The idea that dumplings is a traditional dish of Russian cuisine, has long been rooted, although dishes similar to dumplings exist in almost all cuisines of the world. Dumplings "came" to eastern Russian cuisine along the Siberian Highway in the nineteenth century, having arrived in the Urals at the beginning of the fifteenth century, presumably from China. There are varieties of dumplings in the national cuisines of Asia, the Middle East and the northwestern borders of Russia. They all differ in shape and size, but have a common cooking technology: chopped meat of various kinds, vegetables, fruits, cheeses are wrapped in fresh dough.
However, the filling can be completely different, even original in our traditional idea of dumplings. Recently, fish and seafood are often used for their preparation. It is difficult to understand why the peak of popularity of fish dumplings is connected, because the influence of regional cuisines of the world, in which the predominance of fish dishes is due to geographical location, has nothing to do with it.
In any case, the fish filling is a good option for dumplings, lighter than meat, but no less satisfying. If you take into account the presence of iodine, phosphorus, polyunsaturated fatty acids and other useful substances in the fish, then it makes sense to think about how to make a delicious filling of it for your favorite dumplings, with what and in what form to serve them.
Fish dumplings - basic technological principles
As for all types, the technology for preparing fish dumplings consists of the following steps:
- Dough preparation;
- Cooking toppings;
- Production of semi-finished products (modeling);
- Heat treatment (cooking, frying, stewing, baking in pots).
The dumpling dough should have a strong and at the same time plastic texture, so that the semi-finished products are easily molded, and the shell of the dough is not torn during cooking. For the preparation of the dough, the optimal ratio: 65% flour and 35% liquid, including eggs. After kneading, the dough should be covered and allowed to rest so that the gluten of the flour is sufficiently saturated with liquid and it acquires plasticity.
The egg-based dough dries very quickly, has a stiffer texture and less ductility than, for example, dumplings dough with milk or choux. There are special recipes for dumplings: with the addition of oil, a small amount of yeast, fillers (vegetable juice or puree, various spices). All these options can be prepared in your kitchen, not forgetting the correct proportion of dry and wet ingredients.
Consider the moisture content of the filling when choosing a recipe for dumplings. Wet filling is suitable for steeper dough mixed on eggs, and use soft and plastic dough with milk to fill with less juice. There are not many fillings, but the ratio of it and the test should be approximately the same, if you follow the technological rules.
The choice of fish for the filling depends entirely on personal preferences. The only requirement for minced fish is the complete absence of bones, cartilage and rough skin. That is, for fish dumplings, fish fillet is carefully prepared. Chicken meat with a neutral taste and aroma, mushrooms, vegetables, cheese can be added to fish.
The molding of semi-finished products is a very exciting activity, to which you can attract the whole family. Such work will be very pleasant for kids, and will be useful for the development of fine motor skills of hands. There are dozens of options for handmade sculpting. In addition to traditional dumplings in the shape of an ear, you can try the methods of "artistic" sculpting inherent in other national cuisines, or use special devices.
Dumplings are not only boiled and served with sauces, as an independent dish. They are added to soups, fried, baked in pots.
1. Broth with fish dumplings
Ingredients:
Eggs, canteen 3 pcs.
Flour 350 g
Salt
Salmon fillet 450 g
Rice, boiled 100 g
Fresh dill 90 g
Bay leaf 3 pcs.
Onions, 120 g
Carrot 150 g
Fish stock 1.8 l
Pepper
Nutmeg
Lemon ½ pcs.
Butter 80 g
Order of preparation:
Beat the eggs in a foam by adding a pinch of salt. In the sifted flour, add the eggs and knead the cool dough. Set aside for about forty minutes, covering with a napkin.
While the dough is ripening, prepare the filling for dumplings. Grind a small onion, half cooked dill, fillet. Combine the prepared ingredients, add boiled viscous rice and butter to them. Stir and beat the minced meat. Cover with foil and put the filling in the refrigerator for half an hour.
Roll the dough thinly, not more than 0.3 cm in thickness. Divide it in half. Put one half on the dumplings, evenly fill the indentations with the filling. The second layer, moistened with water on one side, lay on the filling, wet side down. Sprinkle the surface with flour and use a rolling pin to glue the top and bottom layers of dough. Dip the prepared dumplings in a boiling broth and cook until the dumplings float to the surface.
Put the washed and peeled carrots in the broth together with the prepared onion. Vegetables should give the broth flavor and transparency. At the end of cooking, add bay leaf, pepper, nutmeg. Salt to taste. Strain the broth and bring to a boil again. Cook the dumplings in it. Add the zest and lemon juice, chopped dill, a little butter at the end of cooking.
2. Fish dumplings with potatoes in pots
Ingredients:
Water 220 ml
4 eggs
Flour 650 g
Salt
Hake fillet, fried 550 g
Mashed potatoes 200 g
Onion 270 g
Pepper
Oil 200 g
Sour cream 180 g
Cheese, hard 70 g
Greens chopped 50 g
Cooking:
Grind boiled hot potatoes and fried fish fillet with a meat grinder. Pass the chopped onions. Add it to the filling of potatoes and fish, mix the minced meat, season with spices, add 80 g of softened butter.
Beat the eggs with water, salt the mixture and pour into the sifted flour. Knead the dough. Soak it and start modeling dumplings, as usual.
Boil the semi-finished products in salted water. Remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon and place them in pots. In each pot, put 20 g of oil and 30 g of sour cream. Grate the cheese and sprinkle on it the surface of each portion of fish dumplings. Put in the oven, preheated to 180 ° C, bake dumplings until golden brown.
3. Fish dumplings from custard dough
Ingredients:
Minced fish 1.0 kg
Salt
Green onion 200 g
White pepper
Egg 2 pcs.
Flour 700 g
Milk 180 ml
Cooking oil 50 g
Order of preparation:
Pour hot milk into half the prepared flour, whisking the mass with a whisk. Put the container on the fire, and with constant stirring, bring the dough to a thick, creamy mass. Cool slightly and beat one egg. Salt to taste. Stir the flour into the dough. The finished dough should be cool, but very plastic. Set the container with the dough aside, covering it with a towel or film.
Transfer the minced fish to a large container, add salt, chopped hands, pepper to it. Beat the second egg and mix well. It is advisable to beat off the prepared stuffing well and keep it in the cold for at least half an hour.
Start modeling dumplings in any convenient way, observing the ratio of dough and filling in a ratio of 1: 1.
Cook for five minutes in boiling salted water for no more than five minutes. Transfer them with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ghee. You can add pepper, lemon juice, spices, herbs to the oil.
4. Fish dumplings from colored dough and canned mackerel with eggs
Ingredients:
Spinach 180 g
Carrot 120 g
Beetroot juice 50 ml
Water 200 ml
Eggs, canteens 4 pcs.
Flour 1.3 kg
Salt
Mackerel in its own juice 960 g
Boiled eggs 7 pcs.
Lemon ½ pcs.
Onion
White pepper
Cooking:
Sift the flour and, dividing into 4 parts, place in prepared containers for kneading the dough.
Pour in a first bowl a beaten egg, salt, mashed fresh carrots;
in the second - an egg, 100 ml of warm (35-40 ° C) water, beetroot juice;
in the third - an egg, salt, the rest of the heated water;
In the last bowl, add chopped spinach, grated with salt, and an egg to the flour.
Knead each part of the dough separately until a uniform color is obtained.
Prepare the filling: put canned fish in a bowl with juice, add eggs, chopped onions, lemon juice. Grind the components of the filling with a blender.
Fashion dumplings, boil, as usual, in salted water. Serve with mayonnaise or other sauce.
5. Fish dumplings with mushrooms in the oven
List of ingredients:
Dumplings 600 g
Mushrooms royal 300 g
Salt
Flour 60 g
Egg 1 pc.
Onions - Leek180 g
Kernels, walnuts 50 g
Butter, ghee 120 g
Sour cream 25% 150 g
Fresh chopped greens 100 g
Ground allspice and white pepper
Order of preparation:
Cut the peeled champignons into slices, onions into half rings. Boil dumplings, and drain the water. Grease a baking dish with oil. Put the dumplings in it. Sprinkle with onions and mushrooms. Bake for 10 minutes at medium temperature. Beat the egg with salt, add flour, sour cream, pepper, chopped nuts. Cooked sauce, pour fish dumplings with mushrooms and brown the dish. Garnish the dish with herbs.
6. Fried fish dumplings
Products:
Water (35 ° C) 250 ml
Flour 600 g (including 100 g per heat)
Salt
Minced meat 700 g
Green and onion 200 g
Rosemary
Egg 1 ½ pcs.
Garlic 30 g
Tomato sauce, sweet and sour 160 g
Hot pepper
Coriander
Margarine 120 g
Order of preparation:
Dissolve the salt in hot water and pour the solution into the flour. Make a cool dough, divide into parts of 25 g (dumplings should be large). Form thin circles. For each, put a tablespoon (no slide) of minced meat. Cover the edges of the semi-finished products. Use curly sculpting options if desired. Add chopped garlic, hot pepper, coriander, salt and rosemary to the prepared minced fish.
In a deep frying pan or other heat-resistant dishes, put margarine, add water and simmer dumplings until the dough is ready, covered with a lid. During this time, the water will evaporate, and only fat will remain in the dishes. Remove the lid, fry the dumplings. When serving, garnish with sauce and fresh herbs.
Fish dumplings - useful tips
When sculpting, the dough dries quickly, so it must be covered, protecting from airing.
Do not re-freeze raw fish semi-finished products: this significantly reduces the quality and nutritional value of the product. If for some reason you need to postpone the preparation of a fish dish, and the minced meat is already thawed, then it is better to let it out or stew it so as not to freeze. After heat treatment, the stuffing can be transferred to a container, tightly closed and put in the refrigerator.
Dumplings prepared for future use significantly save the time of housewives, they always help out if you need to cook a quick dinner. Store semi-finished products with quick dry freezing (-18 ° C) in airtight packaging for no more than 30 days. Of course, frozen dumplings can lie in the freezer for even a year, but remember that semi-finished dough with filling is a perishable product, especially if they include meat or fish. Do not re-freeze dumplings.
