Dumplings (aka Varenyky) – Classic Ukrainian Dish
The lavish Ukrainian cuisine can not be ever appreciated without dumplings. This culinary masterpiece was adopted by Ukrainians due to the Turks: from the very beginning the eastern dish ‘diushvara’ has become ‘varAnyky’ and then ‘varEnyky’. The modern arsenal of Ukrainian females being in charge of housekeeping consists of thousands of the cooking recipes – cherry dumplings, strawberry dumplings, dumplings with hylile berries, sweet cherries, apples and curds. Also there is not sweet stuffing like cabbage, potatoes, mushrooms and just the fat. However, as the most devoted adherents of the Ukrainian dishes say, the real dumplings must be always sweet. The latter just pay tribute to all sweets lovers, thus enabling the experiments with various fruit and berry stuffing.
Milk based dumplings with cherries
Ingredients:
Pastry — Egg whites (3 pcs), ? glass of water, ? glass of milk, ? teaspoon of salt, 5-6 tablespoons of flour.
Stuffing — cherries or sweet cherries (800 g), ? glass of sugar, 2-3 tablespoons of semolina.
Cooking:
- Separate the egg whites from yolks. Then, mix thoroughly the egg whites with water, milk and salt. While mixing, add the flour to the mass. As a result, you shall get stiff pastry; therefore proceed with thereof kneading until you feel that it is rather tough. But do not go too far. Upon the pastry is ready, place it into the pan and close it with cover or napkin. Then, leave it for 30-40 minutes in order to make the pastry more elastic.
- The nest step is the preparation of the stuffing. In case if you are going to use fresh berries, wash it and remove the stones; if the chilled berries are used, it shall be enough to defrost it in advance; pour the berries with sugar and semolina, then leave for further 3-40 minutes. Drain formed juice and stuff the dumplings with berries. Experienced householders know that should the semolina be added to the berries, it shall prevent the juice leaking in the time of boiling. As a rule, if the semolina is not added, the juice shall leak out of the dumplings, while the pastry shall become unstuck.
- Making of dumplings: cut the piece from prepared pastry, expand it with the help of rolling pin and having used the glass or plate with appropriate diameter extrude the circles.
- Put the stuffing (approximately teaspoon) on the middle of the cut circle and then, by pinching pastry edges together, connect the circle edges. In similar way make all the rest dumplings.
- The dumplings are recommended to be boiled in boiling salted water (part of tablespoon of salt for 4 liters of water). Upon they come to the surface of water, taste if they are ready (only make sure that the pastry is thoroughly boiled), then take it out with the help of skimmer (or spoon) with following serving. In order to prevent the sticking of the dumplings put over them a piece of butter. Serve it according classical rules – with sour cream.
Kefir based dumplings with strawberries
The dumplings made on the basis of kefir are easily cooked even by beginners. They have delicate and soft pastry that does not become unstuck in the time of boiling. In comparison with traditional ones, kefir based dumplings are to have a larger size (half of hand), however if you prefer the small ones, you could make it without any hesitation.
Ingredients:
Pastry — ? liter of kefir or thick sour milk, 1 kg of flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 1 egg.
Stuffing — Fresh or chilled strawberries.
Cooking:
- Dissolve the salt and soda in kefir or thick sour milk. Then add the egg and thoroughly mix the mass.
- Gradually adding the flour, knead the stiff (not too much) pastry. Put the mass on the table (do not forget to powder it with flour in advance). Please, remember that the pastry shall be kneaded slightly. After that, you can start the cooking. In such case you should powder the rolled pastry with flour. Otherwise, put the vessel with pastry into refrigerator for 15-20 minutes; after said period of time, the pastry shall not stick to your hands.
- Making of dumplings: cut the piece from prepared pastry and make the roll that shall be sliced in mid sized pieces (pastry thickness shall be 1.5cm, diameter 5 cm).
- Each piece shall be rolled until it has the form of pancake (should it be required, re-powder the pastry with the flour). Cut the strawberries to be used for stuffing into several pieces, powder with the sugar and add a pinch of starch, thus preventing the leakage of the juice. Folder the edges and alternately pushing by first and index fingers make the braids along the dumpling edge (if such form of the dumpling seems to be rather complicated for you, do it as you can).
- Boil the dumplings in boiling water, preferably in the pan having wider diameter. Upon they come to the surface of water, proceed with boiling for further 2-3 minutes.
- The dumplings shall be served with sour cream; however there are still solutions available for the sweets lovers – with condensed milk or sour cream mixed with berry syrup.
See also
