Pelmeni, the festive dumplings
Small dumplings with thin dough, filled with a mixture of minced meats and onion, poached in boiling water and served drizzled with melted butter and smetana, spiked with a dash of vinegar. A hearty festive dish born from the Eastern cold.
Small dumplings with thin dough, filled with a mixture of minced meats and onion, poached in boiling water and served drizzled with melted butter and smetana, spiked with a dash of vinegar. A hearty festive dish born from the Eastern cold.
When we made pelmeni, the whole family gathered around the table — hands in flour, voices mingling, hours passing without counting. The dough must be thin as a leaf, the filling generous, and each little dumpling pinched into the shape of an ear. We made hundreds and carried them out to freeze on the balcony, in the cold. In the evening, we threw them into boiling water; when they floated to the surface, they were ready. Melted butter, smetana, a drop of vinegar — and the feast began.
- •Wheat flour — as needed (dough)
- •Egg and cold water — enough (binder for dough)
- •Minced beef and pork — equal parts (filling)
- •Onion — generously (juice and flavor of filling)
- •Salt and pepper — to taste (seasoning)
- •Butter, smetana, vinegar — for serving (serving)
Pelmeni, the festive dumplings
Small dumplings with thin dough, filled with a mixture of minced meats and onion, poached in boiling water and served drizzled with melted butter and smetana, spiked with a dash of vinegar. A hearty festive dish born from the Eastern cold.
Why this dish? Originating from the Urals and Siberia, pelmeni were prepared in large quantities during family gatherings — the whole household would sit down to shape them together. For a filmmaker like Tarkovsky, trained between Moscow and the studios, these dumplings made by many hands embodied the reunion meal, both celebration and collective work.
When we made pelmeni, the whole family gathered around the table — hands in flour, voices mingling, hours passing without counting. The dough must be thin as a leaf, the filling generous, and each little dumpling pinched into the shape of an ear. We made hundreds and carried them out to freeze on the balcony, in the cold. In the evening, we threw them into boiling water; when they floated to the surface, they were ready. Melted butter, smetana, a drop of vinegar — and the feast began.
Ingredients (period version)
- Wheat flour — as needed (dough)
- Egg and cold water — enough (binder for dough)
- Minced beef and pork — equal parts (filling)
- Onion — generously (juice and flavor of filling)
- Salt and pepper — to taste (seasoning)
- Butter, smetana, vinegar — for serving (serving)
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour — 300 g (dough)
- Egg — 1 (binder)
- Cold water — 120 ml (hydration)
- Salt — 1 tsp (dough)
- Ground beef — 200 g (filling)
- Ground pork — 200 g (filling (moistness))
- Onion — 1 large, grated (juiciness)
- Salt and pepper — to taste (seasoning)
- Butter — 40 g (serving)
- Smetana or thick cream — for serving (serving)
- White vinegar — a few drops (sour note at serving)
Method
- Mix flour, salt, egg, and cold water; knead into a smooth dough, cover, and let rest 30 minutes.
- Combine meats, grated onion, salt, pepper, and a little ice water for a soft filling.
- Roll out the dough very thinly, cut into discs, place a hazelnut of filling, fold into a half-moon, then join the two tips to form the "little ear."
- Poach pelmeni in batches in a large pot of salted boiling water; they are done 2-3 minutes after floating to the surface.
- Drain, drizzle with melted butter, serve with smetana and, for those who like, a few drops of vinegar.
How it was made : In cold regions, pelmeni were made by the hundreds and left to freeze outside: they were a living preserve, a reserve of protein for winter that only needed to be thrown into boiling water. The word may come from Finno-Permic languages: pelnian, "bread ear," hence their characteristic shape.
The contemporary twist : Arrange pelmeni in a circle in a shallow bowl, brown butter drizzled in the center, a dot of smetana and a sprig of dill — each dumpling like a small icon placed on a light background.
Andrei Tarkovsky · Charactorium
