This Pelmeni recipe for Russian dumplings is cold-weather comfort food that features homemade dough stuffed with a savory meat filling, and is delicious served with sour cream and fresh dill.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Russian
Prep Time 2 hourshours30 minutesminutes
Cook Time 10 minutesminutes
Time for the Dough to Rest and the Dumplings to Freeze 3 hourshours
Whisk together the milk, water, and egg in a medium bowl.
Whisk together the salt and flour in a large bowl.
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients half at a time. Knead the dough a bit with your hands inside the bowl. Add additional flour (usually up to ½ cup) if needed to help the dough reach the right consistency and no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl.
Drape a tea towel over the top of the bowl and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
For the Filling:
Use your hands to mix together all ingredients in a large bowl until well-combined. Cover and refrigerate 10 minutes.
To Shape the Pelmeni:
Lightly dust a large baking tray with flour. This is where you’ll place your dumplings once they’re filled.
Divide the dough into 4 equal portions and roll each into a ball. Leave 3 balls in the bowl and lay a piece of plastic wrap directly on top.
Flour your work surface where you’ll roll out the dough. Place 1 dough ball on the floured surface and roll it out with a floured rolling pin until it’s fairly thin.
You can use a round cookie cutter (about 2 ½ inches in diameter) to stamp out circles. Alternatively, you can slice the dough into 2 ½ inch squares; either use a knife with a ruler to guide you, or use a pizza cutter.
Place about 1 teaspoon of filling in the center of each piece of dough. Fold the dough over onto itself, and then pinch the outer edges together.
Put the Pelmeni onto the floured tray and dust with a little flour.
Spread the dumplings out evenly on the tray, trying not to let any of them touch.
Put the tray into the freezer until the Pelmeni is completely frozen, about 2 to 3 hours.
Once frozen, transfer the dumplings to a zip-top plastic bag. Label the bag with the date and contents, and freeze for up to 3 months.
To Cook the Pelmeni:
Bring a pot of salted water to a vigorous boil.
Add the frozen Pelmeni (about 10 per serving) and gently stir once to help prevent them from sticking together.
Once the dumplings float, let them boil for 3 minutes.
Drain well.
To Serve Pelmeni:
If desired, add butter to the hot Pelmeni. Dollop on a little sour cream. Sprinkle on a little fresh dill or chives.
Recipe Yield and Serving Size: This recipe makes about 100 dumplings; each serving is 10 dumplings, for a total of 10 servings.
Nutritional Information: The nutrition information is for the dumplings alone (without the optional serving suggestions).
Stand Mixer Option: Instead of making the dough by hand, you can use a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment.
To Help Seal the Dumplings: To help the Pelmeni seal and stay closed, you can lightly dip your finger in water and run it along the outside of the dough before folding the dough over onto itself.
Boil in Chicken Stock for More Flavor: Instead of boiling the dumplings in salted water, you can boil them in chicken stock for even more flavor. If desired, serve them in a little bit of the broth topped with fresh herbs.
When It's Time to Cook the Dumplings: When you want to cook and eat the Pelmeni, make sure you cook it from frozen (don’t thaw it first).
To Fry Pelmeni: I recommend boiling the dumplings from frozen as the recipe directs. After that, drain the dumplings well and place them in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat with a generous knob of butter. Cook until they’re light golden in spots, and serve.