Lumps of minced meat frozen almost into a stone in the dough fit perfectly into the life of the inhabitants of Siberia. In the taiga, local residents mined a lot of meat, and the climate allowed to store semi-finished products for months. Far from home, hunters drowned snow in pots, boiled water and cooked dumplings that were always with them. Of course, the initial Siberian dumplings recipe included the meat of wild animals - bear, elk, roe deer, hare. Today, such dish options can only be found in restaurants, and for home cooking, beef, pork, lamb and poultry are used.
3 secrets of delicious Siberian dumplings
- The use of several types of meat. The filling becomes softer and juicier if different types of meat are mixed in it. The basis, of course, is beef. If pork or lamb is added to it, then the proportion of minced meat is approximately 60:40. If the minced meat will consist of three types of meat, then the optimal combination is: 45% beef, 35% pork and 20% mutton.
- Cold. Both the dough and minced meat should be chilled. This facilitates sculpting and improves the taste of the dish.
- Water balance. It must be observed both when cooking minced meat, and when cooking. Water is added to the meat for juiciness, but if there is too much of it, when frozen, the ice will “burst” the dumpling inside, and the dough will crack. When cooking - on the contrary, the more water, the better.
Cooking dumplings “from scratch”: dough, minced meat and modeling with photos
How to cook dumplings correctly and tasty with your own hands. You can only take into account all the nuances by constantly practicing, so we will give a step-by-step recipe for Siberian dumplings.
You will need:
- beef - 400 g;
- lamb - 300 g;
- pork - 200 g;
- onions - 3 pieces;
- wheat flour - 1 kg;
- eggs - 3 pieces;
- water - 400 ml.
Cooking
- Place a container of water in the freezer. While you are following the steps in the recipe, it should be very cool, but not freeze.
- Sift the flour onto a table or into a large cup to make a slide.
- Beat the eggs in a separate bowl and gently stir with a fork.
- Make a small hole in the flour and pour the eggs into it.
- Start kneading the dough, hands collecting flour from the edges to the center.
- Add chilled water a little. Gradually, the flour will absorb water into itself, and the dough will become more malleable and uniform.
- Put the dough on a table sprinkled with flour and continue to knead it until springy.
- Wrap the dough in a plastic bag or cling film and let it “rest” at room temperature for 15-20 minutes.
- Scroll through the meat grinder all three types of meat and onions.
- Stuff the minced meat well in a bowl, salt, add some water and refrigerate for 5-10 minutes.
- Sprinkle flour on the table. Prepare boards or plates - they also need to be generously sprinkled with flour so that the dumplings do not stick.
- Separate a small piece from the dough. Roll it into a sausage with a diameter of about 2 cm.
- Cut the sausage into pieces 1.5-2 cm long.
- Roll each piece with a rolling pin. Put the minced meat in the center of the circle so that a lot of dough is left to pinch the edges.
- Bend the dough pieces in half and pinch all the edges to make a semicircle. Connect the lower corners with each other - you get a beautiful round dumpling.
In some sources you can find the opinion that the appearance of the dish is directly related to the name - for example, that round dumplings are considered Ural, and Siberian ones - those that have a fashioned scallop or a “pigtail” on top.In fact, these are just habits that each family has its own. The recipe for homemade Siberian dumplings allows any kind of modeling. You can use a special machine that folds a piece of dough and meat in half and forms a patterned “seam” at the place of the pinch. In many families, it is customary to leave dumplings semicircular, like dumplings. And so that your blanks are smooth as a selection, you can roll out the dough into a single layer and cut the circles into a glass.
Secrets of proper cooking. Cooking classic dumplings step by step
Siberian dumplings need to be boiled in a large amount of water so that they float freely and do not stick together. Water is usually taken at the rate of 4-5 liters per kilogram of frozen product. At the same time, preparations are not cooked all at once, but in batches of 20-30 pieces. For cooking, a special slotted spoon or a strainer with a long handle is very useful.
You will need:
- dumplings - 1 kg;
- water - 5 l;
- salt - 25 g;
- peas, bay leaf - to taste.
Cooking:
- Boil water in a large saucepan.
- Add salt and spices.
- Throw dumplings into boiling water and immediately mix with a slotted spoon so that they do not stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Wait until the water boils again and the dumplings float.
- Hold them for 3-4 minutes in boiling water, let them slightly “pout”.
- Take out the finished dish with a slotted spoon, put on plates.
Serving to the table
For a family dinner, dumplings can simply be laid out on plates. For receiving guests, the option with a large dish in the center of the table is appropriate. "Real" dumplings go well with many sauces. You can serve sour cream, mayonnaise, mustard, adjika, ketchup, ghee, water with vinegar, and even soy sauce.
The recipe for making Siberian dumplings is simple, but it requires accuracy and accuracy, then the result will be at its best. Connect family and friends to the preparation of this wonderful dish: the most interesting stories are told during modeling. Such moments are remembered for a lifetime!