25 January 2021
Traditional Meat and Fish Pelmeni Recipe. History of Pelmeni in Russia
Pelmeni is one of the most popular Russian meals. It originated in the Ural thousands of years ago and the word pelmen literally means "ear bread" in local Finno-Ugric languages.
Pelmeni were originally a winter dish, as when the temperatures are low, they could be preserved for months. Hunters in the Ural and Siberia would take pelmeni with them in their sacks while away from home and cook them on the open fire.
In terms of taste pelmeni could be compared to Northern-Chinese dumplings, although pelmeni are smaller and with thinner skin, and as for the shape, homemade pelmeni may remind you Italian tortellini. But let's see my family's pelmeni recipe for details. I hope that it will inspire you to cook your own pelmeni with your family or friends!
Pelmeni were originally a winter dish, as when the temperatures are low, they could be preserved for months. Hunters in the Ural and Siberia would take pelmeni with them in their sacks while away from home and cook them on the open fire.
In terms of taste pelmeni could be compared to Northern-Chinese dumplings, although pelmeni are smaller and with thinner skin, and as for the shape, homemade pelmeni may remind you Italian tortellini. But let's see my family's pelmeni recipe for details. I hope that it will inspire you to cook your own pelmeni with your family or friends!
Pelmeni in Our Family
My father's family comes from the Ural and has Udmurt ancestry, and making pelmeni for them has been the favourite pastime for long winter evenings. The entire family would participate in this activity – from children to the most senior members – and prepare several sacks of pelmeni that would be preserved in barns during the winter and cooked little by little.
They would joke, sing and even participate in various competitions while making pelmeni. The very last pelmeni dumpling would be filled with some sort of surprise - be it pepper, salt or even a coin. It would bring luck to the one who would later find it in their plate!
We still prefer to make pelmeni with the whole family and, in the absence of barns and cold winters, we now keep them in our freezers and eat gradually. It is a wonderful activity that unites all the members of the family, friends, lovers and even co-workers!
The recipe that I am sharing with you here is based on my paternal grandmother's traditional recipe and the secrets from my mother, who is an avid pelmeni enthusiast and has tried dozens of versions of this meal to come up with her best proportions of ingredients for the dough and the filling.
You can try pelmeni master-classes when you visit St. Petersburg, Veliky Novgorod or other Russian cities.
My father's family comes from the Ural and has Udmurt ancestry, and making pelmeni for them has been the favourite pastime for long winter evenings. The entire family would participate in this activity – from children to the most senior members – and prepare several sacks of pelmeni that would be preserved in barns during the winter and cooked little by little.
They would joke, sing and even participate in various competitions while making pelmeni. The very last pelmeni dumpling would be filled with some sort of surprise - be it pepper, salt or even a coin. It would bring luck to the one who would later find it in their plate!
We still prefer to make pelmeni with the whole family and, in the absence of barns and cold winters, we now keep them in our freezers and eat gradually. It is a wonderful activity that unites all the members of the family, friends, lovers and even co-workers!
The recipe that I am sharing with you here is based on my paternal grandmother's traditional recipe and the secrets from my mother, who is an avid pelmeni enthusiast and has tried dozens of versions of this meal to come up with her best proportions of ingredients for the dough and the filling.
You can try pelmeni master-classes when you visit St. Petersburg, Veliky Novgorod or other Russian cities.
Meat Pelmeni
Pelmeni with meat mince is the most popular type of this dish in Russia. In most regions of our vast country, we either mix beef and pork mince, as beef itself is dry, or make beef mince with tail fat (kurdyuk), that can be found in some breeds of sheep.
The key is not to have mince too dry. We also add chopped onion to it. In addition, some people may add chopped garlic, but I don't recommend you to do that – it will make your pelmeni taste too harsh.
Fish Pelmeni
In the regions close to the rivers and lakes, particularly along the Volga River and, for instance, in old Russian cities like Pskov and Veliky Novgorod you will find fish pelmeni with white fish filling, mostly made of pike and pikeperch. They are absolutely delicious and very light!
Now pelmeni with salmon and rainbow trout come into the fashion, but we don't traditionally use red fish for that.
If you cook pelmeni with white fish, you will also need to add some fat or egg to it, and chopped onion, to make it juicier.
Pelmeni with meat mince is the most popular type of this dish in Russia. In most regions of our vast country, we either mix beef and pork mince, as beef itself is dry, or make beef mince with tail fat (kurdyuk), that can be found in some breeds of sheep.
The key is not to have mince too dry. We also add chopped onion to it. In addition, some people may add chopped garlic, but I don't recommend you to do that – it will make your pelmeni taste too harsh.
Fish Pelmeni
In the regions close to the rivers and lakes, particularly along the Volga River and, for instance, in old Russian cities like Pskov and Veliky Novgorod you will find fish pelmeni with white fish filling, mostly made of pike and pikeperch. They are absolutely delicious and very light!
Now pelmeni with salmon and rainbow trout come into the fashion, but we don't traditionally use red fish for that.
If you cook pelmeni with white fish, you will also need to add some fat or egg to it, and chopped onion, to make it juicier.
As in my family we mostly cook pelmeni with meat mince, here I will give you the recipe for the meat filling, but you can easily substitute it with fish.
Ingredients for filling
1 kilo of meat mince
Option 1. 60 or 70 % of beef mince and 40 or 30% of pork mince made from pork with fat.
Option 2. For each kilo of beef mince take 100 gr of sheep tail fat (kurdyuk)
1 big onion or 2 smaller onions
salt, pepper to taste
Ingredients for dough
3 cups of wheat flour
1 cup of 2 eggs with water. Add eggs first and fill the rest of your cup with lukewarm water (not hot)
1 tea spoon of salt
Ingredients for cooking
1 – 1.5 litres of water
1-2 bay leaves
salt
1-2 allspice berries
Ingredients for topping
sour cream and/or butter
1 kilo of meat mince
Option 1. 60 or 70 % of beef mince and 40 or 30% of pork mince made from pork with fat.
Option 2. For each kilo of beef mince take 100 gr of sheep tail fat (kurdyuk)
1 big onion or 2 smaller onions
salt, pepper to taste
Ingredients for dough
3 cups of wheat flour
1 cup of 2 eggs with water. Add eggs first and fill the rest of your cup with lukewarm water (not hot)
1 tea spoon of salt
Ingredients for cooking
1 – 1.5 litres of water
1-2 bay leaves
salt
1-2 allspice berries
Ingredients for topping
sour cream and/or butter
How to prepare mince
You can make mince yourself or ask your butcher to do that, but it should be fresh.
Mix mince with chopped onion with your hands – the smaller you chop it, the more beautiful your filling for pelmeni will look like.
Add salt and pepper to your taste. You can lick the raw mince to check if it has enough salt and pepper and spit it out later.
You can make mince yourself or ask your butcher to do that, but it should be fresh.
Mix mince with chopped onion with your hands – the smaller you chop it, the more beautiful your filling for pelmeni will look like.
Add salt and pepper to your taste. You can lick the raw mince to check if it has enough salt and pepper and spit it out later.
How to make dough
You should have one cup of liquid – together with the eggs. Therefore, first pour the eggs into a cup and then cover them with as much water as you will need to make it full.
Pour it over to a bowl and add flour to it gradually, cup by cup, mixing the dough first with a spoon and later with your hands. Once it is thick, take it out to the surface, sprinkled with flour, and continue kneading it with your hands. Once it stops sticking to your fingers, it is ready.
Put it back to the bowl, cover with the kitchen towel and set aside for 30-40 minutes. It will mature and become more elastic.
You should have one cup of liquid – together with the eggs. Therefore, first pour the eggs into a cup and then cover them with as much water as you will need to make it full.
Pour it over to a bowl and add flour to it gradually, cup by cup, mixing the dough first with a spoon and later with your hands. Once it is thick, take it out to the surface, sprinkled with flour, and continue kneading it with your hands. Once it stops sticking to your fingers, it is ready.
Put it back to the bowl, cover with the kitchen towel and set aside for 30-40 minutes. It will mature and become more elastic.
If you have added 3 cups of flour and the dough still sticks to your fingers, maybe your cup with liquid was too big. Add more flour gradually and keep kneading the dough.
Don't cover the surface with too much flour during the kneading process, because the dough may soak up excess and become too hard.
Don't cover the surface with too much flour during the kneading process, because the dough may soak up excess and become too hard.
How to make pelmeni by hand
Cut a piece from your matured dough, place it on the surface, slightly sprinkled with flour, take the rolling pin, cover it with a bit of flour too and start rolling the dough. We usually roll it into a 1-1.5 mm thick sheet.
After that take a vodka glass with thin edges (limoncello glass will do too) or a small dumpling or biscuit cutter and cut small equal circles with them.
Cut a piece from your matured dough, place it on the surface, slightly sprinkled with flour, take the rolling pin, cover it with a bit of flour too and start rolling the dough. We usually roll it into a 1-1.5 mm thick sheet.
After that take a vodka glass with thin edges (limoncello glass will do too) or a small dumpling or biscuit cutter and cut small equal circles with them.
Make small balls of mince and place them on each dough circle, after that take those circles one by one in the palm of your hand, wrapping the edges of dough around the mince balls carefully with your other hand and pressing them together.
In the end fold over left and right corners one on top of the other and press them.
In the end fold over left and right corners one on top of the other and press them.
Roll together all the dough excess that you will have left after cutting the circles and place it in your bowl with the dough. You might either roll it out for the second time if your main dough is over and there is still some mince left, or freeze it and use it later to make noodles for your soup, for instance!
Don't throw it away!
Don't throw it away!
How to make pelmeni with pelmeni maker
Using a pelmeni maker will speed up the process a bit.
Sprinkle your pelmeni maker with flour before placing the dough sheet on it.
Place the meat balls in the same manner, as if you were making pelmeni by hand, cover them with another dough sheet and roll it over with the rolling pin evenly, until the edges of pelmeni are defined and the pelmeni will start to fall apart one by one.
If some of them stick to the form, help them out gently with your fingers. If you accidentally tear the dough on pelmeni, stick it together with your hands. If there are any holes in pelmeni, when you start cooking them, the mince will fall out.
Using a pelmeni maker will speed up the process a bit.
Sprinkle your pelmeni maker with flour before placing the dough sheet on it.
Place the meat balls in the same manner, as if you were making pelmeni by hand, cover them with another dough sheet and roll it over with the rolling pin evenly, until the edges of pelmeni are defined and the pelmeni will start to fall apart one by one.
If some of them stick to the form, help them out gently with your fingers. If you accidentally tear the dough on pelmeni, stick it together with your hands. If there are any holes in pelmeni, when you start cooking them, the mince will fall out.
Do not make your mince balls too large, or they will stick together when you start rolling over the dough.
How to cook pelmeni
Boil the water in a large pot, add a generous amount of salt in it (a little bit less than for your pasta or spaghetti), one or two bay leaves and allspice. Put one batch of pelmeni in it.
If you are going to cook frozen pelmeni, do not defrost them before!
Once the pelmeni will rise to the surface, let them boil for a couple of minutes, until the dough will get "wrinkled". Take out one of your dumplings and try it – usually the mince cooks really fast, but the dough will need a bit more time.
It is crucial not to overcook them, the dough is not delicious when overcooked, and the mince will stick out, so instead of beautiful pelmeni you will get a mess. Therefore, keep an eye on the process – pelmeni get ready in the blink of an eye!
Boil the water in a large pot, add a generous amount of salt in it (a little bit less than for your pasta or spaghetti), one or two bay leaves and allspice. Put one batch of pelmeni in it.
If you are going to cook frozen pelmeni, do not defrost them before!
Once the pelmeni will rise to the surface, let them boil for a couple of minutes, until the dough will get "wrinkled". Take out one of your dumplings and try it – usually the mince cooks really fast, but the dough will need a bit more time.
It is crucial not to overcook them, the dough is not delicious when overcooked, and the mince will stick out, so instead of beautiful pelmeni you will get a mess. Therefore, keep an eye on the process – pelmeni get ready in the blink of an eye!
How to serve pelmeni
Tastes differ – some people like to eat pelmeni with the broth that is left after cooking them, other add a piece of butter and a spoon of sour cream to them. There are also people who eat pelmeni with vinegar.
I personally serve our homemade pelmeni with some broth, AND add butter and sour cream to the same plate!
How to store pelmeni
In our family we cook one batch of pelmeni straight away and freeze the rest in plastic bags.
We sprinkle plastic bags with flour inside and put them on the flat surface. We carefully place pelmeni row by row in each bag and let them dry there for around 30 minutes before tying the bags. This is done to prevent pelmeni from sticking together inside the bag.
Pelmeni can be stored in a freezer for several months, but if they are tasty, they won't last that long!
Tastes differ – some people like to eat pelmeni with the broth that is left after cooking them, other add a piece of butter and a spoon of sour cream to them. There are also people who eat pelmeni with vinegar.
I personally serve our homemade pelmeni with some broth, AND add butter and sour cream to the same plate!
How to store pelmeni
In our family we cook one batch of pelmeni straight away and freeze the rest in plastic bags.
We sprinkle plastic bags with flour inside and put them on the flat surface. We carefully place pelmeni row by row in each bag and let them dry there for around 30 minutes before tying the bags. This is done to prevent pelmeni from sticking together inside the bag.
Pelmeni can be stored in a freezer for several months, but if they are tasty, they won't last that long!
I hope that your very first pelmeni will turn out delicious and please do not hesitate to ask me any questions about the process of pelmeni making!
Check out other easy Russian recipes that have been passed from generation to generation in our families!
Text by Alexandra Carusel Tours
Check out other easy Russian recipes that have been passed from generation to generation in our families!
Text by Alexandra Carusel Tours