Here’s A Recipe For Delicious Pelmeni!
These classic Russian dumplings – known as Pelmeni – are a hearty, timeless dish that fills you up every time.
Filled with a delightful blend of meat and spices, these perfectly-shaped dumplings are made with an unleavened dough.
Considered to be the national dish of Russia, Pelmeni play an important role in many regions of the country. It’s unsurprising that there are lots of different versions.
These dumplings also have a few regional counterparts in both Asia and in parts of Eastern Europe.
Notably for this website, Pelmeni are quite similar to German Maultaschen (also incredibly delicious)!
Ingredients
To make this Pelmeni recipe, here are the ingredients you’ll need!
- Yellow Onions – Use a food processor or blender to finely chop them; alternatively chop very small them by hand.
- Ground pork – Ideally use ground pork with 5% fat, but other fat content will also work.
- Ground beef – Ideally use ground beef with 15% fat, but once again ground beef with another fat content also works.
- Milk – To add to the meat filling.
- All-purpose Flour – To make the pelmeni dough.
- Egg – Also for the pelmeni dough.
- Water – Make sure the water is cold; will be used for the dough.
- Salt – To season the filling and the dough.
- Pepper – To add flavor to the filling.
- Olive oil – To make the dough.
Recipe Tips and Substitutions.
Before you excitedly head for the kitchen to make these Pelmeni dumplings, here are some things to consider about this recipe:
- For the meat filling, any minced meat is suitable. You could try making them with ground lamb for example.
- The dough is rolled quite thin. Don’t leave it too thick – otherwise it might taste slightly hard even after boiling.
- Take your time forming the dumplings. Be sure not to put too much meat mince inside each dumpling or else you will have a hard time folding it over, closing it, and forming it to be round.
- If you have leftover dumplings the next day, fry them in a pan in some oil or butter so that the dough becomes golden and crispy – this is also very tasty.
How to Make Pelmeni – Step by Step Instructions
Here are the detailed instructions for how to make Pelmeni. The recipe process photos show you exactly how they were made at each step of the way!
The Pelmeni dough recipe is actually pretty simple but an important part to get right if you want these dumplings to turn out well!
Start by peeling the onions. Then cut them into pieces and put them in a blender or food processor.
Close the blender with a lid and chop the onion at high speed for 30 seconds. Alternatively, you can very finely chop them by hand.
Now add both types of minced meat to a deep mixing bowl. Also add the milk, salt, pepper and mix everything together. Also add the chopped onion.
Thoroughly mix the minced meat with onions and refrigerate for half an hour.
In the meantime, put flour in a bowl and add salt.
Add the olive oil, egg and cold water to the bowl as well.
Knead a soft elastic dough – either with the spiral dough hooks of your electric mixer (you’ll have to use your hands towards the end) or fully by hand.
Cover the dough with cling film and put it in the fridge for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, cut off a quarter of the dough and divide it into smaller pieces. These can be balls of approximately 1 inch in diameter.
Sprinkle the work surface with a little bit of flour so that the dough does not stick.
Roll each small ball of dough into a thin 3-inch-diameter plate of dough.
Place one and a half teaspoons of meat filling in the center of each plate of dough.
Now connect the edges and carefully pinch them to make a whole dumpling.
Then connect the opposite corners of the dumpling and pinch them carefully. This is a finished dumpling (pel’men’).
Repeat all the above steps and put the finished dumplings on a cutting board covered with cling film or sprinkled with flour.
Next, add the dumplings to a pot of salted, boiling water. After 7 minutes (they should be fully cooked and floating in the water), transfer the pelmeni to a plate.
Serve them with butter, sour cream, mustard or any other sauces of your choice.
Storage Tips
If you have any boiled Russian Pelmeni dumplings left over, store them in a sealed container in the fridge.
The next day, fry them in a pan with a little bit of oil or butter until the dough becomes golden and crispy. This is also a very tasty way of eating them.
Speaking of storage, you can absolutely freeze uncooked Pelmeni for making ahead of time. To do this, lay them out on a small baking sheet (they shouldn’t be touching) and place them in the freezer. This way they won’t stick together.
After they are completely frozen, you can transfer them to a container or ziploc bag. They’ll last around 3 months like this.
FAQ
Here are a few answers to questions you might have about making Pelmeni:
Pelmeni are meat-filled dumplings of Russian origin. Originally from Siberia or the Ural Region, these dumplings can be made in a number of ways that vary by region.
Pelmeni are generally boiled until cooked and served with a simple topping like butter or sour cream. Sometimes, the water is salted but it can also be plain. In other places, Pelmeni are fried in butter or oil after boiling.
Regardless of whether boiled or fried, pelmeni can be served simple with butter, salt, and pepper or with other dips, creams, or sauces like sour cream, mustard, tomato sauce, or even soy sauce.
To make Pelmeni, create the unleavened dough and let it sit. Blend onions, spices, and minced meat then cut the dough into pieces, roll the dough into circles, and add mince blend into each one. Fold the dumpling shut, then fold it over to create an overall round shape. Freeze for later use or boil in water until floating and serve with a side of sour cream or butter.
Related Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe for Pelmeni, here are some more classic Russian recipes that might interest you!
- Solyanka (Smoked Meat Soup)
- Lazy Vareniki (Simple Cottage Cheese Dumplings)
- Olivier Salad (Classic Potato Salad)
- Syrniki (Cheese Pancakes)
- Aspic Recipe (Meat Jelly)
- Vinaigrette Salad (Beetroot Salad)
Pelmeni (Russian Dumplings)
Ingredients
- 3 yellow onions
- 1 cup ground pork, 5% fat
- 1 cup ground beef, 15% fat
- 7 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, more to taste
- 1 egg
- 2/3 cup cold water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Peel the onions, them cut them into large pieces and put them in a blender or food processor. Close the blender with a lid and chop the onion at high speed for 30 seconds.3 yellow onions
- Add both types of minced meat to a deep mixing bowl. Add the milk, salt, pepper and mix everything together. Now also add the chopped onion. Thoroughly mix the minced meat with onions and refrigerate for half an hour.7 tablespoons milk, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 cup ground pork, 1 cup ground beef, 1 teaspoon pepper
- In the meantime, put flour in a bowl and add salt. Add olive oil, egg and cold water as well. Knead a soft elastic dough. Cover it with cling film and put it in the fridge for 20 minutes.1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 egg, 2/3 cup cold water, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt
- After 20 minutes, cut off a quarter of the dough and divide it into smaller pieces. These can be balls of approximately 1 inch in diameter. Sprinkle the work surface with a little bit of flour so that the dough does not stick.
- Roll each small ball of dough into a thin 3-inch-diameter plate of dough. Place one and a half teaspoons of meat filling in the center of each plate of dough. Now connect the edges and carefully pinch them to make a whole dumpling. Then connect the opposite corners of the dumpling and pinch them carefully. This is a finished dumpling (pel’men’).
- Repeat all the above steps and put the finished dumplings on a cutting board covered with cling film or sprinkled with flour.
- Add the dumplings to a pot of salted, boiling water. After 7 minutes (they should be fully cooked and floating in the water), transfer the pelmeni to a plate. Serve them with butter, sour cream, mustard or any other sauces of your choice.
Notes
- If you want to freeze dumplings, place the uncooked pelmeni onto a small baking sheet with a little space between them and place it in the freezer. Once they are completely frozen, you can put them in a container or in a ziploc bag.
- For the filling, any minced meat is suitable.
- If you have boiled dumplings left over, fry them in a pan in a little bit of oil or butter then next day so that the dough becomes golden and crispy – this is also very tasty.
Nutrition
This nutritional information has been estimated by an online nutrition calculator. It should only be seen as a rough calculation and not a replacement for professional dietary advice.
