The best pelmeni recipe I know, taken from a Russian blog.
- Carbohydrate 81.6318619664137 g
- Cholesterol 129.03 mg
- Fat 23.4933001796577 g
- Fiber 2.98373524623306 g
- Protein 45.5928294755183 g
- Saturated Fat 9.14087053862813 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (473g)
- Sodium 16784.4840690744 mg
- Sugar 78.6481267201807 g
- Trans Fat 3.23577016161299 g
- Calories 734 calories
Step-by-step
- Combine dough ingredients in a bowl and mix until the dough is of uniform consistency. Then cover with a towel and let rest for about half an hour.
- While the dough is resting, mix the filling. Grind beef in meat grinder with an onion. If you don’t have a meat grinder buy ground beef or whatever meat you’re using and grate the onion on fine grater. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Next get the dough and roll it into a thin sheet.
- I use a small glass to cut out the rounds of dough. But don’t cut too many at once or they’ll dry out. Take the remnants of the dough, roll into a ball, then roll into a thin sheet and repeat (I promised you – tedious).
- As to the size of the pelmeni… The size does matter – the smaller, the better. Now put small portions of filling in the middle of each round and pinch the edges close.
- Cover the finished pelmeni with a towel while working on the rest of the dough. If you are making a few hundreds of them, start freezing them.
- Finally, cook fresh pelmeni in boiling salted water for 5-7 minutes. I also love adding some bay leaves and a few whole peppercorns to the water. The pot must be big enough so all the pelmeni float and non stick together.
- Just as you are about to pass out from the mouth-watering smell, your pelmeni are ready. Serve them in their broth with some chopped dill and sour cream. Or drain and serve with vinegar or butter or ketchup or adjika sauce or other sauces (I’d stay away from BBQ sauce, but that’s my personal preference).
Dumplings stuffed with meat appear across the globe, but while Italian tortellini rely on a rich cheese or cured meat filling folded into thick egg pasta, Russian pelmeni feature a raw minced beef and onion mixture encased in a much leaner, eggless-style dough made simply from flour, water, and an optional egg. Rest the rolled dough for thirty minutes under a damp towel to allow the gluten strands to relax fully, preventing the wrapper from springing back or tearing as you attempt to seal the raw meat inside. Grating the onion on a fine box grater rather than chopping it yields a purée that integrates seamlessly into the minced beef, ensuring the filling remains moist and cohesive without leaving distinct crunch points inside the delicate pocket. When dropping the dumplings into a large pot of boiling water, use a generous volume of liquid to prevent crowding and ensure they float freely without adhering to one another. Cook them for five to seven minutes, watching for the moment when every single dumpling bobs to the surface and the exterior pasta turns slightly translucent, which serves as the visual indicator that the raw beef core has reached a safe internal temperature.
