[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":407},["ShallowReactive",2],{"recipe:pelmeni":3,"recipe:country:russia":193},{"slug":4,"title":5,"nativeName":6,"romanized":7,"pronunciation":8,"countrySlug":9,"region":10,"emoji":11,"summary":12,"intro":13,"story":14,"whyThis":15,"tips":20,"substitutions":27,"variations":40,"serveWith":50,"storage":52,"faq":53,"equipment":69,"baseServings":75,"prepMinutes":76,"cookMinutes":77,"restMinutes":78,"difficulty":79,"course":80,"diet":82,"mainIngredients":83,"ingredients":89,"instructions":147,"nutrition":175,"images":181,"keywords":185,"publishedAt":191,"updatedAt":191,"authorSlug":192},"pelmeni","Pelmeni (Siberian Meat Dumplings)","Пельмени","Pel'meni","pel-MYEH-nee","russia","Siberia and the Urals","🥟","Thin unleavened dough sealed around raw minced meat, onion and ice water, boiled until the dumplings float and served with melted butter, vinegar, black pepper and smetana.","Pelmeni are small dumplings of very thin unleavened dough wrapped around a filling of raw minced meat, grated onion and a surprising amount of ice water, then pinched into a ring so the two ends meet. They are boiled straight from raw, and the water inside the filling turns to broth as they cook, so biting into a good one releases a mouthful of hot juice before you reach the meat. The dough is not soft and doughy but slippery and thin, closer to a good hand-cut noodle. Russians eat them by the bowlful with melted butter and black pepper, with vinegar for sharpness, with smetana, or floating in their own cooking broth. Making them is repetitive work that goes fast with two people and a radio.","Pelmeni belong to Siberia and the Urals, and the name is not Russian at all: it comes from the Komi and Udmurt languages of the Finno-Ugric peoples of the region, from words meaning roughly bread ear, which is exactly what a pinched pelmen looks like. The dumpling itself sits in the huge Eurasian family that includes Chinese jiaozi, Central Asian manti and Georgian khinkali, and the most plausible account is that the form arrived from the east and settled in the far north, where it turned out to be spectacularly useful.\n\nThe usefulness is the cold. Pelmeni freeze perfectly, and in Siberia they were made in enormous batches in autumn, laid out on boards in the yard, frozen solid within an hour, and stored in cloth sacks in the entrance hall or a shed all winter. Hunters and travellers carried frozen pelmeni the way other people carried hard cheese, and cooked them by dropping a handful into boiling water or melted snow. Because the meat freezes raw and the dough is unleavened, they survive months without losing anything, which made them one of the few genuinely convenient foods in a place with a nine-month winter.\n\nThe traditional filling is a mix rather than a single meat — commonly beef with pork, sometimes with lamb, elk or game in hunting regions — and the onion is grated rather than chopped so it dissolves and keeps the meat moist. The other standard trick is water or ice added directly to the filling, which sounds wrong and is the entire reason the dumplings turn juicy. How to eat them is a matter of local conviction: butter and pepper in one household, vinegar in another, smetana in a third, broth in a fourth, and the household that does all four at once is not unusual either.",[16,17,18,19],"A dough rested twice, which makes it roll out thin enough to see the filling through without tearing.","Ice water beaten into the filling, the step that produces the mouthful of hot broth inside each dumpling.","Freezing instructions built into the method, because pelmeni were designed to be made in bulk and stored.","Two shaping options — the classic pinched ring and the fast cutter method — with an honest account of what each costs you.",[21,22,23,24,25,26],"Roll the dough thinner than feels sensible, about 1.5 mm. Thick pelmeni are heavy and gluey no matter how good the filling is.","Keep the filling ice cold and work in batches, taking only a third of it out of the fridge at a time, so the fat stays firm and does not smear.","Grate the onion on the coarse side of a box grater instead of chopping it. Grated onion melts into the meat; chopped onion stays as crunchy lumps.","Seal with dry fingers on dry dough. If the edges have dried out, wet them with a fingertip of water, but too much water makes the seam slip open in the pot.","Salt the cooking water like pasta water and keep it at a steady rolling boil, then count 3 to 4 minutes from the moment the dumplings surface.","Freeze them in a single layer on a floured tray until solid before bagging, and cook them from frozen without thawing.",[28,32,36],{"original":29,"swap":30,"note":31},"Beef and pork mix","All beef, beef and lamb, or minced turkey with a spoonful of butter","The mix exists to balance lean meat with fat. If you use a lean meat alone, add fat somehow, or the filling will be dry and crumbly.",{"original":33,"swap":34,"note":35},"Smetana","Full-fat crème fraîche or thick Greek yogurt","Crème fraîche is closest in fat and tang. Yogurt is thinner and sharper but perfectly good as a table sauce.",{"original":37,"swap":38,"note":39},"Plain flour dough","Shop-bought round gyoza or wonton wrappers","A genuine shortcut with a genuine cost: those wrappers are softer and thinner, so the dumplings cook faster and taste less chewy than real pelmeni.",[41,44,47],{"name":42,"description":43},"Pelmeni v bulyone","Cook the dumplings directly in a light meat broth and serve them in it with dill and black pepper — a soup and a main course in the same bowl, common in winter.",{"name":45,"description":46},"Fried pelmeni","Boil, drain, then fry the dumplings in butter until blistered and brown on two sides. The standard treatment for leftovers and arguably better than the original.",{"name":48,"description":49},"Ural pelmeni with game","Elk, venison or bear meat mixed with pork fat, which is how the dumplings were made in hunting regions. Any lean game works if you add enough fat to the mix.",[51],"Melted butter and coarse black pepper, a small dish of vinegar, smetana, and a spoonful of grated horseradish for anyone who wants it.","Uncooked pelmeni freeze for 3 months and are best treated as a freezer staple: freeze them in a single layer on a floured tray until hard, then transfer to bags, and boil from frozen with an extra minute of cooking. Cooked pelmeni keep 2 days refrigerated but the dough softens; fry them in butter rather than reboiling. Do not refrigerate raw pelmeni for more than an hour — the filling wets the dough and the seams open in the pot.",[54,57,60,63,66],{"question":55,"answer":56},"What is the difference between pelmeni and vareniki?","Pelmeni are Russian and Siberian dumplings filled with raw minced meat and boiled from raw, with a thin unleavened dough and a small, tightly pinched shape. Vareniki are a Ukrainian dumpling, usually larger, half-moon shaped, and filled with already cooked or ready-to-eat fillings such as potato, curd cheese, cabbage or cherries. The doughs are similar; the fillings and the traditions are not.",{"question":58,"answer":59},"Why do you add water to the meat filling?","Because it becomes broth. As the dumplings boil, the water trapped with the meat heats and turns into juice, so a properly made pelmen releases a hot mouthful when you bite it. Use ice water rather than room temperature, add it a spoonful at a time while mixing, and stop when the filling is soft and slightly sticky but not sloppy.",{"question":61,"answer":62},"Can I make pelmeni ahead of time?","Freezing them is the traditional method, not a compromise. Lay the shaped dumplings on a floured tray in a single layer, freeze until solid, then bag them for up to three months and boil straight from frozen with about a minute of extra time. What you should not do is leave raw pelmeni sitting in the fridge, because the filling soaks the dough and the seams burst.",{"question":64,"answer":65},"How do I know when pelmeni are cooked?","They float, and then they need a little longer. Once the dumplings rise to the surface, count three to four minutes for fresh ones and four to five for frozen, keeping the water at a steady boil. Test one: the dough should be tender with a slight chew and the meat inside completely opaque and grey, not pink.",{"question":67,"answer":68},"Why did my pelmeni fall apart in the water?","Usually one of three causes: the seal was made on damp or greasy dough, the dough was rolled unevenly so a thin spot burst, or the pot was overcrowded and the dumplings knocked against each other. Seal with dry fingertips, press firmly along the whole edge, and cook in batches with plenty of room in a wide pot.",[70,71,72,73,74],"Rolling pin","Large wide pot","Slotted spoon","Box grater","Baking trays for freezing",6,75,15,40,"medium",[81],"main",[],[84,85,86,87,88],"flour","ground-beef","ground-pork","onion","eggs",[90,95,99,103,106,110,112,115,120,123,125,128,133,137,142],{"ref":84,"qty":91,"unit":92,"name":93,"group":94},500,"g","plain flour, plus more for dusting","For the dough",{"ref":88,"qty":96,"unit":97,"name":98,"group":94},1,"piece","egg",{"qty":100,"unit":101,"name":102,"group":94},220,"ml","cold water",{"qty":96,"unit":104,"name":105,"group":94},"tsp","fine salt",{"ref":85,"qty":107,"unit":92,"name":108,"group":109},300,"minced beef","For the filling",{"ref":86,"qty":107,"unit":92,"name":111,"group":109},"minced pork, not too lean",{"ref":87,"qty":113,"unit":97,"name":114,"group":109},2,"onions, coarsely grated",{"ref":116,"qty":113,"unit":117,"name":118,"optional":119,"group":109},"garlic","clove","garlic, finely grated",true,{"qty":121,"unit":101,"name":122,"group":109},120,"ice water",{"qty":124,"unit":104,"name":105,"group":109},1.5,{"ref":126,"qty":96,"unit":104,"name":127,"group":109},"black-pepper","freshly ground black pepper",{"ref":129,"qty":130,"unit":92,"name":131,"group":132},"butter",60,"butter, melted","To serve",{"ref":134,"qty":135,"unit":92,"name":136,"group":132},"sour-cream",200,"smetana or sour cream",{"ref":138,"qty":139,"unit":140,"name":141,"group":132},"vinegar",3,"tbsp","white or malt vinegar, in a small dish",{"ref":143,"qty":144,"unit":145,"name":146,"group":132},"dill",0.5,"cup","dill, chopped",[148,153,157,161,164,168,172],{"title":149,"text":150,"timerSeconds":151,"tip":152},"Make the dough","Beat the egg with the cold water and salt, then work it into the flour until the mixture comes together in a rough, shaggy mass. Knead on an unfloured surface for 10 minutes — it will feel stiff and unfriendly at first and turn smooth and elastic as you go.",600,"This dough should be firmer than pasta dough. Resist adding water; it loosens as it rests.",{"title":154,"text":155,"timerSeconds":156},"Rest it, twice","Wrap the dough tightly and leave it at room temperature for 30 minutes, then knead it for another minute and rest it a further 10 minutes. The second rest is what lets you roll it paper-thin without it springing back.",1800,{"title":158,"text":159,"tip":160},"Mix the filling","Combine both minced meats with the grated onion, garlic, salt and pepper, then beat in the ice water a spoonful at a time with a fork or your hand until the filling is soft, glossy and slightly sticky rather than dense. Cover and refrigerate until you need it.","Fry a teaspoon of the filling in a pan and taste it — this is the only chance to correct the seasoning.",{"title":162,"text":163},"Roll and cut","Working with a quarter of the dough at a time and keeping the rest covered, roll it out on a lightly floured surface to about 1.5 mm, thin enough that the grain of the board shows faintly through it. Cut out rounds of 6 to 7 cm with a glass or cutter.",{"title":165,"text":166,"tip":167},"Fill and pinch","Put a rounded teaspoon of filling on each round, fold it into a half-moon and press the edges firmly together from the middle outwards to push the air out, then bring the two corners around and pinch them together into a ring. Set each finished pelmen on a floured tray, not touching its neighbours.","Any air trapped inside expands in the pot and pops the seam. Press it out as you seal.",{"title":169,"text":170,"timerSeconds":171},"Freeze or cook","Freeze the trays for anything you are not eating now, then bag the dumplings once they are rock solid. To cook, drop them into a wide pot of well-salted boiling water, stir once so they do not stick to the bottom, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes after they float to the surface.",240,{"title":173,"text":174},"Serve hot","Lift the pelmeni out with a slotted spoon, toss them straight away with melted butter and a heavy grind of black pepper, and scatter with dill. Bring smetana and a dish of vinegar to the table so everyone dresses their own bowl.",{"calories":176,"protein":177,"carbs":178,"fat":179,"fiber":139,"sodium":180,"estimated":119},610,30,66,25,890,[182],{"src":183,"alt":184},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fpelmeni\u002Fhero.svg","Bowl of boiled Siberian pelmeni dumplings glossy with butter, topped with sour cream, dill and black pepper",[4,186,187,188,189,190],"siberian dumplings","meat dumplings","russian dumplings","freezer food","smetana","2026-08-20","dishroute-kitchen",{"items":194,"total":404,"page":96,"limit":405,"hasMore":406},[195,218,241,265,287,311,318,339,361,382],{"slug":196,"title":197,"nativeName":198,"romanized":199,"countrySlug":9,"baseServings":200,"prepMinutes":77,"cookMinutes":201,"difficulty":202,"course":203,"diet":204,"mainIngredients":205,"images":207,"keywords":211,"publishedAt":191,"updatedAt":191,"authorSlug":192},"beef-stroganoff","Beef Stroganoff (Beef Strips in Mustard Sour Cream)","Бефстроганов","Befstroganov",4,20,"easy",[81],[],[206,134,87,129],"beef-chuck",[208],{"src":209,"alt":210},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fbeef-stroganoff\u002Fhero.svg","Skillet of beef stroganoff, browned beef strips in a pale mustard sour cream sauce with onions and parsley",[212,213,214,215,216,217],"beef stroganoff","befstroganov","sour cream sauce","russian beef","mustard sauce","quick dinner",{"slug":219,"title":220,"nativeName":221,"romanized":222,"countrySlug":9,"baseServings":200,"prepMinutes":77,"cookMinutes":177,"restMinutes":223,"difficulty":79,"course":224,"diet":226,"mainIngredients":229,"images":232,"keywords":236,"publishedAt":191,"updatedAt":191,"authorSlug":192},"blini","Blini (Thin Yeast-Risen Russian Pancakes)","Блины","Bliny",90,[225],"breakfast",[227,228],"vegetarian","nut-free",[84,230,88,231,129],"milk","yeast",[233],{"src":234,"alt":235},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fblini\u002Fhero.svg","Stack of thin lacy Russian blini pancakes with sour cream, jam and salted salmon on the side",[219,237,238,239,190,240,225],"russian pancakes","yeast pancakes","maslenitsa","buckwheat",{"slug":242,"title":243,"nativeName":244,"romanized":245,"countrySlug":9,"baseServings":246,"prepMinutes":223,"cookMinutes":247,"restMinutes":223,"difficulty":248,"course":249,"diet":250,"mainIngredients":252,"images":255,"keywords":259,"publishedAt":191,"updatedAt":191,"authorSlug":192},"kulebyaka","Kulebyaka (Layered Salmon and Buckwheat Pie)","Кулебяка","Kulebyaka",8,55,"hard",[81],[251],"pescatarian",[253,240,254,88,84],"salmon","mushrooms",[256],{"src":257,"alt":258},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fkulebyaka\u002Fhero.svg","Sliced kulebyaka showing layers of salmon, buckwheat, mushrooms and egg inside a golden yeasted crust",[242,260,261,262,240,263,264],"coulibiac","salmon pie","russian pie","layered pie","yeast dough",{"slug":266,"title":267,"nativeName":268,"romanized":269,"countrySlug":9,"baseServings":270,"prepMinutes":76,"cookMinutes":271,"restMinutes":272,"difficulty":248,"course":273,"diet":275,"mainIngredients":276,"images":278,"keywords":282,"publishedAt":191,"updatedAt":191,"authorSlug":192},"medovik","Medovik (Russian Honey Layer Cake)","Медовик","Medovik",12,45,480,[274],"dessert",[227,228],[277,84,134,129,88],"honey",[279],{"src":280,"alt":281},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fmedovik\u002Fhero.svg","Slice of Russian medovik honey cake showing many thin dark layers with pale sour cream between them",[266,283,284,285,190,286],"honey cake","layer cake","russian dessert","sour cream frosting",{"slug":288,"title":289,"nativeName":290,"romanized":291,"countrySlug":9,"baseServings":246,"prepMinutes":78,"cookMinutes":177,"restMinutes":130,"difficulty":202,"course":292,"diet":295,"mainIngredients":296,"images":300,"keywords":304,"publishedAt":191,"updatedAt":191,"authorSlug":192},"olivier-salad","Olivier Salad (Potato, Pea and Pickle Salad)","Салат Оливье","Salat Olivye",[293,294],"appetizer","side",[],[297,298,88,299],"potato","peas","carrot",[301],{"src":302,"alt":303},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Folivier-salad\u002Fhero.svg","Bowl of Olivier salad with evenly diced potato, carrot, egg, peas and pickles in mayonnaise, topped with dill",[305,306,307,308,309,310],"olivier salad","russian salad","potato salad","new year","mayonnaise salad","zakuski",{"slug":4,"title":5,"nativeName":6,"romanized":7,"countrySlug":9,"region":10,"baseServings":75,"prepMinutes":76,"cookMinutes":77,"restMinutes":78,"difficulty":79,"course":312,"diet":313,"mainIngredients":314,"images":315,"keywords":317,"publishedAt":191,"updatedAt":191,"authorSlug":192},[81],[],[84,85,86,87,88],[316],{"src":183,"alt":184},[4,186,187,188,189,190],{"slug":319,"title":320,"nativeName":321,"romanized":322,"countrySlug":9,"baseServings":323,"prepMinutes":271,"cookMinutes":247,"restMinutes":324,"difficulty":79,"course":325,"diet":327,"mainIngredients":328,"images":330,"keywords":334,"publishedAt":191,"updatedAt":191,"authorSlug":192},"russian-pirozhki","Pirozhki (Russian Stuffed Yeast Buns)","Пирожки","Pirozhki",16,110,[326],"snack",[227,228],[84,329,88,129,87],"cabbage",[331],{"src":332,"alt":333},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Frussian-pirozhki\u002Fhero.svg","Tray of golden baked Russian pirozhki buns, one torn open to show the cabbage, egg and dill filling",[335,336,337,338,264,326],"pirozhki","russian buns","stuffed buns","cabbage filling",{"slug":340,"title":341,"nativeName":342,"romanized":343,"countrySlug":9,"region":344,"baseServings":200,"prepMinutes":345,"cookMinutes":179,"restMinutes":177,"difficulty":79,"course":346,"diet":347,"mainIngredients":348,"images":350,"keywords":354,"publishedAt":191,"updatedAt":191,"authorSlug":192},"kotleta-pozharskaya","Pozharsky Cutlets (Breaded Minced Chicken Cutlets)","Пожарская котлета","Pozharskaya kotleta","Tver",35,[81],[],[349,129,230,88],"chicken",[351],{"src":352,"alt":353},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fkotleta-pozharskaya\u002Fhero.svg","Golden Pozharsky chicken cutlets with a spiky bread-cube crust, served with mashed potato and lemon",[355,356,357,358,359,360],"pozharsky cutlet","kotleta pozharskaya","chicken cutlet","russian cutlet","torzhok","breaded chicken",{"slug":362,"title":363,"nativeName":364,"romanized":365,"countrySlug":9,"baseServings":75,"prepMinutes":179,"cookMinutes":366,"difficulty":202,"course":367,"diet":369,"mainIngredients":370,"images":373,"keywords":377,"publishedAt":191,"updatedAt":191,"authorSlug":192},"shchi","Shchi (Russian Cabbage and Root Vegetable Soup)","Щи","Shchi",150,[368],"soup",[],[371,372,297,299],"sauerkraut","beef-brisket",[374],{"src":375,"alt":376},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fshchi\u002Fhero.svg","Bowl of Russian shchi cabbage soup with beef and potato, topped with sour cream and chopped dill",[362,378,371,379,380,190,381],"cabbage soup","russian soup","beef broth","winter soup",{"slug":383,"title":384,"nativeName":385,"romanized":386,"countrySlug":9,"baseServings":75,"prepMinutes":177,"cookMinutes":130,"difficulty":79,"course":387,"diet":388,"mainIngredients":389,"images":395,"keywords":399,"publishedAt":191,"updatedAt":191,"authorSlug":192},"solyanka","Solyanka (Sour Soup with Smoked Meats and Olives)","Солянка","Solyanka",[368],[],[390,391,392,393,394],"kielbasa","ham","olives","capers","tomato-paste",[396],{"src":397,"alt":398},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fsolyanka\u002Fhero.svg","Bowl of Russian solyanka soup with smoked meats, olives, a lemon slice, sour cream and dill",[383,379,400,401,392,402,403],"smoked meats","pickled cucumber","sour soup","zakuska",10,24,false,1787360070919]