Pelmeni Image Used Under Creative Commons License From Wikipedia
Citizens – Pelmeni are dumplings consisting of a filling wrapped in thin, unleavened dough, which originated in Siberia and quickly spread all over the former Soviet Union.
The word pelmeni is derived from pel’n’an’ (пельнянь) – literally “ear bread” in the native Finno-Ugric Komi and Udmurt languages.
It is unclear when pelmeni entered the cuisines of the indigenous Siberian people and when they first appeared in Russian cuisine.
One theory suggests pelmeni, or stuffed boiled dumplings in general, originated in Siberia, possibly a simplified adaptation of the Chinese Wonton (in some dialects, it is called Bāomiàn “包面”). Pelmeni are a particularly good means of quickly preserving meat during the long Siberian winter, especially eliminating the need to feed livestock during the long winter months.
The dough is made from flour and water, sometimes adding a small portion of eggs.
The filling can be minced meat (pork, lamb, beef, or any other kind of meat), fish, or mushrooms. The mixing together of different kinds of meat is also popular. The traditional Udmurt recipe requires a mixture of 45% beef, 35% mutton, and 20% pork – I use my own meat blend and proportions, of course.
Pelmeni in Perm (west of the Ural Mountains) are often filled with mushrooms, onions, and turnips instead of meat. Various spices, such as black pepper and onions, are mixed into the filling.
In Siberia, pelmeni are traditionally frozen outdoors in the winter and treated as preserved food. Hunters or explorers heading into the taiga would carry sacks of frozen pelmeni with their provisions as easily cooked, nonperishable food.
Pelmeni can be stored frozen for a long time and they are prepared immediately before eating by boiling in salted water until they float, and then two to five minutes more.
Regional differences exist in the boiling of pelmeni. In the Urals, they are always boiled in water, while in Siberia they are boiled in salted water or sometimes meat or chicken broth.
The cooked pelmeni are served on their own or topped with melted butter or smetana (sour cream). Mustard, horseradish, tomato sauce, and vinegar are popular, as well. The Russian émigré community in Australia, most of whom originally traveled through China, generally adds soy sauce, as do the people of the Russian Far East.
Making pelmeni is much easier with a pelmeni mold – they can be purchased on Amazon here
Ingredients for Pelmeni Dough:
⅔ cups buttermilk
1 Tbsp sour cream
2 large eggs
2 cups warm water
1½ tsp salt
7 cups plus 6 Tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
Ingredients for Pelmeni Filling:
¾ lb ground beef
¼ lb ground lamb
1 lb ground pork
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 Tbsp oil
3 garlic cloves, pressed
½ tsp ground pepper
¾ tsp salt
1 tsp hot sauce, optional
Ingredients/ Ideas for Toppings:
One of the following: Melted butter, sour cream, vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce
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How to Make Pelmeni Dough:
Using a kitchenaid or similar mixer with the whisk attachment on medium speed, mix together: ⅔ cup buttermilk, 1 tbsp of sour cream 2 cups warm water, 2 eggs and 1½ tsp salt until well blended.
Switch to dough hook and add 4 cups flour. Mix on speed 2 until well blended.
Add 3 more cups of flour (one cup at a time and wait for the dough to become well blended with each cup).
Add the rest of the flour 1 Tbsp at a time, until the dough is no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl (I used 6 Tbsp). Once it is no longer sticking to the bowl, continue to mix 5 minutes. (Total mixing time is about 20 minutes from the time you start adding flour).
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface.
How to Make Pelmeni Filling:
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a medium skillet. Add onion and saute until golden and soft. Add garlic and saute another minute.
Mix together pork, beef, lamb, onion & garlic mix, ¾ tsp salt, ½ tsp ground pepper and 1 tsp hot sauce (optional).
If using a pelmeni mold:
Cut off about tennis-ball-size chunks of dough and roll out into a circle.
Place over mold. Place ½ tsp meat into each pocket space on the mold.
Roll out another chunk of dough and place over the mold.
Use a rolling pin, roll the top, working from the center – outwards until the pelmeni are well-defined.
Turn the pelmeni maker over and push the pelmeni out onto a well-floured cutting board.
Arrange pelmeni evenly on the cutting board, sprinkle with flour and place in the freezer. Pinch together any open edges on pelmeni or the meat will float out during cooking.
Once they are fully frozen, put them in large ziploc bags, sprinkle with flour and freeze them for future enjoyment.
If making pelmeni by hand:
Shape a portion of the dough into a 1 to 2 -inch thick log. Cut off 1 piece at a time (about gum ball sized) and roll into disks to form a 1.5-inch circle with rolling pin. Sprinkle rolling pin and surface with flour if needed.
Place 1 tsp pelmeni filling in the center, close the edges and pinch together.
Pinch the corners together to form a diaper shape.
Place pelmeni onto a well-floured cutting board. Arrange pelmeni evenly on the cutting board, sprinkle with flour and place in the freezer.
Once they are fully frozen, put them in large ziploc bags, sprinkle with flour and freeze them for future enjoyment.
To Cook Pelmeni:
Bring a pot of water to boil (add 1 tbsp salt for a large soup pot, or 1 tsp salt for a smaller 4 quart pot).
Add FROZEN pelmeni and return to a boil. They should float to the top, then boil for 3 mintues longer (or until meat is fully cooked). Drain pelmeni and place them in a clean bowl.
Toss pelmeni with butter and sprinkle with dill (optional). Serve them warm with ketchup, sour cream or vinegar.
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