Kulish Millet Soup
Kulish sits right on the border between soup and porridge: the millet swells, the potato breaks down and the spoon genuinely stands upright. The flavour rests on two things — fat rendered with onion, and millet rinsed in several changes of water. Unrinsed millet turns the whole pot bitter, and nothing later will cover it.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 55 min
- Servings
- 6
- Level
- Easy
- Per serving
- 340 kcal
Ingredients
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What to use instead
Streaky bacon works instead of pork fat — add a spoon of oil, as it renders less.
Makes: a 3 l pot, 6 servings
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
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Step 1: Rinse the millet
Rinse the millet in at least three changes of water until it runs clear, then scald it with boiling water. That is the only way to lose its bitterness.
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Step 2: Start the potato
Dice the potatoes, cover with the water, bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes.
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Step 3: Add the millet
Add the millet and bay leaves and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring now and then — it loves to catch on the bottom.
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Step 4: Render the fat
Meanwhile dice the pork fat small and render it in a dry pan until the pieces are golden crisp.
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Step 5: Add the vegetables
Into the rendered fat add the onion and grated carrot and fry for 7 minutes, until golden.
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Step 6: Combine
Tip the fat, onions and crisp bits into the pot, season with salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes more.
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Step 7: Finish with garlic
Take off the heat, stir in the crushed garlic and cover for 5 minutes so the aroma spreads.
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Step 8: Serve
Ladle into bowls and cover generously with spring onion. Kulish is eaten hot, with dark bread.
Tips & variations
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Tip
It thickens as you watch: if it stands for a while, add boiling water and bring it back to a boil.
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Variation
The field version skips the potato entirely, but with it the soup is softer and more filling.
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Swap
Streaky bacon works instead of pork fat — add a spoon of oil, as it renders less.
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Storage
Keeps 2 days; by the next day it is essentially porridge, which is no bad thing.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 6 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 340 kcal | 2,040 kcal |
| Protein | 12 g | 72 g |
| Fat | 18 g | 108 g |
| Carbohydrates | 33 g | 198 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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