Today we’re diving into the soulful cuisine of Ukraine—generous, vibrant, and incredibly delicious. We’re making two iconic dishes known and loved far beyond Ukraine’s borders.
🍲 Borscht
A rich ruby-red soup on meat broth with vegetables, cabbage, and beets. Served piping hot with sour cream and pampushky—fragrant garlic buns.
Ingredients:
• Beef on the bone (brisket or ribs) — 500 g
• Medium beets — 2
• White cabbage — 300 g
• Potatoes — 3 medium
• Carrots — 1 large
• Yellow onion — 1 large
• Tomato paste — 2 tbsp
• Garlic — 3 cloves
• 9% vinegar — 1 tbsp
• Sugar — 1 tsp
• Bay leaves — 2
• Vegetable oil — 3 tbsp
• Salt, black pepper — to taste
• Fresh herbs (dill, parsley) — 1 bunch
• Sour cream for serving — to taste
Instructions:
1. Rinse the beef under cold water. Place in a 3-4 liter pot, cover with 2.5 liters of cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then skim off all the foam with a slotted spoon—the broth should turn clear. Reduce heat to low, add 1 tsp salt, and simmer covered for 1.5-2 hours. Doneness: meat pierces easily with a fork, fibers start separating from the bone.
2. While the broth simmers, prep the veggies. Peel the beets, grate on a coarse grater. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan over medium heat, add the beets, vinegar, and sugar. Stir. Sauté for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Doneness: beets are tender but keep their bright color thanks to the vinegar.
3. Grate the carrots on a coarse grater, dice the onion into 3-4 mm cubes. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a separate pan, sauté the onion until translucent (3-4 minutes), add the carrots, and fry together for another 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, stir, and simmer for 2 minutes. Doneness: veggies are soft, paste has darkened and released its aroma.
4. Remove the meat from the broth, separate from the bones, cut into 2×3 cm pieces, and return to the pot. Peel the potatoes, cut into 1.5×1.5×3 cm batons, and drop into the boiling broth. Cook for 7 minutes over medium heat.
5. Thinly shred the cabbage into 2-3 mm strips. Add to the pot, cook for 5 minutes. Then add the sautéed beets and the onion-carrot mix. Stir, simmer for 10 minutes on low heat. Doneness: cabbage is tender but retains structure, potatoes are fully cooked.
6. Crush the garlic with the flat side of a knife, finely chop. Add to the borscht along with the bay leaves. Taste, adjust salt and pepper. Turn off the heat, cover, and let steep for 20-30 minutes—the borscht needs to "settle."
7. Finely chop the herbs. To serve, ladle the borscht into bowls, add 1-2 tbsp sour cream, and sprinkle with herbs. Serve with black bread or garlic pampushky.
💡 Fact: Real Ukrainian borscht needs to steep for at least half an hour after cooking—better yet, until the next day. Ukrainians say: "Borscht doesn’t tolerate haste"—by the second day, the flavors fully meld, and the dish reveals its depth.
🥟 Varenyky with Potato and Mushrooms
Tender dumplings made from thin unleavened dough stuffed with mashed potatoes and sautéed mushrooms. Served hot with fried onions and sour cream—a hearty, homestyle dish.
Ingredients:
For the dough:
• All-purpose flour — 400 g + extra for dusting
• Egg — 1
• Warm water — 150 ml
• Vegetable oil — 2 tbsp
• Salt — 0.5 tsp
For the filling:
• Potatoes — 600 g
• Fresh champignons — 300 g
• Yellow onion — 2 medium
• Butter — 50 g
• Vegetable oil — 2 tbsp
• Salt, black pepper — to taste
For serving:
• Yellow onion — 1 large
• Butter — 30 g
• Sour cream — to taste
Instructions:
1. Sift the flour into a mound on your work surface, make a well in the center. Pour in the warm water, add the egg, oil, and salt. Start mixing the liquid with the flour from the center outward with a fork, then knead by hand. Work the dough for 8-10 minutes until it’s smooth, elastic, and no longer sticks to your hands. Doneness: when pressed with a finger, the dough slowly springs back. Wrap in plastic, let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
2. Peel the potatoes, cut into 3×3 cm cubes, cover with cold water, and salt (1 tsp salt per liter). Boil for 20 minutes after coming to a boil over medium heat. Doneness: potatoes pierce easily with a knife, start to fall apart. Drain completely, add the butter, and mash into a smooth, lump-free purée. Let cool to room temperature.
3. Wipe the mushrooms with a damp cloth, dice into 4-5 mm cubes. Dice one onion the same way. Heat the vegetable oil in a pan over high heat, add the mushrooms. Fry for 7-8 minutes, stirring only after the first 3 minutes—the mushrooms should release their liquid and start browning. Add the onion, fry together for another 5 minutes until golden. Doneness: all liquid has evaporated, mushrooms and onions are browned and fragrant. Season with salt and pepper, let cool.
4. Mix the mashed potatoes with the mushrooms and onions until uniform. Taste, adjust salt and pepper. The filling should be thick and hold its shape.
5. Dust your work surface with flour. Divide the dough into 4 parts, cover three with plastic. Roll one part into a 1.5-2 mm thick sheet. Cut out circles with a 7-8 cm glass or cutter. Place 1 heaping tsp of filling in the center of each circle. Fold into a half-moon, pinch the edges tightly, crimping with your fingers to form a braid. Doneness: the seam is airtight, filling doesn’t squeeze out when lightly pressed. Place the finished varenyky on a floured board, cover with a towel. Repeat with the remaining dough.
6. Bring 3 liters of water to a boil in a wide pot, add 1 tbsp salt. Drop the varenyky in batches of 10-12, gently stir to prevent sticking to the bottom. Cook over medium heat. Doneness: varenyky float to the surface and cook for another 3-4 minutes—the dough becomes translucent and springy. Remove with a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl, and toss with butter.
7. For serving: slice the remaining onion into half-rings. Melt the butter in a pan, fry the onion over medium heat until golden-brown (7-8 minutes). Doneness: onions are soft, caramelized, and fragrant. Plate the varenyky, drizzle with the fried onions and butter, and add sour cream.
💡 Fact: Varenyky are one of the oldest dishes in Ukrainian cuisine, mentioned in Cossack chronicles from the 17th century. Traditionally, families would shape them together in the evenings, and a woman who could make thin dough and a neat seam was considered a skilled cook. Ukraine has over 20 types of varenyky fillings—from classic potato to cherry and cottage cheese.