Discover Russia: Pelmeni

History

Pelmeni are Russian dumplings that have been described as “the heart of Russian cuisine.” The exact place of origin for these delicious little bites is still being disputed with strong claims coming from Ural and Siberia. While the first mention of a dish sounding similar to dumplings comes from ancient Greek writings, it is most likely that pelmeni originated from the Ural region or Northwestern China and was carried up to the Ural region. The Ural region is a region lying mostly within the Western part of Russia near the Siberian plains with a small portion lying in the Northwestern part of Kazakhstan. This region contains the Ural Mountains where the border between Europe and Asia runs along the Eastern side of the range.

The word pelmeni literally means “ear bread” in the Finno-Ugric, Komi, and Udmurt languages. Pel means ear and n’an means bread. While it is unknown when these dumplings were introduced to the indigenous Siberian people, they most likely learned how to make them from the Finno-Ugric people (people of Northeast Europe and North Asia) who in turn, probably learned about this dish as it spread from Northwestern China. This would explain the use of black pepper as the main spice since it is not a native spice to Russia and had to be imported. A minced-meat dish like this would not have been very typical of the Russian cuisine without its early introduction by different cultures.

The Russian cuisine is unique due to the vast amount of land the country inhabits and the harsh conditions of some of the regions. There are influences from Northern and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Eastern Asia as well as original styles created by the Russians (especially from Siberia). Foundations of the cuisine originate from peasant foods of rural populations living in harsh climates. Dishes like porridge were popular based on the bountiful crops of rye, wheat, barley, and millet. Fish, meat, caviar, and honey were readily available as well.

It was not until the 16th to the 18th centuries that refined culinary techniques were adopted such as smoking fish and meat, cooking pastries, etc. Other goods were starting to be imported at this time as well. Some famous Russian dishes you may have had or heard of are beef stroganoff, borscht (a beet stew), and chicken kiev.

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What is Pelmeni?

Pelmeni is a savory Russian dumpling made of a meat, fish, or mushroom filling wrapped in unleavened dough. The dough is typically made of flour, water, and egg. The traditional Ural meat filling is made out of three different types of minced or ground meat: beef, lamb, and pork using 45% beef, 35% lamb, and 20% pork. This meat filling can also be known as Siberian pelmeni.

Recipes for pelmeni vary widely and each region makes them slightly different. For example, Siberian pelmeni are folded into small rounds and have the mixed meat filling while pelmeni from Marii-El are made from wheat dough and cut to look like crescents and are known as podkogylio. Kurze are pelmeni from Dagestan and contain vegetables and meat (usually a mix of ground lamb, beef, and chicken) and are seasoned with salt, pepper, and a touch of milk. Each Russian household may even have their own traditional recipe they regard as the best.

Even the way pelmeni is served differs by region. Traditional Ural or Siberian pelmeni is served plain with sour cream or melted butter. However, in Mordovia, the dumplings are served in a soup broth (which is taboo for this dish to the Siberians) in a dish called chumary. Other common toppings are mustard, tomato sauce/ketchup, vinegar, and dill. The way pelmeni is named, created, folded, and served differs widely across all of Russia, but one thing is certain: there is no way to go wrong with this dish!

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About this Dish

Pelmeni is a very comforting dish. The filling is simple, but quite savory and delicious. The ground meat or mushroom, minced onion, garlic, salt, and black pepper all come together to create a savory taste bomb that explodes when you bite through the chewy dumpling wrapper.

This dish can be made vegetarian and vegan as well. For my vegetarian readers, you can do the normal dumpling dough with the mushroom filling while my vegan readers can try the vegan dumpling dough and mushroom filling. For more nutrients and texture, spinach can be added to the mushroom filling.

While I used chicken, feel free to be as creative as you want! Try a mix of meats, or add in spinach, carrots, cabbage, or any other veggies you may desire. Have fun wrapping these dumplings with family or friends and sit down and enjoy a taste of Russia together!

Pelmeni dough rolled and cut out:

Pelmeni dough thickness:

Pelmeni folded and filled before being cooked:

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Pelmeni

A savory and comforting Russian meat-filled dumpling.

Notes

Makes 24 dumplings.*

*This recipe will make much more dough than needed (Enough for 80-100). You can try to cut the flour and water down to 1 cup and 1/4 cup and oil down to 1/2 tsp. I personally did not test these ratios which is why I am giving you the recipe I used :)

Ingredients

For Regular Dumplings:

Regular Dumpling Dough*:

-1 egg

- 1 tsp oil

- about 3/4 cup water

- 3 cups of flour (and more for dusting)

Meat Filling:

- 4 oz ground chicken meat

- 1/4 medium onion minced or grated

- 3 cloves of garlic, minced

- Salt and pepper to taste

For Vegan Dumplings:

Vegan Dough:

-1 cup of water

- 1 cup of flour plus extra for dusting

- dash of salt

Mushroom Filling:

-1 tsp oil

- 3 baby bella mushrooms finely diced

- 1/4 medium onion minced or grated

- 3 cloves of garlic, minced

- salt and pepper to taste

For the regular dumplings*:

To make the dough:

- Combine the egg and oil in a measuring cup and add the water. This should make up to a cup of liquid. If it is under a cup, add water until it is at the 1 cup line.

- Pour the liquid mixture and flour into a bowl and mix until a dough forms. Knead this dough until it is smooth and elastic.

- Allow the dough to rest covered for at least 30 minutes (this softens the dough and allows the gluten to relax.)

- To make the filling while the dough is resting, mix the ground chicken, onion, and garlic together in a bowl. Salt and pepper this to your liking (I did a dash or two of salt and about a 1/4 tsp or so of black pepper.)

- To make the dumplings, roll out a long, thin sheet of the dough. Using a cookie cutter or cup, make circles in the dough. (By using about 1/3 of the dough, I made 24 dumplings.)

- To fold the dumplings, take a circle of dough and fill it with about 1/2 to 1 tsp of filling. Fold one end of the circle over the filling and cinch it together making a half-moon.

- Now take the corners of the half moon and fold them backwards and pinch them together. Reference the pictures above to see how it is folded and how it looks.

- This step is optional: Refrigerate or freeze the dumplings for about a half hour to help them hold up while boiling better and to relax the dough again. (If you make extra, you can store them in the freezer for a convenient meal later on!)

- Boil the dumplings in water until they float and then for an additional 2-5 minutes to ensure the filling is cooked. (I also checked some of the temperatures of mine to make sure - 165 degrees Fahrenheit for chicken.)

- Serve with sour cream, sauté in butter, top with dill, vinegar, ketchup or simply eat them plain and enjoy!

For the Vegan Dumplings:

To make the dough:

- Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Once boiling, add the flour and remove from heat. Stir until a ball of dough is formed.

- Sprinkle a cutting board or counter with flour and knead the dough until all of the flour has been absorbed and the dough is smooth.

- Roll the dough out into a large, thin sheet.

- Use a cookie cutter or cup to make circles. (I was able to get about 23-24 by re-rolling left over dough after cutting the circles out.)

To make the filling:

-Sauté the onion with the oil in a frying pan until slightly caramelized.

- Add the diced mushrooms and sauté until tender and browned.

- Add the garlic and sauté for another 30 seconds to a minute.

- Salt and pepper to taste and pour the mixture into a bowl for filling dumplings.

To make the dumplings:

-Take a circle of dough and and fill it with about 1/2 to 1 tsp of filling. Fold one end of the circle over the filling and cinch it together making a half-moon.

- Now take the corners of the half moon and fold them backwards and pinch them together. Reference the pictures above to see how it is folded and how it looks.

- This step is optional: Refrigerate or freeze the dumplings for about a half hour to help them hold up better while boiling. (If you make extra, you can store them in the freezer for a convenient meal later on!)

- Boil the dumplings in water until they float.

-Sauté them in vegan butter, top with dill, vinegar, ketchup, or eat them plain and enjoy!

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Nutrition

Without the use of butter, pelmeni can be a healthy dish. By using chicken, less saturated fat is consumed. I stayed light on the salt to keep the sodium levels in the dish low as well. I thought the dumplings tasted great on their own, but light sour cream or dill could be served with them. This can be a complete meal with a side of delicious vegetables!

Meat Pelmeni Nutrition

Vegan Mushroom Pelmeni Nutrition

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this post and recipe. Like always, feel free to reach out and leave any comments! :)