Pelmeni are popular Russian dish.
Pelmeni have spread throughout the whole country from Siberia, which is why they are often called Siberian pelmeni. Siberia is not only an enormous territory, with wonderful towns, rivers and lakes, but is also the home of many original dishes, which have become part of Russian cooking.
Pelmeni originated in Siberia long ago. To the Komi, a people living in the area of the Urals, the word petnyan means 'an ear made of dough', and pelmeni really are this shape. They are made from pastry and meat. People in Siberia usually make them in huge quantities, by the thousand, and then freeze them.
How to make pelmeni:
1.)Making pelmeni begins with the preparation of the pastry. Sift 30O-400 grammes of flour into a mound, make a well in the centre and add a teaspoonful of salt, one or two eggs, half a glass of warm water and knead the dough.
2.)Cover it with a tea towel and leave to stand for 30-40 minutes.
3.)Meanwhile, make the meat filling.Take 200 grammes of beef and 200 grammes of pork and put through the mincer twice, together with two onions.
4.)Add first salt and ground black pepper to taste and then some cold boiled water. The mixture should be not quite too thick. When the filling is ready, return to the pastry.
5.)Roll it out thinly, cut out circles and put a small ball of filling onto each.
6.)The edges have to be joined and pinched together, which is not as easy as it sounds. No one cook's pelmeni are the same: some make large ones, others small ones, some pelmeni are very intricately, and others more simply joined.
7.)Put the pelmeni in the fridge so that they become firm.
To serve, cook the pelmeni in boiling salted water for about 10 minutes, until they rise to the surface. They are served with sour cream, melted butter, vinegar, pepper and mustard.