Uzvar is an ancient Ukrainian drink made of mixed dried fruits. Classic combination is apples, pears and smoked prunes. But of course you can use any fruits that you like. Just avoid the fruits that were soaked in sugar syrup. Uzvar has natural subtle sweet taste and is pleasant to drink like it is. But…
gluten-free
Vegan Shuba (Eggplant under the sea)
Vegan Shuba or vegan Herring under the fur coat or Seliodka pod Shuboy – one of the Soviet symbols of the New Year. Veganized. Mostly all classic Soviet salads are made of boiled vegetables, some kind of meat or/and egg that are smothered with greasy Mayonnaise. As awful as it sounds but from time to…
Kidney beans curry (Rajma Masala)
One of my favorite ways to cook beans is to make this kidney beans curry. Serve it over rice for a filling main meal or as one of the side dishes. It is very fast to make if you already have cooked beans on hand or you can just use canned ones. I prefer to…
Perfect hummus for lazy people
I didn’t realize how imperfect was all the hummus I ate, before I tried it in Israel. I was on a tour in Jerusalem and I had about 5 minutes to grab something to eat. So I bought hummus “to go”. They put me some of the hot whole chickpea on a bottom and topped…
Vegan Borsch
Borsch is a King on Ukrainian table. Every Borsch tastes different. I’m going to share with you this family recipe of vegan Borsch. Originally it is made with meat like almost everything in Ukrainian cuisine. So for umami flavor of the stock I’m using porcini mushrooms. The closest substitute is dried shiitake. But regular button…
Chocolate black bean soup
Minty quinoa
Vegan plov (Rice pilaf)
Originated in ancient India plov (or pilaf) is a traditional dish of Central Asia. It is highly popular in post-Soviet countries, especially the Uzbek-style plov. As a kid I ate a lot of it. Although meat is a key ingredient in plov I did veganize it without losing its authentic flavor. The recipe is pretty…
Russian “Vinaigrette” salad
This traditional Russian and Ukrainian dish is highly popular during Fasting before Christmas. To justify the name you can make it with vinaigrette dressing, but most family recipes go with just oil. There are few different versions of this salad. You can use green peas instead of beans and sauerkraut instead of pickles. You can…
Red lentils and Kabocha squash in peanut sauce
I’m craving a lot of spicy food lately. It’s getting cold outside and I probably need some more heat. I often make Thai and Indian curries but this time I wanted something different. Few days ago I bought Kabocha squash for a risotto, which recipe I’m going to develop a bit more. It has such…