Kulish Recipe

Step 1: Prepare Ingredients

• Roughly cube onions, carrots, and your choice of meat (pork, beef, or chicken) to about bite-sized pieces. Don't worry about precision; rustic cuts are fine.

Step 2: Render Fat (Optional)

• If you have pork belly, cube and cook it in a pan over medium heat.
• When nearly done, add a splash of water and increase heat to high, stirring constantly until cracklins are golden and water evaporates.
• Remove from heat and strain to collect rendered pork fat for cooking.

Step 3: Heat Fat and Sear Meat

• Heat a thick-bottomed pot over medium-high heat.
• Add rendered pork fat (or shortening/oil if unavailable).
• Add cubed meat in a single layer without overlapping.
• Sear for about 3 minutes to render fat and develop color.

Step 4: Add Vegetables

• Add cubed onions to the pot and stir.
• After about 1 minute, add cubed carrots.
• Sauté together for an additional 3 minutes.

Step 5: Add Water and Spices

• Pour room temperature water into the pot until it covers the ingredients by about 1 to 1.5 inches (3 cm).
• Add whole cloves of garlic and bay leaves.

Step 6: Add Millet

• Add millet directly to the pot (washing millet beforehand is optional).
• Stir to combine.
• Partially cover the pot to retain heat but allow steam to escape.

Step 7: Cook the Kulish

• Set a timer for 10 minutes and bring to a hard rolling boil.
• After 10 minutes, the millet should still look mostly unchanged.
• Continue cooking for another 5 minutes, checking the millet texture—it should start to soften and lose shape slightly.
• Cook until desired texture is reached but do not exceed 20 minutes total boiling time.

Step 8: Final Seasoning and Serving

• Remove from heat.
• Add salt to taste and stir.
• The dish will thicken as it cools; add more water if you prefer a soup consistency.
• Season with black pepper and any herbs you have on hand.
• Optionally, add a splash of hot sauce or other spices to taste.
• Serve hot and enjoy.

This dish is hearty, filling, and can be made in under 35 minutes.