Recommendations from the Kyiv Independent: ‘Ukrainian Cuisine in 70 Dishes’ by Yevhen Klopotenko (Patreon)

Hi to the members of the Kyiv Independent community! 

This is Myroslava Chaiun. I am a reporter and researcher with the War Crimes Investigation Unit at the Kyiv Independent. 

This is my first time writing a recommendation for the community, and I have come to you with something sweet. Actually, it's not only sweet but also salty, meaty, and spicy.

My recommendation for you is a cookbook by Ukrainian chef Yevhen Klopotenko. The book is called “Ukrainian Cuisine in 70 Dishes.” It offers dishes in various categories: meat, fish, appetizers, soups, porridges, desserts, drinks, etc.

In my opinion, one of the best ways to experience Ukrainian culture is to try several traditional dishes. 

Here’s a little about the author of the book: Yevhen Klopotenko is a well-known chef in Ukraine. Klopotenko won the television competition “MasterChef Ukraine” in 2015 and then studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. His passion is traditional Ukrainian dishes. Sometimes they are strange — like zucchini and banana pancakes, adjika sauce made from dandelion flowers, and buckwheat popcorn — and sometimes unexpectedly delicious. He has several restaurants in Ukraine — all specializing in traditional Ukrainian cuisine. So if you come to Ukraine, be sure to visit his restaurants in Kyiv or Lviv.

Whether it's summer or winter, my favorite dish at his restaurants is, of course, red borsch. It tastes just like my grandmother's borsch, made with love.

And if you've already eaten red borsch, did you know about green borsch?

You can find the recipe for it in the book “Ukrainian Cuisine in 70 Dishes.” In short, it's a soup with sorrel and chicken eggs. I like it just as much as red borsch. I understand that it may be challenging to find sorrel in your country, but I think you could try substituting it with spinach.

Let's move on to something sweet. If I could choose only one dessert to eat for the rest of my life, it would be Lviv syrnyk (cheesecake). It's a highly delicate dish that I would eat both for breakfast and as an addition to lunch.

Lviv syrnyk — cottage cheese casserole made according to Klopotenko's recipe.

If, like me, you like flour-based dishes, then try sour cherry dumplings (varenyky). It requires few ingredients, a little work with your hands, and voilà. By the way, children in Ukraine often make varenyky with their parents as a family activity or for holidays.

Last but not least, my favorite Crimean Tatar dish is chebureks. These are thin dough pies fried in oil and filled with minced meat. 

Crimean Tatar chebureks can be ordered in restaurants, but they are also popular as street food. However, chebureks can be made at home.

I hope that each of you will find something delicious for yourself: whether it is vegetarian, a fish dish, salty or spicy. Get together with friends and family and try cooking some Ukrainian dishes — that's how we do it.

Смачного!