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Dumplings with Adyghe cheese
Instructions
Prepare the ingredients.
Knead the dough. First, sift 2 cups of flour into a deep bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the milk and water, then add the salt. Beat the egg and add it to the rest of the ingredients. Mix everything together.
Gradually add the flour.
For convenience, turn the dough out of the bowl onto a board and knead it into a soft dough. Near the end of kneading, make a few indentations in the dough and pour in the vegetable oil. Carry on kneading the dough with the oil now added.
Cover the finished dough with a towel and leave it for 30 minutes.
Prepare the filling for the dumplings. Mash the Adyghe cheese with a fork, add a pinch of salt, 3–4 teaspoons of melted butter and the egg yolk, and mix. If you like a sweet filling, you can add 2–3 teaspoons of sugar. The filling is ready.
After 30 minutes, cut off a little dough, roll it into a rope and cut it into small pieces.
Carefully roll each piece of dough into a thin circle. Place some filling in each circle using a teaspoon.
Form the dumplings, pinching the edges of the dough circle tightly closed over the filling.
Pour water into a wide pot and bring it to the boil. Drop a batch of dumplings into the boiling water. Stir them, lifting them with a spoon so they do not stick to the bottom. Do this very carefully, as cheese dumplings are very delicate. Once the dumplings float, cook them for no more than 5 minutes.
Lift the cooked dumplings out with a slotted spoon onto a plate and, while they are still hot, coat them straight away with butter.
Serve the dumplings with Adyghe cheese hot, with sour cream.Bon appétit!
Tips
- 1
The egg yolk in the filling is the binding ingredient. Without it the cheese will run during cooking and the filling will leak out.
- 2
Milk plus water in the dough means tenderness. With water alone the dough is coarse, with milk alone it is too rich. A 1:1 ratio is ideal.
- 3
Add the butter after cooking, coating the dumplings while they are hot. They will not stick together and will be glossy and fragrant.
- 4
Cook for 5 minutes after they float, and no longer. Any longer and the cheese will leak out. The same principle works with other kinds of dumplings with a cheese filling.
FAQ
Which Adyghe cheese should I choose? +
Ideally fresh Adyghe cheese (unsmoked and white). Alternatives: goat brynza (salty, so go easy on the salt in the filling), feta (salty, for a "Greek" version), suluguni (firmer) or Ossetian cheese (sharper). Fresh cheese is moist and white, with no yellow tinge. A fat content of 25–40% is ideal. Do not use processed cheese, as it will spread out in the filling. Hard cheeses such as Gouda or Russian cheese are not suitable. For a premium version, use farmhouse Adyghe cheese. For a lean version, soya tofu can be used (though the texture is different). Before using, rinse the cheese under water to remove excess salt.
Can the dumplings be frozen? +
Yes – raw hand-shaped dumplings freeze well. Spread them out on a board (not on top of one another) and put them in the freezer for 1–2 hours until fully frozen, then tip them into a bag, and they will not stick together. They keep for up to 3 months. Cook them straight from frozen, without thawing – drop them into boiling water for 7–8 minutes (5 minutes after they float). Do not freeze dumplings that have already been cooked, as the dough will fall apart. Do not leave raw dumplings at room temperature for longer than 30 minutes, or the dough will start to run. Write the date on the freezer bag, which makes it easy to keep track of freshness. For a family stock, make a double batch (80 pieces), enough for 2–3 dinners.
How long do cooked dumplings keep? +
Boiled dumplings keep in a container in the fridge for 2 days. Reheat them in the microwave for 1–2 minutes under a lid. In a frying pan with butter for 3–4 minutes you will get a fried crust (even tastier than freshly boiled). With 1 tablespoon of water and a lid on, they stay soft. I do not recommend freezing cooked dumplings, as the dough falls apart. On the second day, brush them with melted butter before eating to bring back the shine. Do not leave them at room temperature for longer than 2 hours, as the cheese filling spoils. For a packed lunch, a container is handy. Freshly made dumplings are at their best in the first 30 minutes.
What to serve dumplings with? +
The classics: with thick sour cream, with melted butter, or with fresh herbs (dill, parsley). With black bread or croutons. With herbal tea for a warming supper. With soured milk or kefir for a "Balkan" version. For a family lunch, with a fresh vegetable salad. With white semi-sweet or dry red wine for a "European" presentation. For a children's version, with sweet sour cream and sugar. With borscht or shchi for a "Ukrainian" lunch. For a lean version, leave the egg out of the dough and use a filling of stewed vegetables. A versatile dish for winter evenings and hearty lunches.
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