Pork and Chicken Pelmeni (Dumplings)

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make pork and chicken pelmeni? Gather the ingredients you'll need. Use boneless pork and chicken fillet from any part. The meat is best chilled, as the filling will come out juicier; if it's frozen, thaw it ahead of time by moving it from the freezer to the bottom shelf of the fridge. Wash and pat the meat dry well, then cut it into pieces.

2. Step 2:

   

   Make the filling. How do you make the ground meat? First, run the chicken fillet through a meat grinder fitted with a fine plate. I used the breast, though you can use any part as long as it's boneless and free of cartilage. I also remove the skin, since it's fatty, but you can leave it on if you like.

3. Step 3:

   

   Then grind the pork. It's best to use pork that isn't too fatty and preferably free of sinew, so you don't damage the grinder.

4. Step 4:

   

   Grind the onion after the pork and add it to the pork-and-chicken mixture. You can use more onion if you like, but this is the best ratio for me. And instead of regular yellow onion, you can use red or white onion.

5. Step 5:

   

   Pour 50 milliliters of water into the bowl with the ground meat, and add salt and pepper. Then mix it well. If the mixture feels very dense, add a little more water, or the filling won't be juicy in the finished pelmeni. Put the bowl of filling in the fridge for 30 minutes.

6. Step 6:

   

   Meanwhile, make the dough. How do you make the dough? Pour water into a bowl — lukewarm is best — and add the egg and salt. Stir until smooth and the salt dissolves.

7. Step 7:

   

   Sift about two-thirds of the flour into the bowl with the egg mixture, pour in the vegetable oil, and stir.

8. Step 8:

   

   Adding the rest of the flour, knead the dough. It will be a little stiff, but that's normal. Wrap the dough in plastic and let it rest on the counter for 25 minutes. During this time the dough will "rest" and become soft and elastic.

9. Step 9:

   

   Dust your work surface with flour. Cut off a piece of dough and roll it into a ball. Roll it out into a thin sheet and cut out circles. You can do this with any round cutter; for lack of one, I used an ordinary shot glass. The larger the diameter of the circle, the bigger the finished pelmeni.

10. Step 10:

    

    Place some filling on each circle of dough.

11. Step 11:

    

    Bring the opposite edges of the dough circle together and pinch them firmly to seal.

12. Step 12:

    

    Now take the two ends of each dumpling and join them into a ring. Press them firmly together.

13. Step 13:

    

    Sometimes, to make pelmeni faster, I use a special pelmeni mold. You can freeze the finished pelmeni, laying them out in a single layer in bags.

14. Step 14:

    

    How do you cook pelmeni? Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Drop the pelmeni into the boiling water and stir so they don't stick to the bottom. You can add a bay leaf. Once they float to the surface, cook the pelmeni for about ten minutes.

15. Step 15:

    

    Serve the pelmeni with or without the broth they were cooked in. Enjoy!