Pampushky are the inseparable companion of Ukrainian borscht, and in Ukraine they are never served separately: borscht without pampushky is considered an “orphan.” The word pampushka is thought to have come from German (from Pfannkuchen), but the dish became so Ukrainian that in 2019, the city of Poltava erected a monument to the pampushka — a bronze bun on a pedestal.