Kutia (Sweet Rice with Dried Fruits)
A traditional dish served at memorial meals and Christmas. You can use any dried fruits, including candied fruit.
Updated : 01 July, 2025
Easy
About 45 min.
Ingredients
1 cup
Rice
100 grams
Raisins
100 grams
Dried apricots
2 tablespoon
Honey
to taste
Salt
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
Choose round-grain rice, as it cooks faster and turns out soft. Instead of honey, you can use sugar or a sugar substitute. If you prefer, you can replace the rice with whole wheat grain, as kutia was originally made from it. However, note that the cooking time will be significantly longer.
Step 2
Carefully pick through the grain to remove any debris, then rinse it under running water until the water runs clear.
Step 3
Pour 2.5 cups of water over the rice and place it on the stove to cook. Add a pinch of salt and stir occasionally to prevent the grains from sticking to the bottom and burning.
Step 4
Cook the rice for about 10 minutes, until it thickens.
Step 5
Wash the raisins and dried apricots thoroughly. Pick through the raisins and remove any stems if necessary. Cut the dried apricots into small pieces. You can use any dried fruits or candied fruits for kutia, as well as nuts if you wish.
Step 6
Add the raisins, dried apricots, and honey to the pot with the rice, then turn off the stove.
Step 7
Cover the kutia with a lid and let it sit for about 15 minutes, so the dried fruits steam through without becoming too soft.
Step 8
Mix the finished kutia well. It should be sweet and fluffy. Traditionally, such kutia is always prepared on Christmas Eve.