Making these meat dumplings Pelmeni is a bit time consuming BUT much easier than you might think!
Tonight is Orthodox Christmas Eve, which means all of Russia, Ukraine and many other Orthodox countries are celebrating! (Okay, it was Christmas Eve when I first wrote it but due to technical difficulties it’s only being published now!!)
It’s been a tradition for our family to do something special on this day for many years. Although we celebrate Christmas on December 25th we love having another holiday meal on January 6th as well.
One of my favourite things to serve for a Christmas dinner is Pelmeni.
I am grinning from ear to ear just looking at these little beauties! Making Russian meat dumplings Pelmeni and sharing them with you have been on my list ever since I started blogging three years ago!
I cannot even begin to tell you what an emotional attachment every Russian has to these meat dumplings.
If you ever ask me what defines Russian food pelmeni would be without a doubt at the top of my list.
If you ever ask me what I like to eat when I am sad or happy pelmeni would be way up there as well.
If you ever ask me what Russian food I would like to teach my children these meat dumplings will be my most earnest answer.
After all, that is what my mom taught me when I was barely my daughter’s age! And not the sloppy ones, she taught me how to make them “properly”; pelmeni with pretty ruffled edges!
Traditions associated with Pelmeni
Pelmeni making is an incredibly social affair, you NEVER make them alone!
Traditionally all women of the extended family would gather to make pelmeni! They would make loads and loads and then freeze the lot, which would last them through a long Russian winter.
So it’s no wonder I Skyped my mom and got her to keep me company as I cranked out about 130 of those glorious meat dumplings!! There are many ways to make them.
How do you make Russian Pelmeni?
The traditional way is handmade but there is also a special mold you can use that speeds up the process quite a bit! I will attempt to walk you through the handmade method.
What is in Pelmeni?
If you are a pasta lover, you will be all over these meat dumplings as they are essentially meat filled pasta but not just any meat, it’s so juicy you better watch out or it will drip all over your chin when you bite into one!
The most common meat found in pelmeni is a combination of minced beef and pork with onion, garlic, salt and pepper.
Pelmeni come in different shapes and sizes and I’ve shown you the most common ones.
They do take a bit of time but they are well worth it. It’s truly incredible to see what gorgeous flavour can come out of the simplest ingredients!
How do you eat Pelmeni?
Pelmeni recipe is pretty standard but it varies greatly in how people eat them.
I like mine buttered, sprinkled with fresh dill and black pepper and then dipped in sour cream. Brad likes his pelmeni with dijon mustard and sour cream.
Some people have them with a bit of vinegar and I am getting reports from family in Russia that lately even soy sauce has become a favourite!
Ingredients
For the dough
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 egg large
- 1 cup cold water
For the meat filling
- 1 lbs extra-lean ground beef
- 1 lbs extra-lean ground pork
- 2 onions medium
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley
- 1/2 bunch dill
- 2 tsp salt
- pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp butter
- sour cream
- fresh dill or parsley
Instructions
- In a food processor pulse flour and salt. With the motor running add the egg through the tube and then cold water. Let the processor do its work for a minute until the dough forms around the blade.
- Transfer the dough into a bowl, cover with a tea towel and let it sit for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile make the meat filling by combining beef, pork, salt and pepper. Then in a food processor blend onions, garlic, parsley, dill and water and add to the meat mixture.
- Use your hands to combine well, then pinch a small amount off and form a meatball. Fry the meatball and taste it for the right combination of salt and spices in your filling. Adjust spices if necessary.
- Divide the dough into quarters and form your quarters into balls.
- Take one dough ball and roll it out on a well floured surface in a thin sheet approximately 1/16" in thickness. Keep the rest of the dough covered to avoid drying out.
- Cut out circles with a 2" to 3" cookie or scone cutter. Put a teaspoon of meat filling into each dough circle, slightly off-centre, fold the dough over to form a half-moon shape and pinch the edges shut with your fingertips. If you want a more attractive look go over the edge one more time and this time pinch the edges together using your two fingers and a thumb and twist them to form a ruffled edge.
- Repeat with the remaining dough circles until you run out of dough and meat.
- Set aside a needed amount of pelmeni for dinner and freeze the rest in a well floured and air-tight container to prevent sticking.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add salt and 2 bay leaves, drop pelmeni into rapidly boiling water and stir to prevent them sticking to the bottom, once they float to the top, cook for 10 more minutes.
- Drain pelmeni and pour meted butter over them, gently stir or toss to coat.
- Serve with sour cream and chopped fresh dill or parsley.
- * Do not thaw frozen pelmeni before cooking. They should be boiled from frozen for 15 minutes.
I hope I’ve convinced you to venture out into the delicious world of meat dumpling making. I promise you will not regret it!! Or try potato, bacon and caramelised onion dumplings Vareniki.
Emily says
I loved the Vareniki recipe and looking forward to making some Pelmeni with this delicious sounding filling! Does the meat mixture need cooking before it is added to the dough? I am not a seasoned cook and still get a little nervous with meat. I also don’t have a food processer to blend the onions etc. will finely chopped work? Or with a stick blender?
Big fan of your blog, thanks for all these inspirational recipes!
Emily
vikalinka says
Hi Emily, you don’t need to cook the mixture first. The meat gets cooked when you boil the pelmeni and since they are just tiny meatballs, it happens very quickly. You can grate the onion on a vegetable/cheese grater if you don’t have a food processor. That’s what my mum always did. Thank you for following Vikalinka!! 🙂
Oxana says
Love these ! I just made a batch however I literally ran out of dough about half way into my filling 😖 am I not rolling it thin enough ?
vikalinka says
Hi Oxana, it may be that you are not rolling the dough thin enough or simply not stuffing them to their full capacity. 😉 I like mine really plump. Having said that it takes a couple of times to figure out your own meat to dough ratio. Some people like them more stuffed, some prefer less.
Vera says
The best pelmeni recipes I have tried so far. By the way, Ukraine is not an Orthodox country. Do a little history research.
vikalinka says
I am glad you liked the recipe, Vera. I am not claiming Ukraine to be Orthodox as it is pretty secular as far as beliefs go. The only reason I mentioned it is because Russian and Ukrainian Christmas is on January 7th, hence the whole point of this post and it’s due to the countries following the Orthodox religious calendar. Ukraine is also 65% Orthodox according to the stats.
vera bentley says
i read your recipes & i nearly cry, they remind me of so many good times while growing up. both my brother & i used to eat them with our parents, have them cooked by mum before they went out, while we were babysat, we used to have them at relatives parties sometimes & at weddings, christenings & sometimes funerals.
i havent had them since way before we left sydney & im missing them heaps. it makes me sad now coz mum cant see properly to make them & ive got no one to share a good time of making them.
i guess this is a most loved memory il always have – thanx julia xxx
vikalinka says
I hope those are happy tears, Vera!! Food always evokes such strong feelings and memories, doesn’t it! My mom is also not here, so I invite friends and share my food with them. They LOVE it!!
Kent Arfistov says
Usually I serve Pelmini with Russian sour cream (smetlana) and horseradish. I buy both at a nearby European market.
I always fix extra so I can fry them in butter the next day. I don’t flip them until they begin to get crispy on the bottom, like potstickers. I serve those with soy sauce.
But tonight I tossed them with pesto and sliced sun-dried tomatoes — a new favorite.
I’m also planning to try them with a sharp cheddar sauce or maybe chili with no beans and lots of grated pepper jack cheese.
Who knew the humble dumplings were so versatile
vikalinka says
These are all such good options, Kent. I was just cooking pelmeni last night for my kids and as I was melting some butter into them I thought they could definitely be dressed up in more creative ways. I love the pesto idea, will try!
Sarah Horne says
I had bought pelmeni and had them in the freezer. I forgot to take something out for dinner, so I boiled the pelmeni, some noodles and made a brown gravy with sour cream included. It made a tasty main dish for my husband and I. I will try the appetizer ideas also, but they saved me from not having an idea besides soup and sandwiches. Thanks! Sarah.
vikalinka says
Pelmeni is a great last minute dinner. We all love them here! We actually took our daughter to a pelmeni restaurant for her birthday a couple of weeks ago in St Petersburg, where they served various dumplings of the world. So fun!
Jamie says
I was lucky enough to date a guy from Ukraine for a few years, he taught me loads of stuff to cook, one of my faces of course was pelmeni, one of the things I took in the breakup was the mold, haha! I just made borscht the other day, been almost 20 years since we dated and I’m still making recipes from back in the day with some refresher reads like this recipe of course!!
vikalinka says
You took a pelmeni mold!!! This made me laugh, Jamie! I am happy you are still making the recipes you learned 20 years ago. That relationship was clearly not wasted!
Bonita Breeden says
I made them using wonton wrap and they fell apart in bound water. What do you suggest? I used eggs whites for edges.
vikalinka says
I would suggest using the dough in the recipe, Bonita. 🙂 Wonton wrappers are far too thin for the robust filling of the pelmeni. I don’t have much experience with wonton wrappers, so I can’t really give other suggestions. I think I tried the same trick ages ago but was disappointed with the results.
Nadiya says
Hello Julia,
I don’t have the food processor, do you think I can get same results using kitchen aid?
Thank you 🙂
vikalinka says
I am sure you can, Nadiya! I haven’t tried it myself but I know other bloggers have. Enjoy!
Tzivia says
Omg wow yo these look really way good and so very yummmm my mouth is totally watering right now gurl if I were to make these sometime would these freeze well beautiful presentation with the pelmeni darlin have not had pelmeni in ages they were very good for store bought had them @ these very kind hearted Jewish people for Friday night Shabbat (Sabbath) dinner and the next day for lunch for kosher they were sooooo fresh and tasty the Russian supermarket bye sells a bunch of kosher pelmeni and sm always so tempted to buy but I’m like nah wanna make my own and after seeing your lovely yummy recipe it’s a total must
ck says
there’s really no need to boil them for 10-15 min, 3-5 is enough
also the traditional shape is the one with the ends clamped together.
Thirdly, where would Russians get dill and parsley in the winter… so I make/ eat them
without the greens.
Cheers 🙂
vikalinka says
Thank you for your comments, however while 3-5 minutes are enough for Italian ravioli pelmeni do take longer to cook due to thicker dough, especially larger ones made at home and rolled by hand, 10-15 minutes of cooking time is necessary to cook them from frozen. As far as traditional shape goes, it varies from region to region, the one you mention is what is commonly seen in shops, while homecooks employ creativity when making their own, which is what I wrote about in my blog post. I grew up in Russia and do speak from my personal experience.
andreas kummer says
I hang my dill or parsley in the basement to dry.I can use it whenever i need it when cooking.
Lucy @ BakingQueen74 says
These look just delicious and I would love to make a batch with my family helping me and freeze them for the winter, what a lovely idea. I’ve never heard of them before as I’m not familiar with many Russian dishes, but I will certainly try them out one day.
Olivia says
This is such a beautiful and delicious recipe. It was lovely to cook a Russian dish. I am so happy I found it, thank you!
vikalinka says
Thank you for stopping by, Olivia!
Kavey says
I looove pelmeni dumplings, preferably with sour cream! My husband made some a few years ago, along with cheese vareneki, for an evening of vodka tasting with friends. Time to ask him to repeat it, with your folding tips this time!
vikalinka says
Kavey, I am so impressed that no only did you hear of pelmeni but also tried them! They are relatively unknown outside of Russia. I hope you and your husband get to make them again, they are so worth the work!
Janie says
Never heard of them until now, but they look like a lot of fun to make and darn tasty to eat!
Janie x
PS I love the fact that you skyped your mum so you could make them together. So cute 🙂
vikalinka says
Thank you, Janie! They are in fact pretty darn tasty! I had to call my mum I just couldn’t bare making them for a couple of hours without a proper chat like we used to have when I was little! 😉
Lena says
Can I do beef only for the meat filling?
vikalinka says
Absolutely Lena, you can even use chicken if you like!
Katya @ Little Broken says
These look so beautiful and delicious! My mom always made hers round by hand and that’s how I’ve stuck to making them. Only these days I don’t have time to make them and our russian supermarket makes them fresh so that’s been my go to. Maybe one day 🙂
nadia says
Thank you Julia for featuring my Julienne recipe. Your pelmeni look so authentic and mouthwatering.
Jill Williams says
Hi! Thank you for your recipe. My Grandmum always made these for her family, but differently. She was from Ukraine. She taught me how to make them her way. She would hang sour milk in a calico bag for a few days until it was sour & seperated the curds & whey. She made her own pastry & placed a teaspoon of the sour cheese into each little round pastry. She turned them into haves and secured the edges tight. She cooked them in boiling water, & served them with lots of butter. They were wonderful. I make mine, but use baker’s cheese or neufachel, or cheese I buy from The Russian shop. I am the only one in our family that makes these, & everyone is always wanting some. I have tried the mince ones as well. They are all great!!!!
vikalinka says
What a lovely memory of your grandma, Jill! I buy mine as well quite often, I love having a stash in the freezer for the nights when I am too tired to cook but nothing compares to homemade ones!
Lily @GastroSenses says
I could totally eat pelmeshki every.single.day! There’s something about a big bowl of hearty dumplings that’s SO comforting!
Kathy says
My aunt is here visiting and cooking russian food everyday. Today is pelemani. We had piroshki yesterday
Louise | Cygnet Kitchen says
This is the first time I’ve seen pelmeni, Julia! I am sure mine would nowhere near as perfect as yours but I would love to try them. x
Angela says
I’ve never heard of pelmeni, but that look great. I’m sure folding them is a real art, so they don’t burst open.
It’s so refreshing to see something that isn’t just covered in lashings of tomato sauce too!
vikalinka says
Hahaha tomato sauce on pelmeni would be sacrilege!!! Thank you, Angela!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says
Wow! I have never heard of pelmeni, but I absolutely know I would love them! What fun when you are able to share traditional dishes like this 🙂
vikalinka says
Thank you, Jennifer! I am sad most people outside of Russia dont’t know much about Russian food or worse yet, assume it’s bland and boring because it is far from the truth! I hope my blog will help to remedy that problem. 🙂
Lynn | The Road to Honey says
What a fantastic tradition. I’m glad you found time to make them this year (even if it was with your mom over Skype) and bring them to us. The look absolutely divine. I bet that filling is amazing.
vikalinka says
Thank you, Lynn! I am always delaying making them but when I finally set some time I aside I always remember how relaxing and soothing it actually is! There is something seriously therapeutic about making each dumpling by hand.
Lucy Parissi says
I would have loved to taste these – and my husband is salivating looking at the photos right now! So pretty and so much work… I have now been told I must make them or pierogi. Can you just come over and show us how?
vikalinka says
I would love to, for real. We need to have a dumpling making party! We can make all kinds-meat, potato, mushrooms. 😉
Misha says
I miss my grandma’s dumplings she made it down one of the best of course when I used to live in Russia
vikalinka says
Grandma’s dumplings are always the best, Misha! Always!! I miss everything my grandma used to cook. 🙂