Pelmeni Traditional Siberian Dumpling Recipes

PELMENI (RUSSIAN-STYLE BEEF DUMPLINGS)

Steps:

• For the filling: Combine the beef, salt, pepper and onion in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and slowly mix together.
• For the dough: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• Add flour and salt to the cleaned bowl of a stand mixer and slowly mix. Add water and oil. Mix completely. Knead the dough into a ball, then roll into a log shape.
• Slice a thin piece of dough and roll into a thin 4-inch round. Place 1 tablespoon beef mixture in the center of the dough circle. Fold circle into a half-moon and seal the edges. Bend the dumplings while pinching center and bringing the edges together. (Shape will be similar to a tortellini.) Place on the lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Refrigerate for about 10 minutes to help them hold their shape.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add dumplings; they will rise to the top once they are finished cooking.
• Plate and garnish with fresh green onion, dill, salt, pepper and sour cream.

RUSSIAN PELMENI

Steps:

• Combine egg, vegetable oil, and salt in a measuring cup; add enough water to fill to 1 cup. Pour into a bowl, add 3 cups flour, and knead into a smooth, elastic dough. Cover with a kitchen towel and rest for 30 minutes.
• Dust a baking sheet lightly with 1 tablespoon flour.
• Combine ground beef, onion, water, salt, and pepper in a bowl and mix filling thoroughly by hand or using a fork.
• Roll out a portion of the dough very thinly on a lightly floured surface and cut out 2 1/2-inch rounds with a cookie cutter or a wine glass. Keep the rest of the dough covered with a towel to avoid drying out. Place 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of filling on one side of the dough circle. Fold dough over and seal the edges using fingers, forming a crescent. Join the ends and pinch them together. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Freeze pelmeni for 30 minutes to prevent them from sticking together.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a simmer and drop small batches of frozen pelmeni into simmering water. Cook and stir until the meat is cooked and pelmeni float to the top, about 5 minutes. Continue cooking for an additional 5 minutes. Transfer to serving plates using a slotted spoon.

SIBERIAN PELMENI DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• To make the dough, sift the flour into a bowl. Make a well in the middle and add a pinch of salt, the egg and 100ml water, gradually mixing the flour into it with your hands to form a firm dough. Knead well for 5-7 mins. Cover and chill for 30 mins. In the meantime prepare your fillings.
• Thoroughly mix the meat filling ingredients together in a large bowl with a pinch of salt.
• To make the vegetable filling, heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the mushrooms, onion, garlic and parsley with the soy sauce for 5 mins. Turn off the heat and stir through the pine nuts and some salt and pepper. Let the mixture cool before handling.
• Roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface to 1.5mm-thick sheets. For the best results, use a pasta machine.
• Cut out discs of the dough that are about 4-6cm in diameter using a shot glass or pastry cutter. Put a teaspoon of filling in the middle of each disc, then use a wet finger to brush lightly onto the dough around the filling. Fold each in half to make a half-moon shape, pressing down to seal. Fold the dumpling again so that the pointed edges of the moon are stuck together. The dumplings can be cooked immediately or frozen in flat layers in freezer bags to be cooked at a later date, using the same method as below but increasing the cooking time by a couple of minutes.
• To cook, bring about 3 litres of water to the boil in a large saucepan, adding the bay leaves and stock cube. Add the dumplings to the boiling broth in batches of around 10, then cook for 5 mins. They are ready when they float to the surface. The meat ones may take a few minutes more than the veg.
• Ladle the pelmeni into soup bowls with the cooking broth, topping them with the dill, soured cream and black pepper. If you prefer to have them without the broth, use a slotted spoon to move them to a bowl, adding a generous dollop of butter with the dill, soured cream and black pepper.

BEEF AND PORK PELMENI (RUSSIAN DUMPLINGS)

Steps:

• Stir flour and 1 teaspoon salt together in a bowl.
• Stir eggs and 2/3 cup water together in a separate bowl. Pour into the flour mixture; mix until dough is combined. Turn dough out onto a floured work surface; knead until smooth, about 6 minutes. Place dough in a plastic bag.
• Combine pork, beef, water, and onion in a separate bowl; season filling with salt and pepper.
• Turn dough back onto the work surface. Roll and divide into long snakes about 3/4-inch thick. Cut into 3/4-inch-wide segments; flatten into 2-inch circles using a rolling pin.
• Place a 1-inch-wide scoop of the filling on each dough circle. Fold dough over filling; pinch edges shut. Pinch the 2 opposing corners together behind the flat edge. Place pelmeni on a floured baking sheet.
• Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add about 15 pelmeni; cook until they float to the top, 5 to 7 minutes.

PELMENI - TRADITIONAL SIBERIAN DUMPLING

Steps:

• 1. Begin with the dough, a slow and lingering process. Dump two cups of flour onto your counter, making a well in the flour's center, and place six egg yolks into the well along with a dash unrefined sea salt. 2. Mix the dough together by hand, adding whey and stirring until no clumps remain. 3. Place the dough in a covered bowl and allow it to rest at room temperature for two to three days. 4. Take care, every day, to flour your hands, punch down the dough, add about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of additional flour and knead the dough for about five to ten minutes. 5. On the third day, after you've fed the pelmeni dough with flour and kneaded it well, flour counters and role the dough into a long snake about 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick. 6. Allow the dough to rest while you prepare the pelmeni filling. 7. As the pelmeni dough rests, combine the ground meats together with one finely minced yellow onion and set aside. 8. Pinch about one scant teaspoon dough from the pelmeni snake, flatten it into a circle and roll it out very thin - about 1/16th of an inch. 9. Place the about one teaspoon pelmeni filling into the center of the rolled dough, fold in half, securing the edges together so that it doesn't open up when subjected to the rigors of boiling. Continue working the pelmeni dough and filling in this fashion until they're both exhausted. 10. Bring two quarts homemade beef stock or salted water to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and drop the filled and secured pelmeni into the pot to boil, working in batches of six to eight pelmeni. 11. Allow pelmeni to simmer in the stock or salted water until they rise to the surface of their own accord, about three to four minutes, then remove them from the pot and set them aside as you continue working in batches. 12. Serve topped with sour cream or crème fraïche, fresh snipped dill and seasoned to taste with a salt and pepper.