Valentina's Corner
Quick & Easy 30-minute Pelmeni Recipe that will become your NEW favorite method for making the Russian Dumplings.
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Thin dough filled with seasoned ground meat then shaped into dumplings and cooked – true comfort food.
Though everyone loves a good Classic Pelmeni Recipe with homemade dough, it truly is time-consuming! Sometimes, you just need a quicker way of preparing classic dishes and this recipe is just that!
30-minute pelmeni recipe-
We LOVE Russian pelmeni (dumplings) and pierogies, of course. The time it takes to make the dumplings, NOT so much! So, we are revolutionizing the classic recipe by using store-bought dough instead of homemade dough.
The taste is almost identical and you can have the dumplings made in just 30 minutes! A recipe doesn’t get any better than that.
how to make pelmeni recipe-
- Prepare meat filling– Prepare meat filling by combining all of the ingredients for the meat! Combine the ground meats, grated onion, water, vinegar and seasoning.
- FILLING NOTE: The indicated ingredients for the filling will yield 100 pelmeni (or more, depending on how much meat you want in the dumplings). You can make just 50 pelmeni and freeze the remaining meat for later use, or make 100 and freeze the extra pelmeni made.
- Prepare wrappers– You can either leave them as a square and just have more dough, or cut into a round shape with kitchen shears as we did.
COOK’S TIP- If you’ll be cutting out the wrappers, they don’t have to be perfect, once shaped and cooked, you’ll never tell what it looked like before.
Wonton wrappers- These will be found in the refrigerated section by the vegetables. We have tried THESE and THESE wrappers and both work the same. The brand your local grocery store carries may be slightly different, they normally come in a pack of 50! (The links I share have a lot of wrappers and you won’t need so many but you’ll have an idea of what we purchase.)
how to shape dumplings-
Add parchment paper to a platter or dust the plate with flour so the dough doesn’t stick.
- Layout wrappers onto a working surface. Work in batches of like 10, don’t spread out all 50 wrappers at the same time. Also, keep what you aren’t using closed or covered.
- Add meat to the center of the wrapper. Get the area around the edges wet (either with your fingers or a pastry brush).
- Fold wrappers in half over the filling and tightly seal. Bring around the edges together to create the shape of a dumpling. Water the tips before sealing so they don’t come apart. (Our kids say it looks like a babushka wearing a scarf, ha. Are you seeing this babushka? ;)..)
- Continue with remaining meat and wrappers.
TIP- If you won’t be cooking the dumplings right away, keep them covered and refrigerated.
how to serve pelmeni-
The classic way to serve pelmeni is with butter and a dollop of sour cream. But don’t stop there, take the pelmeni to a whole new level by serving them with-
..sauteed mushrooms.
..or bacon with caramelized onions.
..if you enjoy spicy food, add some Hot Sauce or Sriracha to the sour cream!
how to cook pelmeni-
- Add water to a pot (enough water to completely cover the amount of pelmeni you will be cooking so they have plenty of room to boil and not stick together). Season water with salt and add a bay leaf. If you like Vegeta, add some to the water!
- Once the water comes to a soft boil, add the pelmeni.
- After the pelmeni float to the top, cook 2-3 minutes (depending on how much meat you added to the wrappers).
TIP: Remove the pelmeni from the water with a large skimmer or dump the pelmeni into a strainer. You don’t want to remove them one at a time, they’ll overcook and fall apart.
how to freeze pelmeni dumplings-
- Layout pelmeni on a platter lined with parchment paper or dust with flour so the wrappers don’t’ stick to the plate. Once the pelmeni are frozen, transfer to a freezer bag. They will keep up to 4 months in the freezer.
TIP: Don’t THAW the pelmeni before cooking them. Just add them frozen to the boiling water and give them another minute to cook.
how to reheat pelmeni-
The easiest way to reheat pelmeni is by adding butter to a skillet with the pelmeni and cooking until reheated over medium heat. If you want fried pelmeni, increase the heat to give the dough crispiness.
I hope you are INSPIRED to make homemade pelmeni with store-bought dough! It truly is life-changing and you may never go back to making them the with the classic recipe – I warned you. 😉
Our kiddos love the thin dough so much and enjoy making the dumplings with me. This makes for a fun meal to make together. One can add the meat, the other water the edges, and all you have to do is seal and shape the dumplings. YOU’RE WELCOME!
OTHER CLASSIC RUSSIAN RECIPES:
- 30-Minute Borscht– without meat.
- Ukrainian Kotleti– so juicy and easy to make.
- Cabbage Rolls– classic recipe.
- Olivier Salad– potato salad.
- Russian Bread– the easiest bread you will make.
30-Minute Pelmeni Recipe
Ingredients
- 24 oz wonton wrappers (100 wrappers, 2 packs)
fillings:
- 1/2 lb ground pork
- 1/4 lb ground chicken
- 1/2 medium onion, grated on protruding holes
- 1 garlic cloves, minced
- ¾ tsp salt, or to taste
- ⅛ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp vinegar
- 2 tsp water
- 1-2 Tbsp dill, chopped
Instructions
pelmeni-
- In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients for the filling until well incorporated. Cover and set aside until ready for use.
- Cut the square wonton wrappers into circles using kitchen shears.
- Working in batches, layout the wrappers on a floured surface. Add a teaspoon of the meat filling in the center of each wrapper.
- Dip finger in water and run it around the edge of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper in half over the filling and seal tightly. Then shape into a dumpling.
cook pelmeni-
- Bring water to a boil and season with salt (or Vegeta) and a bay leaf.
- Add the pelmeni to the water. Once they float, cook 2-3 minutes or until filling is fully cooked. DON'T overcook the dumplings, they will start to fall apart.
- Toss pelmeni with butter and serve with sour cream or desired toppings.
- Enjoy, friends!