Cossack kulesh on the fire. Kulesh: how to cook kulesh outdoors and at home Kulesh recipe over a campfire is the best

Interesting Facts about kulesh:
In our country, millet porridge with potatoes on cracklings became widespread and popular from the Cossacks of the Zaporozhye Sich.
It was there that the Cossacks prepared a hearty lunch over a fire in the field, ideally selecting the ratio of products and cooking technology.
In a more liquid form (like a thick soup), kulesh is present in the Belarusian culinary tradition.

Kulesh on the fire

An original recipe for cooking millet porridge with potatoes and lard in a cauldron over an open fire

Cooking kulesh over a fire in a cauldron, on the one hand, is not an easy task, but, on the other hand, there is nothing complicated about it. It’s just that the technology for preparing the recipe is different from what you do when you cook porridge at home on the kitchen stove.

To prepare kulesh over a fire we will need:
Bonfire – 1 pc.;
Firewood – sufficient quantity to maintain a fire for an hour to an hour and a half;
Cauldron – 1 pc.;
A tripod or other device for holding a pot over the fire.
As a last resort, you can use bricks, stones or large logs for this purpose.
Millet – 0.5 kg;
Potatoes – 0.5 kg;
Lard – 0.2 kg;
Onion – 0.3 kg;
Water – 1 liter;
Sweet pepper – 1 pc (was added as a spice);
Spices – hops-suneli – half a teaspoon (if desired, you can add a mixture of peppers, bay leaf or a little fresh hot pepper, as well as any dried herbs);
Salt - to taste (salt may not be needed if the lard is very salty).

Helpers - two people (to maintain the fire, cut and peel vegetables, you can do it alone, but then you should prepare everything in advance: both food and firewood, but, usually, kulesh is prepared in the country or outdoors with a company, so there are no problems with there are never any assistants).
A couple of hours in advance, wash the millet and soak it in clean water. This is necessary so that the millet cooks faster. When soaked, millet cooks for almost the same amount of time as potatoes.
Let's light a fire.

We install a tripod (spacer, spit), hang a pot over the fire.
Finely chop the lard and place it on the bottom of the pot. We make cracklings - melt lard in a pot.
Finely chop the onion and add it to the cracklings. Cut it finely Bell pepper and add to the cracklings and onions. Fry onions and peppers in melted lard. Add spices.
Add a little water and add millet. The water should completely cover the millet. Bring to a boil, stirring the porridge constantly (here it is very important to maintain the fire correctly and evenly). But, if you have helpers, then there will be no problems with fire.
Peel and cut the potatoes into cubes.

Add potatoes to the cauldron. If necessary, add a little water so that the potatoes are completely covered with water.
Cover with a lid and, stirring regularly, bring the potatoes and millet to readiness. It is difficult to indicate the time, since it depends on the intensity of the fire, the size of the pot, and the ambient temperature.
The readiness of the kulesh is checked by taking a sample. Once the potatoes are ready, you can remove the pot from the heat.

The smell of a fire and the countryside romance of country picnics will be an additional seasoning in your kulesh.
When working with open flame, do not forget to take safety precautions. If you don’t have a fire extinguisher at hand, take a couple of buckets of water and place them near the fire. In case of unforeseen circumstances, you will quickly put out the fire.
Bon appetit and fun adventures in nature!

Interesting facts about kulesh:
We find a mention of kulesh in the novel by M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin: “Forks, plates... Kulesh, master, kulesh...”.
Which means that there is no need to serve cutlery, there is nothing to feed, only kulesh (!!!), implying that kulesh is the food of ordinary people.
In 1967, the Kievnauchfilm film studio released the animated “popular science-historical-culinary” film “How the Cossacks Cooked Kulesh.”

Kulesh is an ancient dish of warriors, travelers, workers in nature, far from civilization, cooked over a fire in a cauldron. In the 15th century, kulesh became the main dish of the Zaporozhye Cossacks, and to this day Ukrainians, during “forays” into nature, prepare this dish, albeit in an already modified form. In appearance, kulesh resembles liquid porridge or thick soup.

Kulesh is a dish that can be prepared at home, although it won’t have that smoky smell like something cooked over a fire, but there are some secrets that allow you to achieve this too.

Today we will prepare kulesh according to the following recipes, which are suitable both for “outings” into nature, at the dacha, and at home, on the stove.

You can see how to cook porridge on my website.

Kulesh in Cossack style

Someone looking at the ingredients on the kulesh may object to some of them, I understand, but progress is moving forward and we are already in the 21st century.....

We need: 5 liter cauldron

• 200 g lard
• 200 g meat
• 1 tbsp (200 g) millet
• 1 bunch of celery
• 1 bunch of parsley
• 3 pcs onions
• 1 piece carrot
• 5 cloves garlic
• 5 potatoes
• 0.5 tsp pepper mixtures
• 0.5 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 eggs
• 2 liters of water

Preparation:

1.First, prepare all the ingredients for the kulesh:

• Wash lard, meat and potatoes, peel them and cut into 1x1 cm cubes;

• millet must be washed 6–7 times, doused with boiling water and drained;
• rinse and chop the greens;
• cut the onion into small half rings, and grate the carrots on a coarse grater;
• Chop the garlic with a knife or squeeze through a garlic press.

2. Now let’s make a fire, it’s best to use dry branches from fruit trees, but other logs are also possible. We light a fire and place the cauldron on the grate or hang it. When it warms up, add the lard and, while stirring, it is better to stir with a wooden spatula, over medium heat, until lightly golden (7 minutes).

3. Add the onion and fry together with lard for another 5 minutes, making sure that the onion does not burn, it should be slightly golden.

4. Place the meat in the cauldron, fry for 5-7 minutes until half cooked, and add the carrots, fry for 3-4 minutes, fill with water.

5. When the water boils, add salt and pepper, throw in spices, potatoes and millet. Cook over high heat until cooked, stirring occasionally. This will take us another 25 - 30 minutes, do not forget to add logs.

For information: If you add a mixture of peppers along with onions, and salt and sprinkle the meat with pepper before placing it in a cauldron, you will get a completely different taste, even richer. Instead of potatoes, the Cossacks in the 15th century planted edible sow thistle roots.

6. 10 minutes before readiness, we do the so-called grout. It includes: eggs, lightly beaten, herbs and garlic; if desired, you can grate a piece of salted lard on a coarse grater.

Mix everything and place in a cauldron. Mix thoroughly again.

Before this, you can take a log, preferably from a willow tree, char the end of it and stuff it into a kulesh. Leave for a minute, this will add aroma and taste. field porridge, then remove and burn.

7. At the end of cooking, the millet should be completely boiled, put out the fire and keep under the lid for another 5-10 minutes to let it brew. Serve kulesh with fresh cucumbers, black bread and 100 grams of vodka.

Kulesh according to an old recipe

We need: 5 liter cauldron

• 350 g lard
• 2 onions
• 700 g meat, any
• 200 g millet cereal
• 3 pcs raw eggs
• dill, parsley
• spices
• 4-5 cloves of garlic
• carrots, optional
• 2 liters of water

Preparation:

1. Diced lard, fry in a pot,

add chopped onion to it and fry until light golden.

2. Add meat to them, also cut into cubes, after the meat releases its juices, add spices and fill with water. We are waiting for the water to boil.

3. Then add the cereal, garlic, stir, and add salt after boiling. Cover with a lid and cook for 20-30 minutes until the porridge is cooked.

4. A couple of minutes before they are fully cooked, mix the eggs with chopped herbs and season the kulesh, mix.

Cover with a lid and let stand for another 10 minutes, without heat.

If you wish, you can add a glass of vodka to the kulesh for disinfection, but it’s better to take it inside, as the Cossacks did)))

Kulesh with stewed meat at home

There is a period in weather conditions that it is not possible to get out into nature, but you want to sit with company and eat kulesh, so this recipe is just what you need.

We need: 3 liter cauldrons

• 100 g lard
• 150 g millet
• 1 carrot, medium size
• 1 piece onion
• 2 pcs sweet pepper
• 1/2 tsp each curry, salt, ground pepper
• 3 -4 pieces of small potatoes
• 1 bunch of parsley
• 2 pcs bay leaves
• 340 g (1 can) stewed meat
• 3 liters of water

Preparation:

1. Place the casserole on the stove, heat it up and send it to fry, finely chopped lard.

2. We also cut onions, carrots and sweet peppers into small cubes.

3. Rinse the millet and pour boiling water over it.

4. When the lard releases fat, add onions, carrots and peppers, mix and sprinkle with curry. We do all this over high heat.

5. Potatoes, first peel, cut into small cubes and soak in water to remove the starch. After frying the vegetables, throw the potatoes into the cauldron and fill with water.

Boil the potatoes until half cooked, add the millet and stewed meat,

stir and cook for 20 -30 minutes. At the same time, add salt to taste, you can throw in a couple of bay leaves and finely chopped greens.

Secret: To get a smoky aroma, you need to slightly char a willow twig and dip it in the kulesh for a couple of minutes, and then take it out.

6. Afterwards, turn off the stove and leave to brew under the lid for another 15 - 20 minutes, covering with a towel.

Kulesh with chicken at home

We need: 3 liters of water

• 1 kg chicken meat
• 1 piece of onion
• 1 piece carrot
• 250 g millet
• 3 -4 pieces of potatoes
• salt, pepper, curry, bay leaf, everything to taste
• 1 bunch of greens
• vegetable oil

Preparation:

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a casserole, throw in the chicken pieces and fry over high heat until golden brown. Salt, pepper, season with spices and add finely chopped onion, grated carrots, fry until the vegetables soften.

2. Fill with water and add diced potatoes. Stir and cook until the potatoes are half cooked.

3. Then, add the millet, bay leaf and cook until the millet is ready. Turn off the heat and leave under the lid for another 15 - 20 minutes.

Soup – kulesh with millet and mushrooms

This dish is also suitable for type 2 diabetics.

We need: 3.5 liters per pan

• 500 g beef shin (ribs)
• 200 g millet
• 200 g mushrooms, preferably wild ones
• 1 piece of onion
• 1 piece carrot
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• greenery
• 2 cloves garlic

Preparation:

1. Wash the beef shin (ribs) and cook the broth, skim off the foam.

2. Soak the millet and rinse until the water becomes clear.

3. Cut the mushrooms into cubes and fry with chopped garlic in a frying pan. When ready, remove them from the pan.

4. In oil, after the mushrooms, fry the onions and carrots until tender.

5. Remove the drumstick (ribs) from the broth and separate the meat from the bone.

Add millet, mushrooms, onions and carrots to the resulting broth, mix and boil. We remove the foam. When the soup begins to thicken, add tomato paste, shin meat and finely chopped greens.

Cook until the cereal is ready, turn off the heat and let it brew for another 10 minutes.

Bon appetit!

Kulesh is deservedly considered a masterpiece of Ukrainian cuisine. In popularity it is inferior, perhaps, Ukrainian borscht. Kulesh appeared on the tables from the serving of the Zaporozhye Cossacks, who prepared it during campaigns and long trips, since this dish did not require any special conditions, no precise recipe, no special culinary skills.

Later it became widespread throughout Ukraine and even gained fans in neighboring countries. Today, kulesh, or, as it is popularly called, “field soup,” is an indispensable attribute of picnics and gatherings around the fire.

How to cook kulesh?

The hallmark of Ukrainian cuisine is the ease of preparation and richness of the dishes. And kulesh in this regard is no exception. There are only 2 required ingredients: cereal and lard. Other products are optional. It can be meat, mushrooms, vegetables, herbs and much more. etc.

You can take any cereal for kulesh; millet is most often used. Connoisseurs of culinary traditions cook it separately from other products and add it to an almost finished dish.

For frying, lard is traditionally used, preferably with a meat cut. Although recently, recipes with beef, stew and even sausages have become equally popular. Season the finished dish with garlic and herbs.

Kulesh can be easily prepared at home in the kitchen, but if you want to fully enjoy the taste and aroma of the dish, cook it over a fire!

Kulesh: recipe

Compound:

1. Millet - 100 g
2. Potatoes - 6 pcs.
3. Pork lard (fresh) - 150 g
4. Onion - 2 pcs.
5. Spices - to taste

Preparation:

• Pour approximately 2 liters of water into a saucepan and place on the stove to boil.
• Sort the cereal and rinse under running water. As soon as the water for the kulesh boils, add the cereal, add ½ tsp. salt and cook for 15-20 minutes.
• When the millet is almost ready, add the chopped potatoes. Reduce heat and cook until potatoes are done.
• Cut the lard into medium-sized cubes and fry a little to render out the fat. Then add chopped onion to the lard. Fry everything together until golden brown.
• When the potatoes become soft, add frying, salt, spices and stir. Delicious aromatic kulesh is ready!

Cossack kulesh: recipe over the fire

Compound:

1. Millet - 200 g
2. Carrots - 1 pc.
3. Onion - 2 pcs.
4. Potatoes - 4 pcs.
5. Butter - 100 g
6. Pork lard (fresh) - 200 g
7. Spices - to taste
8. Greenery ( green onions, parsley and/or dill)

Preparation:

• Cut fresh lard into cubes and place in a pot, let it fry slightly and release the fat.
• Chop the onion and grate the carrots.
• Place the vegetables in the pot and fry, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes. Then pour 1.2-1.5 liters of water into the pot and leave to boil.
• Place chopped potatoes into boiling water. Cook for 5-7 minutes, then add thoroughly washed cereal.
• When the millet is cooked, add butter, spices and chopped herbs. Mix the kulesh thoroughly and serve.

Kulesh with meat: recipe

Compound:

1. Millet - 300 g
2. Meat (preferably beef) - 400 g
3. Onion - 2 pcs.
4. Pork lard (fresh) - 60-80 g
5. Garlic - 2-3 cloves
6. Bay leaf - 1-2 pcs.
7. Spices (cloves, black and/or red pepper) - to taste
8. Parsley

Preparation:

• Cut the meat into cubes approximately 2 cm in size, cover with water. Place on the stove and cook, remembering to remove the noise from time to time.
• Then add a few peas of allspice, 1-2 small bay leaves, and cook until the meat is soft.
• Remove the finished meat from the broth and add the cereal, sorted and washed in several waters, into the pan.
• Cut fresh lard into cubes and melt in a frying pan over low heat. Fry the chopped onion in the resulting fat.
• 10-15 minutes before the millet is ready, put the meat, roasting and dry spices into the pan. Season the finished dish with parsley and crushed garlic.

Kulesh with stewed meat: recipe

Compound:

1. Millet - 220 g
2. Stewed pork - 1 can (400 g)
3. Potatoes - 10 pcs.
4. Pork lard (fresh) - 150 g
5. Onion - 2 pcs.
6. Butter - 200 g
7. Eggs - 7 pcs.
8. Greens - 1 large bunch
9. Spices - to taste

Preparation:

• Cut the potatoes into cubes. Cut 1 onion into 4 parts, chop the 2nd.
• Place potatoes and coarsely chopped onion in a saucepan (or kettle if cooking over a fire), pour 2 liters of cold water, add ½ tsp. salt and set to cook.
• When the potatoes are ready, remove the vegetables and mash them thoroughly with a fork. Pour the washed millet into the pan and cook until ready.
• When the cereal is cooked, add crushed potatoes with onions and stew. Stir and simmer over low heat.
• In a separate bowl, fry the diced lard and the remaining onion. When the onion is covered with a golden crust, place the roast in a pan with millet.
• Beat the eggs with a whisk and carefully add them to the porridge. Add chopped herbs, salt and spices. After 2-3 minutes the kulesh can be served.

Delicious kulesh in a slow cooker

Compound:

1. Millet - 250 g
2. Barley - 250 g
3. Pork (brisket) - 700 g
4. Onion - 2 pcs.
5. Carrots - 1 pc.
6. Paprika - 3 tsp.
7. Garlic - 6 cloves
8. Spices - to taste

Preparation:

• Rinse millet and pearl barley thoroughly under running water. Place in a bowl, add boiling water and simmer with the lid closed for 10-15 minutes. Then drain the water and rinse the cereal again.
• Cut the pork into medium-sized pieces, carrots into rings, and onions into cubes. Place everything in the multicooker bowl.
• Fry meat and vegetables in the “baking” mode. Do not close the lid to allow excess liquid to evaporate.
• When the meat becomes soft, add cereal, whole cloves of garlic and 5-6 tbsp. water. It is better to put the garlic directly in the peel, so it will retain its shape and will not dissolve during cooking.
• Close the multicooker lid, set the “pilaf” mode and cook until done.

Kulesh is an incredibly tasty, satisfying and easy-to-prepare dish that even a novice housewife can handle. Try preparing aromatic kulesh at home or on a picnic, and it will definitely become your family’s favorite dish.

How to properly cook kulesh at home with stew. Recipe for preparing a delicious “field” dish at home with photos.

Cooking time- 30-40 minutes.

Calorie content per 100 g- 260 kcal.

Kulesh is also sometimes called field or soldier's porridge. And also “food for warriors and travelers.” And it’s not hard to guess why - it’s quick and easy to prepare, most often outdoors in a pot. At the same time, it turns out very tasty and perfectly satiates.

Different regions prepare this dish in their own way. All because original recipe porridge has not survived or has undergone many changes. Many people associate the history of the dish with the great commander Alexander Suvorov.

There is a legend that during the Alpine crossing it suddenly turned out that the soldiers were left without provisions. Therefore, we decided to use all the remaining reserves. The result was a porridge made from pearl barley, buckwheat, millet and leftover meat. The dish turned out to be so tasty and satisfying that it quickly became widespread.

Although there is another version, according to which kulesh is classified as a thick first course of Ukrainian or Belarusian origin. Be that as it may, one thing can be said for sure: kulesh is a porridge or thick stew, the main component of which is millet. Additives such as potatoes, carrots, onions or meat (stewed meat, lard, chicken) are considered replaceable and can be added as desired.

Homemade kulesh with stewed meat

Take:

• A glass of millet.
• 1 large carrot.
• A head of onion.
• 3-4 heaped tablespoons of stew.
• A little vegetable oil.
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Before cooking, rinse the millet several times with running water, and at the end, pour boiling water over it. This will relieve the cereal from its characteristic bitterness.

Peel the vegetables and cut them into cubes.

Add a small amount of oil to the pan and lightly fry the onion. Add stew and carrots.

Simmer until the vegetables are ready for about 7-10 minutes over low heat.

Boil a liter of water in a saucepan. Pour in the washed millet and cook for 15 minutes. Then add vegetables and stew, stir. Add salt to taste and cook for another 5-7 minutes until done.

According to this recipe, the dish turns out to be moderately thick. If you want it to be more soup-like, boil 1.5 liters of water. Focus on your taste.

Place the finished kulesh into plates and you are ready to eat. Add herbs if desired.

When it comes to Ukrainian cuisine, what dish first comes to mind? Of course, dumplings are perhaps the basis of all Ukrainian cooking. But the third, no less significant option - kulesh - is always somehow forgotten. However, this is not surprising, because borscht with dumplings and pampushki, potato pancakes and porridge are home-cooked dishes prepared by women. But kulesh is a camp version of porridge or soup, which was prepared by men for men, in the field, sometimes with a minimum set of products and using the most primitive utensils. And if in the arsenal of a good housewife in a Ukrainian hut there were pots, bowls, makitras and other “devices” of that time, then a camp cook had at his disposal, at most, supplemented by a knife and a stirring spoon carved from a nearby tree. That's why kulesh- This is the food of warriors and Chumaks who are far from home, in “Spartan” conditions. Probably everyone has seen the cartoon " How the Cossacks cooked kulesh" - an excellent depiction of Cossack traditions.

In general, Ukrainian field cuisine is a unique phenomenon, which was a consequence of historical events taking place at that moment on Ukrainian soil. Cossacks were most often people who fought both with the lordship and with foreign invaders - Mongols, Tatars, Poles. When going out on reconnaissance or military operations, it was necessary to be able to get food in the field so as not to depend on supplies, which often were not available. Everything was used - from field and forest vegetation to insects, not to mention game and fish. Wild garlic, quinoa, nettle, duckweed, cattail - these and other plants often became the main ingredients in the Cossack menu. Lizards, snakes, almost all insects, even ants and mosquitoes, in the absence of more serious prey, could easily get into the Cossack cauldron, becoming an ingredient in some kind of soup. Moreover, magical powers were attributed to dishes made from snakes - it was believed that a person who tasted “viper” food acquired the ability to understand the snake’s language.

Also, over the years spent in the steppes, the Cossacks learned to use wild grains, which can be used to make flour and cereals. Plants considered harmful in agriculture were an integral part of the camp kitchen in the life of the Cossacks. Weedy millet, wild oats, barley grass, pearl barley - all these plants produced grains suitable for processing into flour and cereals, which formed the basis of the diet, both in the Cossack camp and in the middle of the steppe. The first option is “grouse”, which was prepared from cereals and flour. The flour was diluted in water and left until the dough soured. At this time, the cereal was cooked in a large vessel. When the cereal reached half-cookedness, the flour mixture was added to the cauldron and brought to readiness all together. At the same time, honey was used for cooking - if available, or other products that could be obtained. The second option is kulesh, which is a kind of cult dish that was prepared not only during campaigns in the steppes, but also in Cossack settlements in rare moments of peace. Prepared like this millet kulesh, less often from other cereals, was seasoned with lard and, according to literary sources, had the taste of a fire and free life, thanks to which it forever became an integral part of our culture. This dish is not only included in the culinary chronicles of our country, but is also mentioned in many works of fiction by Ukrainian writers:

« Have you ever eaten Polish porridge? There is only one chip, lightly covered with millet and fertilized with a piece of lard from the tsibule - that’s all. What a delicious and good thing! The aroma of herbs has been eaten by the aroma of the field wind, awakening in you a songless relish, calling out an insatiable hunger! a spoonful of sherby, which you pour into your mouth, seems to be deliciously glossy on your tongue, hot steam, smelling lightly of old lard, pleasantly flows into you and screams with even greater relish. , I don’t want to please you. It seems that the navhiltsy beer be, ochima iv - it’s so good and savory. And the heart has stopped pissing, and under the breasts it’s not in “yana, as the force will catch you, lightness and speed will overcome. The axle has already begun to reach the bottom of the cauldron, growling accordingly, intending to get higher;
there, on the very bottom, the porridge is thick and even more delicious, so it spills in your mouth and disperses, wash the oil in a hot frying pan.
- That's a master, Yakime, cook the porridge! - you say, putting the spoon in, as if there was nothing left in the cauldron.
- Why should I cook it?
- Who?
- Fire! - Yakim roasts.
- That fire is fire... And who got ready?
- What kind of food is there? Throwing away the dough and stuffing with lard - that’s all.
- Why is she so kind?
- Paul's porridge is always good. Maybe through those that do not heat in the oven, but in the middle of a strong wind...»

Panas Mirniy “Middle of the Steppes”

« Sirovatka was cooking kulish in a small copper cauldron in the middle of the yard. The kulesha had not yet been cooked, but there was a spirit of food in the yard, and the kuleshniks were already scratching their tongues like hungry cats. Season it with old lard, hazel leaves, wild zibula, and pepper, of which there are about a dozen pods. I prepared two herbs: one rare, the other thick, with a little bit of buckwheat in it. Of course, a lot of lard on a daily basis and a heap of buckwheat beard - there was nothing else in it. The Komishniks finished off Drapakov’s reserves, or they didn’t think far ahead. The land of the farm lay empty, and there was no harm in the barns, as if the hut stood empty - the dog either ran or was killed. The comedians were drinking a hot cake, and the boos were already crackling. They forgot about the cook, and I lost only a few rare kulesh. The sirovatka was not in a hurry, he carried the spoon to his mouth beautifully, placing the spoon under it. You were not surprised at the comedians who turned around in the line and fired their cradles...»

Y. Mushketik "Yasa"

« Disregarding the baking heat, the mowers sang mower songs; Their voices mixed with the chirping of birds and the cracking of grass horses. The hot air was already seething with all sorts of harmony. Hire a lot of fire, hang a cauldron on the tagana and start cooking the kulish. The sun became in the middle of the sky, and the mowers began to take their afternoon, sitting around bowls. Dashkovich sіv order with mowers to the kulish. Seasoned with fresh lard with green cybul and dill, the kulish of which became philosophically relished by all kinds of herbs».

I. Nechuy-Levitsky “Khmari”

Not every dish can leave such a mark on history and literature. At the same time, the main property that helped kulesh win people's love is the simplicity of the ingredients and preparation. Millet, lard and onions - that’s the whole secret, but with their help you can feed more than one detachment during a military campaign.

Cooking kulesh– the process is simple, but responsible. To prepare it, you only need one container - the one in which the dish will be cooked, and all additional frying pans are later and “domesticated” techniques. Therefore, before you start cooking, you need to stock up on suitable utensils. This could be, for example, 12-17 liters. A cast iron pan is also suitable, but for a fire it is better to take the first option - its shape is more intended for an open fire than the shape of a pan, the rounded walls and bottom distribute the heat well, which warms up the contents of the pan. And if you don’t want to suffer with rust, which can appear on cast iron when exposed to moisture, take, for example, those produced by Siton Research and Production Enterprise. Thanks to the enamel covering the cauldron from the outside and inside, the cast iron does not come into contact with the environment and there is not even the slightest possibility of corrosion.

By selecting suitable dishes, we can move on to the question of how to cook kulesh.

Ingredients:

Millet – 1 kg

Onions – 4 pcs.

Carrots – 4 pcs.

Lard – 600 g

Salt, spices

Greens, garlic

1. Cut 500 g of lard into small slices, pour into a cauldron, fry so that the fat is rendered from it.

2. Cut the onion into cubes, add to the cauldron, fry until golden brown.

3. Chop the carrots as convenient and add to the onions.

4. Rinse the millet, add to the cauldron, mix everything.

5. Pour water into the cauldron, add salt, cook until the millet is ready.

6. Crush 100 g of lard, adding garlic and herbs to taste. Add the resulting mass to the cauldron.

The classic of the genre is kulesh on the fire. Exactly open fire is considered the key to a real and correct dish, regardless of what is included in its composition. After all, in addition to the described composition, you can add meat, potatoes, and other vegetables to the dish. In ancient times, Cossacks sometimes prepared kulesh with whey. Nowadays, a popular addition to this camp food is stew. If the path from home is not very far or the cooking process takes place on your own site, you can use chopped meat.

Millet kulesh with minced meat, recipe:

Ingredients:

Millet – 0.5 kg

Onion – 2 pcs.

Carrots – 2 pcs.

Potatoes – 5 pcs.

Lard – 300 g

Minced meat – 0.5 kg

Salt, spices

Garlic, herbs

1. Cut 200 g of lard into cubes and melt in a cauldron.

2. Cut the onion into cubes and fry until golden brown.

3. Chop the carrots to taste, add to the cauldron, and fry.

4. Add minced meat to the roast, stir, fry for several minutes.

5. Rinse the millet and pour into a cauldron.

6. Add water.

7. Peel the potatoes, cut into cubes, pour into water.

8. Add salt, spices to taste, cook until all ingredients are ready.

9. Grind 100 g of lard with garlic and herbs or grind in a blender.

Although kulesh- this is the food of warriors, and in our time - tourists, it can be cooked and at home. Of course, it is advisable to light a cauldron in your garden plot and place it on it, but if you live in an apartment, a fire can easily be replaced by an ordinary gas stove, and can easily cope with the role of a cauldron.

How to cook kulesh Houses

Ingredients:

Millet – 300 g

Onion – 1 pc.

Carrots – 1 pc.

Potatoes – 3 pcs.

Lard – 200 g

Meat to taste – 300 g

Salt, spices, garlic, herbs

1. Place chopped lard in a cast iron pan.

2. Fry the lard, fry the onion until golden brown.

3. Fry the carrots.

4. Cut the meat into cubes, add to the pan, fry until crust appears.

5. Add washed millet and mix.

6. Add water.

7. Add chopped potatoes, salt, spices to taste.

8. Grind the lard with garlic and herbs, add to the finished dish.

As you can see, lard is an indispensable ingredient not only in kulesh, but also in most Ukrainian dishes. According to one version, this is due to frequent raids on Ukrainian lands by the Mongol Tatars and other representatives of Islam, who, as is known, not only do not eat lard, but also consider pigs to be unclean animals and do not eat them. And the Ukrainians, in order to emphasize their attitude towards the “infidels,” began to consume lard in opposition to the invaders.

And although today we are no longer at war with the Tatars and Mongols, the tradition of adding lard to many dishes remains. But if for some reason you don’t accept lard, no problem, it can be replaced vegetable oil, including when grinding garlic with herbs.

Knowing how to cook kulesh, you can safely go into the forest or hike even with a large group. Having at your disposal a cast-iron cauldron, a kilogram of millet and a few simple ingredients, you can prepare an excellent dinner at a rest stop or in a forest camp, delight guests at home and even include it in the menu of a themed establishment. Fantasy, a little practice and you can become an almost professional cook and delight yourself and your loved ones with delicious and healthy dishes.