Kutia/Кутя
Ingredients
for 6-8 persons
• 500g whole wheat grain
• 100g poppy seeds
• 2-3 tablespoons honey
• 75g walnuts
• 30g sultanas
• 50g dried cherries
Rinse the wheat grains well and cover with water in a saucepan.
Bring to a boil, skim off the froth, and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes.
Pick clean the sultanas, and soak them in boiling water for
5-10 minutes. Soak the poppy seeds in boiling water for 15 minutes, drain, and mince them in a blender or grind them in a traditional Ukrainian mortar or makitra. Crush the shelled walnuts; finely chop the dried cherries. Dissolve the honey in a small quantity of water.
Season the cooked wheat porridge with honey mixed with water, add the other ingredients, and mix.
If the poppy seeds are slightly bitter in flavor, steep them in boiling water and then boil for several minutes to get rid of the bitter taste.
Method
“Kutia is a symbol of Christmas in Ukraine. Most often, it is made from wheat grains, although kutia is also made from rice. The dish is topped with nuts, raisins, grated poppy seeds with honey, and uzvar. It still plays an important ritual function during a festive dinner.” - Alla Savchenko