This recipe for Russian little meat dumplings -- pelmeni or peljmeni -- is traditionally filled with ground beef, pork, and sometimes lamb, and served with red-wine vinegar, black pepper and melted butter. Mushroom, sauerkraut and vegetable fillings exist in other regions. The word pelmeni describes the ear-shaped appearance of these dumplings, similar to Polish uszka, or "little ears." And that is the main difference between pelmeni and pierogi -- pelmeni are smaller.
Here's a larger photo of Russian pelmeni.
Makes 80 to 100 Russian Pelmeni
Here's a larger photo of Russian pelmeni.
Makes 80 to 100 Russian Pelmeni
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- Dough:
- 2 large eggs
- 2/3 cup water
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour + more for dusting
- Filling:
- 1 large finely grated onion
- 8 ounces ground pork
- 8 ounces ground beef chuck
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Preparation:
- To make the dough: In a food processor, combine eggs, water, oil, salt and half the flour. Add the remaining flour and process until a smooth dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes or until no longer sticky. Wrap in plastic and let rest for 30 minutes. Dough can be refrigerated at this point until ready to roll.
- To make the filling: In a medium bowl, combine onion, meats, salt and pepper until thoroughly mixed.
- Cut dough into 8 equal pieces. Keep the rest covered while you roll one piece of dough into a finger-width cylinder. Cut this into 10 pieces. Roll each of the 10 pieces into a 2-inch circle. Spread 1 teaspoon of filling on the circle almost to the edges. Pick up circle and fold to create a half-moon, and pinch the edges together, making sure there is no trapped air which could cause them to explode when cooking. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Place a large saucepan of salted water on to boil. When you have made 10 pelmeni, drop them in the boiling water. When they rise to the surface, boil an additional 1-2 minutes (test a dumpling for doneness). Remove from water with a slotted spoon. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Serve boiled dumplings with melted butter, red-wine vinegar, black pepper, and sour cream, if desired. After boiling, pelmeni can also be sauteed in butter until lightly brown.
- Alternatively, pelmeni can be rolled out as for pierogi and frozen for later cooking as outlined in these how to make pierogi steps
