Did you know that the kitchen is the perfect place forcreativity? Do you know that all successful cooks are adventurers? Have you ever thought about the truly limitless possibilities of culinary art? By the way, this is relevant not only for professionals, but also for home cooks and pastry chefs. After all, almost any dish can be cooked in a way that no one else has done before! Take pelmeni, for example. It would seem that there is a standard set of products and a standard cooking procedure... But no! Pelmeni can be cooked in different ways. The dough for them, the minced meat, and even the cooking method itself can be varied. We are used to the fact that the minced meat for pelmeni is a filling of two or three types of meat plus onions and spices. But even in such a combination, the minced meat can be completely different. By the way, the filling for homemade pelmeni does not necessarily have to be meat. What else can you make pelmeni with, you ask? That's exactly what we suggest you find out. And at the same time, learn different recipes for minced meat for pelmeni and, of course, try to cook it. Shall we begin?
Minced meat for classic Russian dumplings
Let's start with traditional minced meat.By the way, our predecessors used little tricks to make delicious pelmeni. For example, in Siberia, a piece of ice was placed inside the minced meat for each pelmeni. Firstly, such pelmeni were quickly frozen (and this was necessary for their storage). And secondly, the boiled pelmeni turned out surprisingly juicy and aromatic. So, the recipe for minced meat for traditional pelmeni. Ingredients:
- Pork - about 400 grams;
- Beef - about 300 grams;
- Onions - 1-2 heads;
- Egg - 1 piece;
- Black ground pepper - half a teaspoon;
- Salt - at its discretion.
Preparation:Be sure to wash the meat and cut off all the films. But you can leave the fat. By the way, if your meat is very lean, you can even add a little lard to the mince. Moreover, the lard can be either fresh or salted or smoked - the taste of the dumplings will not suffer from this. Now cut the meat into small pieces and grind it twice in a meat grinder. By the way, it is better to put slightly frozen meat through a meat grinder - it will grind much easier than fresh or completely defrosted meat. Peel the onions and also grind them in a meat grinder. But do this once. Then break one raw egg into the mince, put in black pepper, add salt and mix everything well. And now attention! Pour about half a glass (or a little less) of ice water into the mince and mix everything again. Now our mince is ready to become a filling for dumplings.
Minced meat and lentils
Lentils have been present in Russian cuisine sincetime immemorial. This product is very filling, tasty and healthy. Our ancestors cooked lentil porridge, baked lentil bread and even put lentils in the filling for pies and dumplings. So minced meat with lentils is not an innovative recipe, but a tribute to Russian culinary traditions. But we will modernize this recipe a little. Ingredients:
- Green lentils - a pound;
- Pork - 200 grams;
- Vegetable oil - one and a half tablespoons;
- Onion - 1 head;
- Red ground pepper - half a teaspoon;
- Ginger - half a teaspoon;
- Salt - at its discretion.
Preparation:Wash the pork and cut it into very small pieces (the size of a fingernail on your little finger). Wash the lentils and boil them until almost completely done. Place them in a colander or sieve – let them cool and release excess moisture. Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the onion and put it in a frying pan with vegetable oil and fry. When the onion is slightly browned, put the lentils in the frying pan and continue frying for three to four minutes. At the end of frying, add the chopped pork, pepper, ginger and salt. Cool the finished mince, mash with a fork and mix.
Minced mutton with potatoes and onions
Another interesting recipe for minced meat for dumplings. Ingredients:
- Lamb (fat) - 600 grams;
- Potatoes - 100 grams;
- Onion - 200 grams;
- Butter - 50 grams;
- Black ground pepper - a teaspoon;
- Ground ginger - a teaspoon;
- Salt - at its discretion.
Preparation:For the mince, take fatty lamb - then the filling will be juicy. If the meat is lean, you can add a little pork fat to the mince. So, wash the meat and clean it from films, and then mince it. Peel the onions, potatoes and also grind them in a meat grinder. Now combine the meat with potatoes and onions, put soft butter, ginger, salt and black pepper into the mince. Mix everything well and put the mince in the refrigerator for about fifteen minutes.
Minced meat for vegetarian dumplings
If for some reason you don't eat meat, you can make pelmeni without it! Here's a recipe for minced meat for vegetarian pelmeni. Ingredients:
- Curd (not sour) - 250 grams;
- Hard cheese - 100 grams;
- Processed cheese - 100 grams;
- Egg - 1 piece;
- Olive oil - a tablespoon;
- Black pepper - a teaspoon;
- Salt - at its discretion.
Preparation:This delicious mince is prepared very quickly and easily. First, grate both cheeses. By the way, the harder the cheese, the tastier the mince will be. Parmesan cheese is ideal for this filling. But the processed cheese should be thoroughly cooled or even frozen beforehand - this makes it easier to grate. So, put the grated cheese in a bowl, add cottage cheese, raw egg, olive oil and spices. Mix and make dumplings.
Mushroom stuffing for dumplings
We are somehow used to the fact that mushroom mince is used to make dumplings. However, you can also make pelmeni with it. And here is a recipe for making such mince. Ingredients:
- Fresh mushrooms - 400 grams;
- Onion - 2 heads;
- Vegetable oil - 2 tablespoons;
- Cheese - 100 grams;
- Garlic - 1-2 slices;
- Black pepper - half teaspoon;
- Salt - at its discretion.
Preparation:Mushrooms (for example, saffron milk caps) are cleaned, washed, dried and finely chopped. Finely chop the onion and put it all in a frying pan with vegetable oil. Lightly fry the mushrooms with the onion, and then cool them. Meanwhile, grate the cheese (any hard one), and pass the garlic through a press. Combine the cooled frying with the garlic and grated cheese, add black pepper, salt and mix everything well. The mushroom mince for homemade dumplings is ready!
Mushroom stuffing with peas
We've already made minced meat with lentils, and nowlet's try to make minced meat with peas. And if in the first case we combined beans and meat, then this recipe is notable for the combination of peas with mushrooms. Ingredients:
- Peas dry - 100 grams;
- Fresh champignons - 300 grams;
- Meadow - 1-2 heads;
- Carnation ground - pinch;
- Black pepper - half teaspoon;
- Salt is at your discretion.
Preparation:We wash and soak the dry peas, and when they swell, we throw them in a colander so that all the excess water drains. Now we take a baking sheet, grease it with vegetable oil and put the peas on it. We distribute the peas in an even layer and bake in the oven for about twenty minutes. After that, we put the still hot peas in a bowl and mash them into a puree. However, you can also make puree from boiled peas, just try not to make it runny. Next, we need to wash and very finely chop the champignons and chop the onions, and then fry them together with the mushrooms in vegetable oil. After that, we combine the frying with the pea puree, add salt, cloves and pepper and mix everything well. Cool the mince and use as a filling for dumplings.
Chicken minced meat for dumplings
Why don't we make dumplings with minced chicken? They will be no less delicious than with a traditional filling. And the recipe for making such minced meat is very simple. Ingredients:
- Chicken fillet - a pound;
- Onion - 1 head;
- Butter - a tablespoon;
- Milk is half a glass;
- Salts and spices are at your discretion.
Preparation:Grind the chicken meat twice in a meat grinder. By the way, you can also use ready-made minced chicken for this filling, but only if you are sure of its quality. Peel and finely chop the onion, then fry it in butter and let the frying cool. Then combine the minced chicken fillet with the onion frying, pour in milk, add spices and knead the mince. That's it - you can make dumplings.
Chicken minced meat with mushrooms
Another recipe for making minced chicken for homemade dumplings. Ingredients:
- Fresh mushrooms - 300 grams;
- Chicken fillet - 300 grams;
- Onion - 2 heads;
- Vegetable oil;
- Salt and spices are at your discretion.
Preparation:Cut the chicken into very small pieces. As usual, clean the mushrooms if necessary, then wash them, and then blanch them. Cool the finished mushrooms, let them dry and chop them as finely as possible. Peel the onions, chop finely and fry in vegetable oil. Put the chopped mushrooms and chicken into the onion frying, simmer everything together for about two minutes. Then add the spices, salt and continue to simmer until the chicken is ready. Transfer the still hot frying into a blender and chop, or simply mash into a puree with a masher. Cool the mince and start making dumplings. Of course, every housewife has her own signature recipe for making delicious mince for dumplings. But, as we found out, there is always and everywhere a place for creativity! Why don't we change traditions and try some new recipe? Or even better – come up with a completely new one? Besides, any well-known recipe for any dish can always be modernized and adapted to your tastes or modern realities. And the recipe for dumplings or filling for them is no exception. So don’t be afraid to experiment and cook with pleasure. Bon appetit and success in the culinary field!
