Pelmeni (Russian Dumplings)

These cute little dumplings are a treat to eat! During grad school, my friend from Germany introduced me to these little delectable dumplings. Her mom and siblings use to make these as family activity back home as part of her Russian heritage. The egg in the wrapper gives the dumpling skin a really nice chewy texture while the filling inside is simple and satisfyingly meaty.

This recipe is made with ground beef but I have seen some versions out there with pork or lamb. Give them a quick boil in water and serve with a little melted butter or sour cream on the side or if you’re feeling up to it…make yourself a delicious mushroom cream sauce to go with it! I can eat about 20 of these easily in a sitting!

This is a great weekend project to engage your family and friends. Make a large stock of these little guys and they keep really well in the freezer for months! Give this a try and let me know how you like it!

Pelmeni (Russian Dumplings)

Prep time: 1 h     
Cook time: 10 min     
Total time: 1 h 10 min     
Servings: 10

Ingredients

Dough

3 cups flour
2 eggs
2/3 cup water
1 tsp salt

Filling

2 lbs ground beef
1 large onion grated
1 tbsp salt
tsp pepper

Instructions

Make dough in a large bowl by mixing flour with salt and then make a well in the center and add eggs.
Slowly mix the flour and eggs together while drizzling in the water a little at a time. Once dough starts coming together begin kneading to incorporate. Place dough to aside to rest.
Make filling by combining ground beef, grated onions, salt, and pepper.
To make the dumplings, divide dough into 4 portions and roll out one portion into a large rectangle until 2-3 min thick.
Using a knife divide the rolled dough into squares measuring 2 x 2 inches.
Place 1 tsp of filling into each square.
To fold dumplings, bring the diagonal corner of each square together and press firmly to create a triangle. Then pinch together the two furthest corners of the triangle to form a bonnet shaped dumpling.
Place dumplings on a floured parchment. At this point, you can choose to partially freeze them in the freeze with the tray for 30 min and then transfer to freezer bags for storage.
To cook, boil 5-6 cups of water in a large pot and boil dumplings for 5-8 min until floating and the meat filling is cooked.
Serve with some melted butter or sour cream with a sprinkle of freshly chopped dill. Enjoy!