Ukrainian breakfast: the most delicious culinary traditions

Recent events in the life of my family, and the country as a whole, have prompted us to travel a lot. But no matter where I am, I always start the day with a dish that reminds me of my homeland. Most often I cook it myself. After all, only a Ukrainian knows how to properly prepare dumplings or dumplings. The secret is in the dough! Ukrainian breakfast also different from the European one. And there are so many options!

I never thought that food could have such a strong impact on a person’s mood. And it’s not even about the quality of the ingredients and the intensity of their taste. It’s just that dishes familiar from childhood bring pleasure, no matter how much you eat them. They don’t get boring. Therefore, it is important to be able to cook them yourself.

How to cook Ukrainian breakfast

The fertile land and nature, rich in different cultures, had a strong influence on the formation of the Ukrainian gastronomic tradition. And the exemplary hard work and indomitable desire of the people to learn the unknown led to the diversity of Ukrainian cuisine.

We share with you classic Ukrainian breakfasts, the recipes of which have acquired a huge number of variations over the centuries of existence.

Airy pancakes with apple

You will need:

• 2 eggs
• 3 tbsp. l. Sahara
• 1 tsp. vanilla sugar
• 0.3 tsp. salt
• 0.2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. soda
• 200 ml kefir 2.5% fat
• 270 g wheat flour
• 2 apples
• sunflower oil to taste

Cooking steps

1. Whisk the eggs with sugar, cinnamon, vanilla sugar and salt. Pour kefir into the same container, add soda. Stir. Add sifted flour to the liquid mixture. Knead into a homogeneous dough.
2. Peel and grate the apples on a coarse grater. Mix them into the dough. Spoon the pancakes into a heated frying pan with vegetable oil. Fry over medium heat on both sides until done.

Millet porridge “Healthy”

You will need:

• 100 g millet
• 30 g hemp seeds
• 20 g poppy seeds
• 10 g flax seeds
• 20 g sunflower seeds
• 20 g pumpkin seeds
• 50 g prunes
• 50 g walnuts
• 50 g hemp oil
• 0.25 tsp salt

Cooking steps

1. Rinse the millet with boiling water. There should be 5 times more water than cereal. Soak the millet for 10–15 minutes. Then rinse it again with warm running water and leave to drain. Next, fill the millet with warm water. The ratio of cereal to liquid should be 1:4.
2. Place the porridge on the fire, lightly salting it. When the water boils, reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until tender. Cut the prunes into small cubes. Grind walnuts and pumpkin seeds.
3. When the porridge has cooked for 15 minutes, turn off the heat and leave it covered for another 10 minutes. Add all the seeds, nuts and prunes. Stir the porridge and place on a plate. Drizzle with hemp oil.

Lazy dumplings in a new way

You will need:

• 3 tbsp. l. rice flour
• 200 g cottage cheese 9% fat
• 1 egg white
• 50 g raspberries
• 2 tbsp. l. Sahara
• 4 g salt

Cooking steps

1. Grind the cottage cheese with sugar and protein. Add flour to this mixture and mix everything again until smooth. Divide the finished dough into 15 parts and form them into balls. Mash the balls into cakes with a diameter of 4 cm.

2. Place a few raspberries (fresh or frozen) in the center of each scone. Pinch the edges and form into balls. Pour water into a saucepan, put on fire and bring to a boil. Salt the water a little.

3. Transfer lazy dumplings to boiling water. Once they float, cook for another 2 minutes. Remove the dumplings with a slotted spoon and place on plates. Serve with sour cream and berries.

Cheesecakes with poppy seeds

You will need:

• 180 g cottage cheese 9% fat
• 1 egg
• 1.5 tbsp. l. wheat flour
• 1.5 tbsp. l. decoys
• 1.5 tbsp. l. poppy
• 2 tsp. Sahara
• 1 tbsp. l. vegetable oil
• salt to taste
• sour cream to taste
• strawberries to taste

Cooking steps

1. Grind the cottage cheese with the egg, a pinch of salt and sugar. Mix the mixture with semolina, poppy seeds and flour. Add salt to taste and form cheesecakes. Pour some oil into the frying pan and heat it up.
2. Fry the cheesecakes on both sides over low heat, covered, until golden brown. Serve the dish hot with condensed milk or sour cream, garnishing your breakfast with strawberries. That’s how simple it is!

Cottage cheese casserole with pumpkin

You will need:

• 300 g pumpkin puree
• 350 g cottage cheese 9% fat
• 35 g semolina
• 70 g cream 30% fat
• 2 eggs
• 90 g sugar
• 100 g raisins
• 30 g butter
• 2 tbsp. l. crackers

Cooking steps

1. Prepare pumpkin puree in advance. It should be thick and not watery. When cooled, mix it with cottage cheese and other ingredients (except raisins). Set the mixture aside for 30 minutes.
2. When the semolina swells, puree the mixture in a blender until smooth. Add washed and dried raisins. Stir. Grease a parchment-lined pan with butter and sprinkle with crushed breadcrumbs.
3. Pour the future casserole into the mold. Cook it for about 30 minutes at 190 °C. At the same time, keep an eye on it in the oven. If the middle has risen, the baking is ready.

Pancakes with potatoes and mushrooms

You will need:

• 300 ml milk 2.8% fat
• 200 ml water
• 2 eggs
• 60 ml sunflower oil
• 10 g sugar
• 250 g wheat flour
• 30 g butter
• 400 g potatoes
• 30 g dried mushrooms
• 1 onion
• 40 ml sunflower oil
• ground black pepper to taste
• salt to taste

Cooking steps

1. Prepare the filling (you can use a blank). Wash, peel and cook the potatoes in salted water for 25 minutes. Then puree it. Wash the mushrooms and boil for 30 minutes.
2. Cut the mushrooms into small pieces. Peel and chop the onion as desired. Fry it in vegetable oil until soft. Next add the mushrooms. Add salt and pepper and fry for another 5 minutes, stirring.
3. Add mushrooms and onions to mashed potatoes. Stir. While the puree is cooling, prepare the pancakes. Pour vegetable oil into warm milk, add egg, sugar, salt. Stir with a whisk.
4. Then add the sifted flour into the liquid mixture. Mix well so that no lumps form. Pour boiling water in a thin stream, stirring the dough thoroughly all the time.
5. Grease a frying pan with vegetable oil, heat well and fry thin pancakes for a couple of minutes on each side. Place 2 tbsp on each pancake. l. filling and roll up.
6. Place the pancakes tightly in a baking dish, pour melted butter over them. Bake pancakes in an oven preheated to 180°C for 15 minutes.

Quite simple dishes, wouldn’t you agree? Personally, I add a teaspoon of salted caramel or peanut butter to each of them (with the exception of potato pancakes). This makes it even tastier and more satisfying. And who said that innovations spoil the dish?