2 ways of doing perfect dumplings

Vita Marija
Dec 5, 2017
3 min read

- You are hired!,- the son of Merces said when he tasted my dumplings.

- As a chef,- he added.

That was more than enough for me to realise that they were really good!

And Merces (the owner of a house that I "wwoof" in now) also said that she wants my recipe.

Imagine your grandmother asking you for a recipe!!! That is crazy. Gradmas knows all the recipes, don’t they?

Hence, I want to introduce you two ways how to do a perfect dumplings.

First one is a bit more easy and personally I like it more. It is more common in Lithuanian families and other one is preferred in other countries like Italy or Spain.

You will need:

- 1 egg

- 200ml cold water

- 300g flour

- pinch of salt

In a medium size bowl whisk an egg, water and salt

Gradually add flour and start mixing the batter with a spoon

When it gets to messy, put your dough on the floured surface and begin kneading

Leave your dough to rest for at least 30 min (1hour is better) (don't forget to cover it with a bowl or clingfilm)

Second way is better when you do tortellini and when you have pasta machine. I didn’t have one so it was a true struggle for me to make my dumplings thin and nice… But everything is possible!

The ingredients are the same, only the quantities are different:

- 1 egg, 1 yolk

- 100ml cold water

- 300g flour

- pinch of salt

On a clean surface place your flour and make a hole in it

Add eggs, half of the water and salt

Start mixing from the middle (you can do it with a fork or a finger) and then begin kneading. It will be much more messy than with a first dough because you will have to add the rest of the water to make it look good and be solid so if you don’t want a messy kitchen at least do it in a bowl

Set aside this beauty for an hour (do not forget to cover it)

ROLLING// No matter which one of the doughs you have chosen the idea is the same: You split the batter in 2 parts and start rolling :) With a first one it will be very easy and nice, with the second one it is way more harder (if you have pasta machine - use it!)

SHAPES// Use your imagination:) no one is telling you what you can or cannot do!

I prefer traditional shapes like this:

For me it is better to do circle forms at first, put the filling and then fold it. But you can do one at the time also:)

THE FILLING// This time I heated some olive oil, chopped onions, garlics, aubergine and shiitake. I fry them and with for them cool down before putting it in dumplings.

Sometimes I put minced meat with chped onions, salt and pepper, sometimes curd, sometimes even berries. There is also quite a lot of room for your ideas:)

And now the best part - COOKING// In my family it is very common to boil it in the water with salt and serve it with sour cream, caramelised onions and bacon but sometimes, when I have time - I boil it and then I quickly fry them in butter, some more salt and black pepper!

It is really nice, trust me:)) Also you can steam them… Or only fry it! Try everything, don’t be shy and experiment with things:)

Aaaand that is it for this time, I have to begin my packing again because I am flying to Azores island!!! Hope to learn more recipes there:)

Byeeee, x