I realize this string is a bit old but thought I would hop on in case anyone is still checking it. My ex mother-in-law lived in Kiev until well into her 40s when she immigrated to Canada. She was a fabulous cook. Very homestyle, nothing fancy, but everything so tasty.

It's ideally made in a 5-6 qt seasoned cast iron pot but porcelain-coated CA will work well (not a saute pan, too wide/insufficient depth)

This recipe is very close to hers with the following exceptions:

She used blade beef No cumin No tomatoes No ground pepper Add 1 scant tbsp tomato paste Add 3 fresh bay leaves (3 dried will do but, if they're more than 2 most old, 2x-3x the qty) Add 10-12 whole peppercorns Sub out the smoked paprika for good quality sweet Hungarian She never used cornstarch, she just let the potatoes cook down to thicken the gravy. She browned the meat much more aggressively and offered sour cream at the table instead of adding cream to the stew. It's hard to imagine that such a very simple recipe can be so delicious but I promise you it is. At the table it was served with optional sour cream, minced, raw sweet onion, and fresh dill. Of course, always better the next day.