It happens that after a hard working day there is no energy left for cooking or other household chores. I would like to do something in a quick way, while also making it tasty. The most popular simple dish among Russian housewives is dumplings. Everyone can cook it, and the process takes little time. Over time, many variations of even this dish appeared: boiled, fried, baked, with and without sauce. Below will be described a recipe for dumplings in the oven with mayonnaise and cheese, cooking features and other cooking tips.
Origin history
When it comes to which country is the birthplace of a particular dish, everyone immediately falls into a stupor. Russians are often mistaken about what is their own craft and what they borrowed from other nations.
Dumplings came to Russia from China. There they have a special place on the festive table. On New Year's Eve, all the Chinese family sit down to make dumplings, and then eat them. It is believed that in this way they cement the relationship.
At first, the dish from China fell into the peoples of the Mongol Empire, and they, in turn, shared it with the Russians. Since then, dumplings have become an integral part of folk cuisine. Without them, it is currently difficult to imagine the life of the Russian population.
Varieties of dumplings
Despite the simplicity of the dish, it has many variations. The composition remains unchanged, but the form changes.
Classic Russian dumplings look like a small ear. A piece of minced meat is wrapped in the dough and held together. In the assortment of supermarkets you can see both large "ears" and small ones.
Sometimes very strange dumplings come across: round, with thin pastry and lots of meat. They also taste slightly different from the standard product. They are called khinkali. This option is more like Chinese. The shape is fully consistent, but the filling is modified.
Even dumplings can be divided into home and purchased, but here it already depends on the desire of people. Self-made is always better than the store, but it takes much more time.
How to choose dumplings
Typically, many buyers choose dumplings based on price. The composition is still the same, but you do not have to overpay. However, there is a difference.
To make the product more profitable for themselves, manufacturers add substitutes, proteins, animal and vegetable additives, and sometimes waste: skins, veins, ears, etc. to the stuffing. In the form of stuffing, it all looks the same, but the demand for the product was high, find out the buyer what it actually consists of.
You can protect yourself only by carefully reading the composition and other inscriptions on the package. A “meat product” will be safer than a “meat product”. Plus, the choice of the manufacturer is very important: larger companies will be more reliable than an unfamiliar one.
Basic Recipe: Ingredients
Now that we have decided how to choose the basis, we proceed to the description of the recipe. How to bake dumplings in the oven?
For the dish we need:
- Dumplings - the amount will depend on the portions. If you have a large family, you may have to use a full pack, and for 2-3 people, half will be enough.
- Mayonnaise - it is better to give preference to olive. It is more tender and aromatic. It is very important to pay attention to fat content - it should be higher or equal to 80%, then the probability that the product is of high quality will be higher.
- Cheese - any, but ideal, semi-hard will do. It melts perfectly, so it is used much more often than others. Brand: Russian, Edam, Dutch, etc.
- Butter - for spreading the mold.
Cooking
- The first thing you need to do to cook dumplings in the oven with mayonnaise and cheese is to boil the main ingredient. It is highly discouraged to bake raw dumplings immediately, otherwise they may remain half raw.
- Next, take the form, grease it with oil. It is important to grease both the walls and the bottom so that the food does not stick to them.
- Now put the dumplings in the container. Distribute evenly, you can add a little broth to the bottom, or use it a little later.
- We start refueling. How much to add mayonnaise - the decision is purely personal. We spread it in a separate container, three on top of the cheese at our discretion. Mix until a homogeneous mass is formed. You can add a little broth from dumplings, then the mixture will become more liquid and it will be easier to use.
- Pour the dumplings in the whole form and send to bake. Cooking time - about 40 minutes, temperature - 180 degrees. The dish will be ready when a delicious crust appears.
With fried onions and sour cream
You can diversify the simple recipe for dumplings in the oven with mayonnaise and cheese and add sour cream and onions.
The first ingredient must be mixed in equal proportions with the sauce from the main recipe. What is the beauty of sour cream - it makes a rich mayonnaise more tender, but at the same time leaves all the taste. In such a marinade, dumplings will acquire a light creamy taste.
Fry the onion until golden brown. Adjust the quantity as you wish. The resulting product must be sent to the sauce and mix well.
Then everything is the same as in the first recipe for dumplings in the oven with mayonnaise and cheese: pour boiled "ears" with a mixture and send to bake. Real jam!
With mushrooms, eggs and onions
But what if you experiment and add additional ingredients to the dumplings?
We take the very first recipe as a basis and add champignons, chicken eggs and onions to it. The quantity is independently regulated, however, we advise you not to get involved in the second product: 3 pieces will be enough for 1 kg of dumplings.
We do the same until the sauce is cooked. It will be cooked a little differently: first beat the eggs, then mayonnaise and seasonings are added there (optional).
You will need to peel and chop the mushrooms. Spread them on top of dumplings evenly throughout the mold. Pour everything on top with sauce and send to bake in the oven for 40 minutes at a temperature of 180 degrees. When the casserole is ready, you need to remove it, sprinkle with plenty of cheese and cook for another 5 minutes.
With mushrooms and onions in pots
It would seem, what difference does it make in what form to bake products, but this also plays a big role. The taste is transformed due to the uniform distribution of temperature on a small amount of food.
So, you will need:
- dumplings;
- mayonnaise;
- dumplings broth;
- bow;
- mushrooms (preferably champignon, but any other will do);
- cheese;
- pepper (to taste).
Cooking:
- Cook dumplings, be sure to leave the broth. Cut the mushrooms. Peel, chop, fry the onion. Mix mayonnaise with a small amount of broth to make it more liquid, add allspice black pepper if desired. Grate the cheese on a coarse grater.
- Take the pots. We lay dumplings, mushrooms, fried onions in layers and pour the mayonnaise sauce on the level of the products . Sprinkle cheese on top. When all the pots are full, send them to bake in the oven for 40 minutes at 180 degrees.
You can serve with fresh herbs, which will refresh the taste of casseroles.
Cooking Tips
The best recipes for dumplings in the oven were presented above. They say correctly that the simpler the dish, the tastier it is. However, there are some tricks that every housewife must know in order for this rule to work.
- When the dumplings are cooked, add bay leaf and allspice to the broth. The aroma will immediately change, and the product will get a more pleasant taste. Pay attention to salt. It is impossible to allow the dumplings to be salted, because then they will be baked with salted mayonnaise. If there are too many granules, this will greatly damage the casserole.
- Add as much variety of greens as possible. It can be dill, parsley, cilantro and even basil. When using natural, fresh spices, any dish acquires a light aroma that cannot be compared with packaged powders.
- If you plan to bake dumplings, do not put too much. The quantity also depends on the form. It is necessary that they be distributed in one layer, because if there is more, they will not be so tasty.
- When it comes to frying, use butter rather than vegetable. It is more tender and tastier. Vegetable can give the dish extra fat, and this will completely ruin it.
- In the recipes above, only boiled dumplings were used. But some housewives bake raw. To make them better baked, they need fluid. To do this, pour it in mayonnaise sauce so that dumplings have something to absorb. The taste will be completely different, because the product was cooked in a creamy broth.
- The form can be covered with foil and already put dumplings and other ingredients in it. Firstly, it will save from burning and further washing dishes. Secondly, the heated foil will help the casserole to bake better.
That's all the features. How to bake dumplings in the oven, you now know. Try and experiment. Enjoy your meal!