Dried Fruit Kysil – Ukrainian Thickened Drink
Kissel is a thickened, velvety cousin of uzvar — the dried-fruit compote of Ukrainian and Russian kitchens — pleasant both to sip and to eat with a spoon. Where a compote stays liquid, a spoonful of potato starch turns the brew into a soft, jelly-like drink that coats the palate and holds its warmth.
The backbone is a mix of dried apples, pears, plums, and apricots. Spices lift it: cinnamon and cloves for warmth, lemon zest for brightness, and a pinch of citric acid (or a squeeze of fresh lemon) to keep the sweetness in check. That spiced edge is what separates a homemade kissel from a plain stewed-fruit drink.
Cooking tricks
Always slake the starch in cold water first, then pour it in a thin stream into the nearly finished hot brew while stirring nonstop, or it clumps. Once the starch is in, bring it just to the barest boil and pull it off the heat immediately — long boiling breaks the thickener and the drink thins right back out. Control the body with the starch: 1 tablespoon per liter (about a quart) gives something you drink, 3 tablespoons a dessert that sets in the cup.
Part of Ukrainian cuisine — 288 more recipes in the section.
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Ingredients
Instructions
Rinse the dried fruit in warm water, pour boiling water over it, add the spices, and let it swell.
Add the sugar and set it to cook.
Once the fruit is soft, stir in the starch dissolved in cold water.
If the kissel isn't tart enough, add citric acid.
Simmer, dust with sugar if needed, and chill.
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