CELEBRITY MASTER CHEF DR KAVIRAJ KHIALANI
Russian cuisine may not always headline the global food scene, but those who explore it are often rewarded with a rich, soul-satisfying culinary experience. Rooted in the vast geography and multicultural heritage of Russia, this cuisine offers a fascinating tapestry of flavours, textures, and traditions.
It has been observed that not many people think of Russian food as being internationally renowned when compared to some more widespread cuisines, but there are more and more people around the world who are discovering it and learning to appreciate its qualities. Russian food derives from the great geographical expanse of this country and its multicultural character, which has resulted in a great variety of dishes.
- A cuisine shaped by snow, soil, and centuries of cultural fusion
- Hearty soups, rich stews, and iconic caviar define the Russian table
- From royal courts to rustic kitchens—flavours borrowed, perfected, and preserved
- Tea over vodka? Discover the surprising rituals behind every Russian meal
- Simple breakfasts, bold traditions, and comfort food that conquers the cold
Born in a land of long winters and icy landscapes, Russian food is designed to comfort and nourish. Hearty soups, slow-cooked stews, and robust meat and fish dishes dominate the table—perfect for keeping warm while delivering deep, layered flavours. First-time explorers are often surprised by the diversity of ingredients and influences drawn from Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
It is also said that Russian food derives from an innumerable wealth of dishes, due firstly to the multicultural character of the country and secondly to its vast geographical size. Many dishes we consider today as typically Russian, are in reality of Polish, French or Italian origin. They arrived at the court of Catherine II through the Empress’s contacts with Western Europe.
At its heart, Russian gastronomy is grounded in rustic, peasant-style cooking—simple yet deeply satisfying. Soups and stews form the backbone of daily meals, often enriched with spices and techniques introduced by Mongols and Tatars as far back as the 13th century.
No exploration of Russian cuisine is complete without mentioning caviar. There are two types: the red salmon caviar that we can order in any restaurant or food house, and black caviar, which you’ll only find in expensive restaurants. In fact, for Russians at home, the most normal thing is to eat red caviar on a slice of white bread without toasting with butter. The black is reserved for special occasions, such as Christmas. Did you know the word “caviar” comes from the Persian word “khavah” which means “egg”?
Meals in Russia follow their own comforting rhythm. Russians don’t conceive a lunch without soup as a first course, and for dessert they usually have a sweet accompanied by black tea with lemon, which they drink every hour of the day. And yes, the drink that most people drink in Russia is not always vodka, it is tea too! And what about vodka? To take it, Russians have their own protocol first of all, you must exhale through your mouth, then drink it in one gulp and then take a breath.
Even breakfast reflects simplicity and warmth—tea or coffee paired with bread, butter, cheese, or ham. Surprisingly, one of the most traditional non-alcoholic drinks is Kvass, a fermented beverage that remains hugely popular—second only to global soft drinks. And thanks to the cold climate, beverages are often served without ice—unless you specifically ask.
Russian cuisine, in essence, is a celebration of resilience, resourcefulness, and rich cultural exchange—offering dishes that don’t just fill the stomach, but warm the soul.
“Russian Food is not only healthy, nutritious, appetizing & worth the effort being put in order to dish out mouth-watering, tempting & tantalizing delicacies to treat our loved ones” – Dr. Kaviraj Khialani – Celebrity Master Chef.
Here are a few of my select all-time favourite recipes from Russian Cuisine:
CHEBUREKI SNACK
[A popular Russian street side snacky food, dough encased with mince- meat and fried]
Ingredients
For the wrappers
Readymade tortilla wraps can be used as well.
To make fresh wrappers
Refined flour- 1 and a half cup
Oil-2 tsp
Salt- 1 pinch
Baking powder-1/4 tsp
Egg yolk- 1 no
Warm water- as needed to make a firm dough
For the mince-meat stuffing
Red meat of your choice/ chicken mince- 250 gms
Salt and pepper to taste
Assortment of herbs- parsley/coriander/basil etc
Garlic-1 tsp chopped
Spring onion-1 med size chopped
Spring onion greens- 2-3 tbsp. chopped
White wine- 2-3 tsp optional
Red pepper sauce- 1-2 tsp – optional
To seal and fry
Oil- as needed to deep fry
Egg wash to seal the edges of the wrappers.
To serve with
Assorted choice of dips/ sauces to go along.
Method
- Assemble all the ingredients for the Chebureki snack.
- Prepare the dough mix, a firm pliable, semi- hard dough.
- cover and rest the dough for 15-20 mins.
- Meantime to work on the stuffing/filling we have two options. The first one the classic way is to work on all of It together in a mixing bowl and use it raw itself, it gets cooked as it gets encased inside the dough and gets fried and ready to eat. The second option, is to separately cook the mince in a pan and then cool it down a little and then stuff them inside the Chebureki dough.
- To cook the filling and use, heat 2 tsp oil/butter in a pan and saute the garlic, onions, herbs, mince-meat, add a little refined flour, a little stock or water and cook the mince for 8-10 mins, add a little mashed potato to enable better texture and binding.
- Divide the dough into small lemon sized balls, roll out each one of them into round of 2-3-inch diameter, cut them out into neat rounds. Place small portions of the mince on each wrapper, spread it evenly and then apply a little egg wash and seal it into a half moon shape and using a fork crimp and seal the edges. Deep fry in medium hot oil to a nice golden color and serve hot.
BORSCHT SOUP
[A delicate beetroot coloured and flavoured soup, popularly form Ukraine, can be made veg as well while some recipes use red meat as well]
Ingredients
Oil- 2 tsp
Butter- 1 tsp
Bay leaf- 1 no
Garlic- 2-3 cloves, chopped
Onion-1 small, chopped
Potatoes-2 small, peeled and cubed
Beetroots- 2-3 med sized, peeled and cut
Carrot-1/2 cut, cubed
Cabbage-1/2 cup, shredded
Tomatoes- ½ cup, chopped
Dill leaves- 2-3 tbsp. chopped
Water/ stock- 3-4 cups
Fennel seeds-1-2 tsp roasted/crushed
Fresh cream/sour cream -2-3 tsp for garnish.
Method
- Pre-prep all the ingredients for the vegetarian recipe of borscht soup.
- Heat oil/butter in a saucepan, add in the bay leaf, garlic, onions and saute for a few seconds. Add in the potatoes, carrots, beetroot, tomatoes, cabbage, salt, pepper, fennel, dill leaves, water/stock and bring it to a boil.
- Simmer the soup for 20-25 mins, and then we have two options while in some cases they leave it the way it is with chunks of veggies visible and in some we also blend it up and puree the soup as well.
- Adjust the texture, seasonings as per taste and add in stock etc as needed and portion the soup into serving bowls, garnish with fresh dill/parsley and some fresh cream/sour cream and serve hot.
OLIVIER SALAD
Ingredients
For the base of the salad
Assorted salad leaves- 1 cup
For the body of the salad
Veg and non-veg options are possible
For the veg
Carrots-1/2 cup cubed, boiled
Green peas-1/4 cup, boiled
Potato cubes-1/2 cup, boiled
French beans- 3-4 no, cut into small pieces, boiled.
Pineapple slice- 1-2 no, cubed
For the non-veg
Boiled chicken cubes-1/2 cup
Diced ham/ salami- ¼ cup
Sausages- ¼ cup sliced
Boiled eggs-1-2, cubed, sliced
Roast/ grilled meat/chicken etc can also be used.
For the dressing of the salad
Mayonnaise dressing- 1 cup
Mustard paste-1 tsp
Salt and pepper to taste
Lime juice- 1-2 tsp
Sugar-1 pinch
For the garnish of the salad
Cherry tomatoes-2-3 no cut 1 x 2
Fresh herbs/parsley- 1-2 sprigs
Method
- Pre-prep all the ingredients for the salad recipe.
- One can assemble the salad and allow to chill for some time and then do the plating just before service.
- To start with clean, rinse the lettuce leaves, place them in ice-cold water to retain freshness and crisp texture.
- In a mixing bowl, combine together the dressing and add in the ingredients for the body of the salad, once can choose between various ingredients and veg/non-veg as well.
- Mix the salad well, adjust texture and seasonings and allow to chill, just before serving pat dry the lettuce leaves and arrange them on a salad plate/ salad platter and spoon in the chilled salad and garnish, serve immediately.
CHICKEN STROGANOFF
[A delicate and mild flavoured Russian main course recipe usually with beef/red meat, laced in a creamy mushroom gravy, here it is being done with chicken]
Ingredients
Boneless chicken breasts- 250-300 gms, sliced
For the marination
Oil-2 tsp
Garlic-1 tsp fine chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Lime juice/white vinegar/white wine- anyone to be used
Paprika powder/chili flakes-1/2 tsp
Mustard paste-1/2 tsp
Apply marination, keep refrigerated for 20 -30 mins, coat with dry flour –maida and keep ready.
For the sauce
Oil-2 tsp
Butter-2 tsp
Garlic-1 tsp chopped
Spring onion-2-3 chopped
Water/chicken stock-1/2 cup
Thick cream- cooking variety- 2 cups
Mustard paste- 1 tsp
Salt and pepper to taste
Gherkins- 2-3 tbsp. sliced
Mushrooms-1 cup fresh, sliced
White wine-2-3 tsp, optional
Parsley- 2-3 tsp, chopped
To serve with: buttered tossed flat noodles/steam rice
Method
- Pre-prep all the ingredients for the recipe.
- Marinate the chicken pieces and post that dredge/coat with dry maida and keep aside.
- Using a thick bottomed open flat pan, heat oil and butter to start with and shallow fry the chicken pieces on a high flame to get a nice light brown color and cook them in the pan for 2-3 mins, remove and keep aside.
- To the same pan add in some oil and butter and saute the garlic and spring onions for 1 min. add in the mushrooms, salt, pepper, little parsley, add some white wine if desired here at this stage.
- Add in the thick cooking cream, little water or stock, mustard paste, and also add the chicken pieces back into the sauce and simmer for 6-9 mins until the chicken pieces are tender.
- Finally, add in gherkins towards the end of the cooking process and add some more freshly chopped parsley and serve hot.
MEAT AND VEG PLOV
[A delicious recipe with subtle flavors of meat and mild spices steeped together with rice and garden veggies, make it a great dish to enjoy]
Ingredients
Oil-2 tbsp.
Butter-1 tbsp.
Garlic pod- 1 no, unpeeled.
Onion-1 small, chopped
Meat- lamb/mutton with bones- shoulder part- 500 gms, cut into pieces.
Short grain rice/ Arborio/kolam rice- 1 and a half cup
Carrots-1 cup cubed
Potatoes-1 cup cubed
Celery-1 stalk cut
Salt and pepper to taste
All spice powder-1 tsp
Lime juice-2 tsp
Paprika powder/ chili flakes-1 tsp
Cumin powder-1 tsp
Parsley/coriander-2 tbsp. chopped
Raisins- 2 tbsp.
Cashews-2 tbsp.
Method
- Pre-prep all the ingredients for the Plov recipe.
- Heat oil and butter in a pan, add in the garlic pod, onions, saute and add in the par boiled meat pieces.
- Add in the rice, salt, cumin powder, all spice powder and mix well. Fry the mixture well for a couple of minutes. Add in the stock/water and allow to simmer and cook until the meat and rice are well cooked.
- When the rice is half way cooked, add in the carrots and potatoes and continue cooking on a low flame. Finally add in the lime juice, coriander/parsley, nuts and mix well. Serve hot.
KASHA- SWEET PORRIDGE
Ingredients
Buckwheat/ cracked wheat/ daliya- 1 cup
Milk-500 ml- 750 ml
Sugar to taste
Honey/ maple syrup-2-3 tbsp.
Cinnamon powder-1/4 tsp
Butter-1-2 tsp
Brown sugar-1-2 tsp
Raisins- 2-3 tbsp.
Walnuts-2-3 tsp
Almonds- 2-3 tsp
Dates- 3-4 sliced
Apricots- 2-3 sliced
Method
- Start up with the cleaning, rinsing and soaking of the cracked wheat/daliya as we usually use in India. Ideally around 2-3 hours of soaking works.
- Using a thick bottomed saucepan, add butter and saute the drained wheat, add in cinnamon powder and mix.
- Add in the milk and simmer, allow to cook for 20- 25 mins, stir occasionally. Add more milk as needed.
- Now add in the sugar, honey/maple syrup etc as per taste and simmer for another 12-15 mins. It will start taking up texture and get thicker as well.
- Lastly, we add in the assorted nuts as per choice and mix them in. there is also mention of brown sugar as well which adds a nice flavor once added towards the end into the porridge. Garnish with assorted nuts and serve the porridge with choice of cut fruits.
On a Concluding Note
The Food of Russia though a little different in taste, flavours and varied a little in a number of ways is indeed worth a try! Subtle and simple, robust and enticing, balanced to proportion is what I have experienced it to be in my own exposure with the delicacies from its authentic kitchens.
While we still need to explore a lot more on this cuisine and try and adapt to its uniqueness and create awareness about it by having a few of the recipes tried out in our kitchens, work on modifying them in such a way that they suit our palates even better. For instance, they have a rice preparation called Plov which simply refers to a pulao concept with veg/non-veg options. This was one of the first recipe I personally found acceptable and versatile as well. Similarly, with a little change and open mind towards welcoming Russian foods onto our tables would truly be worthwhile.
Celebrity Master Chef Dr Kaviraj Khialani is a Mumbai-based hotel-restaurant and food consultant. He is specialised in over 33 international cuisines and has quality experience with hotels and airlines as a part of his long journey of over two decades in his chosen field. Chef Kaviraj is a renowned author, academician, food designer, writer and has also been awarded several national awards and global recognitions for his talent & outstanding achievements. Besides having been featured on several food shows on ColorsTV and Star Plus he is a mentor, coach and guide to aspiring to be future chefs and hoteliers of tomorrow.
He can be contacted at twitter: @kaviraj_chef, Mobile: 91 9820939336. Mail: chefkaviraj249@gmail.com
