Dumplings - a unique dish. Firstly, properly prepared dumplings are perfectly balanced foods for carbohydrates (dough), proteins and fats (minced meat). Secondly, it is just very tasty and easy to prepare food.
Since what is sold in stores is either tasteless and of poor quality, or very expensive, hand-made dumplings would be the best solution. Homemade dishes are always better than purchased, but in the case of dumplings, this difference is especially pronounced.
Cooking dough
Before sculpting dumplings, you need to prepare the initial products. The recipe for a classic dumpling dough is extremely simple:
- flour - it is better to take the highest grade so that the dough is more sticky and uniform;
- water - you need to use warm (about 40 0 C);
- salt.
It is important to maintain the optimal consistency of the test - too steep will tear and stick poorly, and too liquid - stick to everything.
Sometimes the dough is made with the addition of chicken eggs or ghee for extra tenderness.
Minced meat preparation
The content of dumplings is a rich expanse for the imagination of the cook. The filling can be minced meat of various compositions, as well as mushrooms, fish and much more.
Classic minced meat for dumplings consists of three types of meat: beef, pork and chicken in approximately equal proportions. The meat is mixed with finely chopped onions and garlic, seasoned with salt and pepper.
Ideally, the stuffing is done manually - the meat is simply chopped very finely with a knife. If you use a meat grinder, then it is better to take a large mesh. Before molding, the mince should be slightly frozen to make it more crumbly.
Using the appliance
The most technologically advanced way to quickly mold dumplings manually is to use a special machine, manual or electric. However, it is worth acquiring such a device if you intend to cook often and in large quantities, since even the mechanical version will cost 2-3 thousand rubles. An electric device can cost from 10 to 20 thousand. In addition, it is rather bulky, which should be taken into account in a small kitchen.
The device works as follows: the prepared dough sheet is bent in half and inserted between the rollers, the form is placed on top into which the stuffing is placed. Then the rollers are set in motion (manually or by electricity), inside the machine, the dough is filled with minced meat and the formation is divided into pieces.
The output is a kind of perforated "cloth", which is easy to divide into separate dumplings. You can leave them as they are or connect the corners, giving a more beautiful shape.
Using dumplings
This device is familiar to many - a metal grill divided into hexagonal cells (usually 37 pieces) with sharp edges protruding upward. Its cost does not exceed 200-300 rubles, and due to its flat shape it will not take up much space during storage.
They use dumplings as follows: roll out two identical layers of dough with a thickness of about 2 mm. The first layer is placed on a wire rack, a dough ball is placed on top of each cell with a spoon. After that, the dumplings are covered with a second sheet of dough and with a force held on it with a rolling pin. Formations under pressure are first connected, and then chopped along the protruding sharp edges. At the same time, minced meat is pressed into the cells, forming smooth rounded shapes.
Then the dumplings are turned upside down and the dumplings formed are gently pushed out, which, as a rule, get stuck in the cells. This method of modeling dumplings is quite simple and productive, but requires some skill:
- it is important not to overdo it with minced meat, otherwise the dumplings can get stuck “tight”, expanding from the back of the dumplings and pushing them back without damaging, it will not work;
- the thickness of the dough seams is of great importance: a too thin seam can break when the dumplings are "pressed" down, and too thick will require great effort when pressing with a rolling pin.
- the dough should be sticky enough, otherwise the edges may not fit together and the dumplings will fall apart. You will have to double-check the result and fix the flaws manually.
With the successful application of this method of modeling dumplings in one go, you can get a whole pack of product.
Using a single mold
This device for manual modeling of dumplings in shape and principle of operation resembles a hunting trap - a round mold with handles, folding in half. A piece of dough is placed on it, minced meat is added on top, then the mold is folded and squeezed by the handles, forming a dumpling, usually with decorative edges.
This method is a kind of "individual approach" to how to sculpt dumplings. It is painstaking and time-consuming, to produce with it a large volume of the product will not work.
With a glass, a glass
How to quickly make dumplings manually without any additional costs? To do this, you just need a glass, mug or glass, preferably with thin edges. The diameter of the dishes is selected based on the desired size of future dumplings.
On a table or board, a dough sheet of arbitrary size is rolled. Then, by pressing the edges of the selected dishes, circles are cut out of it, filled with dough, and the edges are connected manually. The remainder of the dough is collected and rolled into a new layer.
The method is quite time-consuming if you work alone. But if there is at least one assistant, and preferably two, then you can sculpt dumplings as on a conveyor belt. Most often, the whole family is involved in the work, since even children can find a job - they will be interested in “cutting out” circles from the dough.
This technology is good in that it eliminates the possibility of "marriage", that is, poor connection of the edges of the dough, as everything is done by hand.
Another way - on the edge of a rectangular layer of dough, minced meat is laid out at certain intervals. Then the edge of the dough is wrapped, and the dumplings are cut with a glass in the shape of a semicircle. This method is faster than the first, but there is a risk of poor connection of the edges of the dough.
Freezing Tips
It is important not only to know how to properly make dumplings, but also how to freeze them properly. The main thing is to ensure that they do not stick together. In no case should you put them in a bag - you get a homogeneous mass at the exit.
Dumplings should be placed on a board or baking sheet, previously sprinkled with flour. Ideally, they should not touch each other at all. If there is not enough space in the freezer, you can lay dumplings on top of each other, but then the layers need to be separated. You can use baking parchment, additionally grated with flour. After freezing, the product can be packaged.
Interesting Facts
The word "dumpling" means "bread ear" and comes from the language of Udmurtia. In the capital of the republic - Izhevsk - even this dish is installed. But almost all peoples of the world have analogues of dumplings; their history can be traced back to Ancient Greece.
This dish is so widespread around the world that it has become part of folklore. In China, a person in order to fulfill a desire must eat a certain amount of dumplings. In Siberia, there is such a custom: having finished making dumplings, as a rule, the hostess lays a special filling in the last of them. it can be greens, sugar, just dough or something else. Each filler means something for the eater who has come across such a dumpling.
It is interesting to note that the coin caught in the filling symbolizes wealth that is very useful to the person who has bitten such a dumpling. Dental services, alas, only grow in price.