Fasting Dishes in the Ukrainian Cuisine

A few more ideas for Lenten meals from Ukraine. My favourite of these is the borsch made with sauerkraut. It's absolutely delicious!

From Ukrainian Recipes

Ukrainian cuisine is rich in numerous dishes and delicacies, so it is not surprising that it is on the list of the TOP 20 tastiest cuisines in the world. So if you keep fast, are on a diet or don’t eat fatty foods at all, you will still find some tasty Ukrainian dish to prepare.

We are glad to share 5 simple fasting dishes that will be good to serve on both daily and holiday table.

Beetroot paste

Beetroot is a very widespread product in Ukrainian national cuisine. This root veggie preserves its freshness well during cold months. So a vegetable spread made of beet will be a great idea during the winter or spring fast. Plus, it can be easily combined with other products.

To prepare it, you need to take beets, carrots, and onions in equal proportions. Add several cloves of garlic. Grate carrots and beets, mix with finely chopped onions and squeezed garlic. Stir in a couple of spoons of tomato paste. Such a beetroot paste can be served as a separate dish, sauce, or snack. It is especially yummy when served with freshly baked bread!

Sour cabbage

Though this dish is simple and affordable, it is also delicious. Sour cabbage (sauerkraut) was cooked in Ukrainian families enough to spare: they prepared a large number of ingredients at one time and stored the cooked cabbage in barrels or buckets for months.

To prepare this dish you need to shred white cabbage, mix it with salt and cumin and arrange it in a barrel. It is necessary to push down hard onto cabbage until the juice appears. Then It’s necessary to leave the cabbage in a barrel at room temperature and stir from time to time throughout the week. When the cabbage is done, it should be transferred to a cool place. It is very important to use dry and clean dishware when cooking sauerkraut to avoid its spoilage (souring).

Bean pate

Meat pate is a real delicacy yet bean pate is a great source of nutrients that can saturate your body and fill it with nutrients. The dish made of beans will be especially great for those who keep fast or are on a therapeutic diet.

To cook bean pate, presoak raw beans in water beforehand, preferably overnight or for 6-8 hours. Then boil and mash the beans. Cut and saute the onions and rub the garlic separately. Combine them with the beans puree. Add spices to your taste. Use the bean pate as a snack or dressing for other dishes.

Potato and cucumber salad

Useful salad can be tasty, the main thing is to use the right products and cooking techniques. In Ukrainian cuisine, one can find a light vegetable salad made of affordable products: cucumber, peas, and potatoes.

To prepare the salad, you need to boil potatoes and cut them into cubes. Then cut cucumbers and onions into smaller pieces. Add canned peas and seasoning to taste. The easiest way is to season the salad with vegetable oil but you can also make a fragrant dressing. To do this, cut the dill finely and mix it with salt and oil. Season the salad and enjoy!

Beetroot soup

Traditional Ukrainian borsch (beet soup) is made using meat and meat broth. The lean recipe for borsch is similar to the traditional one but it includes prunes, mushrooms, buckwheat, and other unexpected ingredients as an alternative to meat. You can use any components you like!

To cook the lean borsch you need 1 beet, 1 onion, 1 carrot, some sauerkraut, dried mushrooms, tomatoes, some flour to thicken the broth, as well as salt, bay leaf, and herbs. Don’t forget that before serving borsch should stand for a few hours or even better a day to blend all flavors. That is when it will be the most delicious!

Fried zucchini

Zucchini is another versatile vegetable in Ukrainian cuisine. It is used to cook paste, stew and other vegetarian dishes. This vegetable is great to eat during the fast but also goes well with meat and poultry.

The simplest way to cook zucchini is to bread fry them. To do this, cut zucchini into circles and salt them. Drain excess liquid. Put some flour and beaten eggs into separate dishes. First, dip each zucchini circle into flour, then dip it into an egg and put on a frying pan. Fry zucchini circles for a few minutes on each side and a delicious zucchini dish is done.

Banosh (cornmeal mush)

This traditional Ukrainian dish is very tasty. It comes from the Hutsul region, where it is believed that this recipe was invented by Hutsuls when they had nothing to eat except sour cream and corn flour. These ingredients were in every home, so making a banosh was easy and affordable.

To cook lean banosh, you need to boil the cornmeal porridge using a vegetable broth, add fried mushrooms and bake the dish in the oven.

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