Пельмени — Siberian Meat Dumplings

Пельмени are small meat-filled dumplings, a dish born in Siberia where cooks would make enormous batches
and freeze them outdoors for the winter. Boiled and served with butter and sour cream, they are one of
the most beloved Russian dishes — humble, filling, and entirely satisfying.

FASTING LEVEL: Non-Fasting (meat filling, egg in dough, butter and sour cream to finish)

SERVINGS: 6 (makes about 60 pelmeni)
TIME: 2 hours

INGREDIENTS:
For the dough:
- 400 g all-purpose flour
- 1 whole egg
- 200 ml warm water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

For the filling:
- 300 g ground beef
- 300 g ground pork (or substitute ground veal)
- 1 medium onion, very finely grated
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 60 ml ice water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 0.5 teaspoon ground allspice

For serving:
- 50 g butter
- 150 g sour cream
- Fresh dill, chopped
- Black pepper, freshly ground

METHOD:
1. Make dough: mound flour on a work surface, make a well, add egg, salt, oil, and warm water. Mix inward until a shaggy dough forms. Knead 10 minutes until smooth. Wrap in plastic and rest 30 minutes.
2. Make filling: combine beef, pork, grated onion, garlic, ice water, and seasonings. Mix with your hands until the mixture becomes slightly tacky (the water makes pelmeni juicy). Refrigerate while you roll dough.
3. Divide dough into 4 pieces. Working one at a time, roll paper-thin on a floured surface. Cut rounds with a 6-7 cm cookie cutter or glass.
4. Place half a teaspoon of filling in the centre of each round. Fold into a half-moon, pressing edges firmly to seal, then bring the two points of the half-moon together and pinch firmly to form a small ring — the classic pelmeni shape.
5. Place finished pelmeni on a floured tray in a single layer. (Freeze any extras now on the tray, then transfer to bags for storage up to 3 months.)
6. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Cook pelmeni in batches: they are done when they float and have cooked 2 minutes beyond that, about 5-6 minutes total. Fresh-from-frozen: 7-8 minutes.
7. Drain and toss immediately with butter. Serve with sour cream, dill, and freshly ground pepper.

NOTES:
- A 50/50 beef-pork blend is the Siberian standard. Beef alone makes them dry; pork alone makes them too rich.
- Ice water in the filling is critical. It turns to steam during cooking and makes the filling moist.
- Some cooks add a spoonful of cold butter or chopped fat to the filling — perfectly acceptable.
- Pelmeni freeze beautifully. A cloth bag of frozen pelmeni in the freezer is the Russian equivalent of dry pasta in the pantry.

NUTRITION (per serving, approximate):
Calories: 520 | Protein: 28 g | Carbohydrates: 52 g | Fat: 22 g | Fibre: 2 g