Pelmeni Recipe; How to Make Russian Dumplings?

The word Pelmeni comes from the word “pel’ma,” which means “ear” in Russian. This name is because the shape of a pelmeni resembles an ear. If you want to try one of the most delicious traditional Russian dishes, do not miss the chance of trying Pelmeni. In some places, this dish is also known as Ravioli. Pelmeni is typically filled with ground meat and onions but can also be filled with fish, cabbage, mushrooms, or potatoes.

Pelmeni can be boiled or fried and served with sour cream, vinegar, or melted butter. Join us with the method of preparing Russian Pelmeni.

If you like to try another dumpling recipe do not miss Mantu Recipe (Afghan Beef Ravioli).

Pelmeni Ingredients

For the Filling:

Ingredient	Quantity
Minced meat	450 grams
Onion	1 large-size
Garlic	5 cloves
Salt	2 teaspoons
Black pepper	2 teaspoons

Ingredients for the dough:

Ingredient	Quantity
Water	1 1/3 cups
Salt	1/2 teaspoon
Flour	4 scoops
Eggs	2 large-size

Ingredients of Pelmeni Sauce

Ingredient	Quantity
Salt	1/2 teaspoon
Sour cream	1/2 cup
White vinegar	2 tablespoons
Freshly chopped dill	As needed
Black pepper powder	A little

How to Make Pelmeni?

Step One

Making the Middle ingredients of the Pelmeni: For this step, we need minced meat, garlic, onion, black pepper, and salt. To start:

1. Pour 450 grams of minced meat into a large bowl.
2. Pour onion and five garlic cloves into a food processor and grate them.
3. Add it to the minced meat.
4. Season them with salt.
5. Add about two teaspoons of salt and finally a teaspoon of black pepper.
6. Pour the freshly ground and knead using the seasonings and minced meat; cover the bowl and set aside when they are well mixed.

Step Two

Making the Pelmeni dough: In a medium bowl, break two large eggs and add one and ⅓ of a cup of water to the eggs and beat together until smooth, then add about ½ teaspoon of salt to make the ingredients flavored. Now it is time to add the flour. Here we have four cups of flour each time we pour half a cup of it and mix the ingredients to get a smooth dough. 

Tip: First, mix the ingredients with a hand mixer and then use your hands. The dough should have a medium firmness. Now transfer the dough to the floured surface and knead well for four to five minutes until the dough is smooth. Then, cover the dough with cellophane and let it rest for 30 minutes. After half an hour, open the cellophane dough and divide it into two parts and leave one of them aside and open the other half with a rolling pin on the work table in the form of a relatively thin rectangle. (Cut into large rectangles and about the thickness of open pasta sheets. We mold the whole dough with a 20 cm diameter (one-half inch.)

Step Three:

Wrapping the Pelmeni: In this step, we take a teaspoon of the middle ingredients and form a circle in the middle of each dough and wrap them. 

First, flour the hands well (so that the dough does not stick to the hands.) Then, please remove one of the circles, connect its two ends, and then press the edges of the dough together and shape it by hand, and thus a half-circle is formed. Now, we press the middle finger under the material to create a protrusion; then, we connect the two ends of the dough and place the prepared Pelmeni one by one on the floured surface. 

Tip: Do not worry about the dough scraps. We can reform them again and knead them well.

Step Four:

Cooking the Pelmeni: Now that the Pelmeni are ready, it is time to cook them. To do this, we put a large pot full of water and salt on the stove to boil. Let it cook for eight to ten minutes. When they float on the saltwater, we take them out of the pot with a net to take their water, then transfer them to a large bowl.

Final step: 

Making the Pelmeni’s sauce: Now that the other Pelmeni are ready, we must make our delicious sauce. To prepare the sauce, pour two tablespoons of white vinegar into a medium bowl, add one-third of a cup of sour cream, and mix them well. Add a small bunch of dill here, which we crush (the size of three or four tablespoons.) Dill tastes great with Pelmeni. Mix the ingredients, and finally, add a half teaspoon of salt and black pepper and stir all the ingredients.

Ukrainian Pelmeni

Ukrainian pelmeni is a type of dumpling associated with Eastern Europe’s cuisines. They are usually filled with ground meat, onions, and spices. There is little difference between Russian and Ukrainian Pelmeni, as you see the ingredients are the same.

The origins of Ukrainian pelmeni are unclear. One theory is that they were brought to Ukraine by Mongolian invaders from Central Asia in the 13th century, and another theory is that they were introduced to Ukraine by the Tatars in the 16th century.

How to Serve Pelmeni?

Now, Add the sauce to the prepared Pelmeni, then mix them well so that the Russian dumplings are dipped in the sauce. Now our Pelmeni is ready to serve. 

Tip: (This step is optional) 

You can heat a large frying pan over medium heat and add two tablespoons of butter to melt, then take the cooked Pelmeni out of boiling water and pour them into the pan. Then fry them only until the edges change color slightly. Remove from the heat and serve immediately. 

Do not forget to make this recipe and share it with us. If you also have any related questions about Russian Pelmeni Recipe, please do not hesitate to ask.