Dumplings in a steamer: how to cook and what to serve with : Labuda.blog

Everything you need to know about making dumplings

Dumplings are a favorite product in many families, a real find when you need a quick snack and don’t have time for lengthy preparations. The combination of delicious dough with aromatic meat - what could be more tempting? Despite the simplicity of preparation, many do not know how to cook dumplings so that they do not fall apart, are elastic and juicy. Today we are ready to share with you proven technologies for preparing dumplings, as well as recipes for easy-to-prepare homemade sauces that will turn cooked semi-finished products into a restaurant dinner.

First option

One of the traditional sauces is katyk sauce. True, in our country few people even know this oriental fermented milk product, not to mention the fact that katyk can be bought somewhere. However, it doesn’t matter! It is quite forgivable to replace it with a mixture of sour cream and kefir or natural yogurt without additives.

So, sauce for manti made from katyk. To get it, you need to mix not too fatty sour cream with yogurt (kefir) in equal parts, add a lot of finely chopped parsley and cilantro, squeeze out a couple of cloves of garlic and season with black and red pepper.

Useful life hacks for cooking dumplings

The taste of dumplings can be enhanced by boiling them in chicken broth. In addition, by adding a little spice, you can serve such a dish as a delicious soup with dumplings.

Dumplings must be thrown into boiling water; if you put them in cold water, they will soften and stick together. To speed up cooking, pour boiling water into the pan, then add dumplings. It should be remembered that the cold product cools the water, so you don’t need to add the whole mass at once, do it in parts. This will prevent your dumplings from sticking together. After boiling, the heat must be reduced, otherwise the intense bubbles of water will cause the dumplings to fall apart.

To prevent the dumplings from sticking together, follow the advice of food service workers - add a spoonful of vegetable oil to the water. Spices, onions and bay leaves are added after the water boils. Many people add all these ingredients at once, but experienced chefs say that this way the dish does not receive the necessary taste. After the dumplings are ready, it is not recommended to leave them in hot water - the dough swells, the dumplings lose their elasticity and tear.

Ready dumplings should be served immediately. It is not recommended to cook dumplings for guests in advance, as they will lose their appetizing appearance and aroma. Due to the speed of their preparation, dumplings can be cooked when the guests are gathered. Butter best reveals the aroma of the dish, so don’t miss this moment - grease the dumplings with a small piece of butter.

The well-known Uzbek sauce

And, of course, Uzbek-style manti sauce. For it you need to take a glass of broth, half a glass of tomato juice, 2 onions, a couple of cloves of garlic, as well as vinegar, butter, bay leaf, ground pepper, dill and salt. This sauce for manti needs to be boiled. But first you should finely chop the onion, squeeze out the garlic, mix them with tomato juice and, adding broth and bay leaf, bring to a boil.

Cook over low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, then remove from heat, add salt, pepper, chopped dill and let sit for a while, covered. Then strain the warm sauce, add a piece of butter and a little vinegar and serve.

How to cook dumplings in the microwave

A microwave oven can easily replace a stovetop, saving time on cooking and preserving valuable nutrients. Dumplings can be boiled, fried, or baked in the microwave. The dumplings should be prepared in a heat-resistant microwave oven, covered with a lid with a hole to allow steam to escape, so that the product turns out juicy and does not dry out. Dumplings are cooked in the microwave in small portions, it is advisable to take a wide dish so that the dumplings are distributed evenly in one row, but if you don’t have a suitable one, you can cook them in any, only during the cooking process you will have to stop the microwave several times and stir, because when the dumplings are laid in layers, it warms up the outer layer, and the inner remains raw.

The easiest and most convenient way to properly cook dumplings in a microwave oven: put the semi-finished products in a bowl, add water until they are covered, immediately add the prepared spices, salt to taste, and cover with a lid. To prepare dumplings in this way, maximum power is required, the time is 12 minutes. When the time is up, it is better to test the dish for readiness; if the meat is raw, cook for another 2 minutes. Then the water must be drained and the dumplings seasoned with butter, sour cream, mayonnaise, and fresh dill. Many people prefer vinegar and sprinkle with ground black pepper.

Dumplings turn out very appetizing if you fill them with sour cream instead of water. For 10 dumplings you will need 200 g of sour cream, a pinch of salt, bay leaf, pepper, crushed garlic cloves. The mold is covered with a lid and placed in the oven for 15 minutes.

The cooking time for dumplings in the microwave depends greatly on their size and filling. In the recent past, there were no more than 5 types; today the industry produces many unusual in shape, weight, taste, and filling. In addition to meat dumplings, there are dumplings with mushrooms, seafood, cheese, bacon, and vegetables. You must follow the instructions for preparing these dumplings.

How much water to take

Traditionally, to cook dumplings in the microwave for 150 g of products, this is about 12 pieces, take 150 g of water. Again, if the dumplings are large, this amount of water will not be enough. The best option is to pour enough liquid to completely cover the dumplings.

What to add to water

It is recommended to add spices to the water according to your desire and taste. In China, they traditionally add ginger, garlic, and pepper. In the Caucasus, onions cut into quarters are indispensable. Jewish dumplings - kreplach - are cooked in chicken broth. Among the Slavic peoples, lava leaf, hot pepper, and allspice are preferred.

Mustard sauce

For those who love spicy dishes, we suggest making mustard sauce. To create it we need mustard, olive oil, and herbs. Take the first two ingredients in 2:1 proportions (mustard and olive oil). Mix, then add herbs and sesame seeds. Next, you need to mix everything thoroughly again.

By the way, a little advice at the end - you should not dip manti in any sauce. These products are eaten with your hands. First, the edge is bitten, resulting in a hole, and the sauce is very carefully placed into it with a spoon. If you eat manti like this, you can feel the pristine taste of the dish. Note that the meat juice mixes very appetizingly with any sauce.

How to eat different foods correctly?

Eating outside the established etiquette can cause unpleasant emotions in those sitting next to you. You shouldn’t rush too much, it may seem that your interlocutor is unpleasant; you can eat everything, but you shouldn’t wipe the plate. You should eat with the right knives, spoons or forks, or even with your hands, it is important to know when and what to use.

Take those products that will not stain them. They are not cut into pieces. placed on a plate or directly into the mouth:

bakery products, including cakes and cookies;
sugar (not sand) - in the case of no tongs attached to it.

Skins and bones in use

According to the law, dumplings are semi-finished products containing at least half of minced pork and beef.
“In practice, manufacturers often replace beef and pork in dumplings with poultry (at best), or even reduce the volume of meat due to soy and other additives. Unfortunately, a modern meat grinder can grind anything - even trimmings and bones - into flour without people even noticing it. All this, mixed with some minced meat, is called “boned meat”. Therefore, there is no removal of animal bones at the plants. Waste-free production, admits the coordinator of the federal project “For Honest Products!” Alexander Brazhko . - In addition, a flavor enhancer is used, which allows you to hide the real content of the meat. Consumers are not protected from deception in both cheap and expensive products, since the composition can only be checked in a laboratory, and this requires financial and time costs.”

Dumplings, manti, khinkali

Russian dumplings or manti or Georgian khinkali are very popular in the restaurant. The difference is in the method of preparing the minced meat and in the form of the dough. Different preparations affect how to properly eat dumplings, khinkali and manti in a restaurant.

Any method of preparing dumplings

involves the presence of a large amount of moisture in the meat, which wants to leak out when bitten. But a spoon is not required by etiquette. Dumplings, like dumplings, are properly eaten by clinging to the edge. It immediately ends up all in your mouth with the broth. The large size is a disadvantage for the restaurant, since the dumplings will have to be divided into parts, and the juice will leak into the plate.

Manti size

significantly more classic dumplings and the cooking method is steamed. The juice that drips from the minced meat collects inside and should be drunk immediately after the first bite. This unique product is eaten with your hands. There is no sauce served with manti, so the right choice would be green tea.

It turns out that it is correct to eat manti with your hands, but in exceptional cases, serve it with a spoon. We are talking about very small manta rays in a Turkish restaurant or in an Asian country.

When to eat khinkali

, no broth or sauce needed. They are juicy and filling. They are also eaten with their hands. You need to hold it by the improvised tail, which must be present in real Georgian khinkali. Next, a bite is made and all the juice flowing from inside is drunk. Immediately after, everything except the dense dough of the tail is consumed. Mineral water or red wine in addition - this is how to properly eat khinkali.

Everything you need to know about dumplings

The process of rolling meat or other filling into dough is known to almost all peoples of the world. Due to national and climatic characteristics, such dishes differ in the composition of the dough, filling, and cooking process: for example, in Asian countries, manti is steamed due to a lack of water; Italian chefs prepared ravioli immediately before cooking, since the hot climate did not allow freezing and store semi-finished products for a long time. Our familiar dumplings come from Siberia and the Urals, where there were all conditions for long-term storage of the product at low temperatures. The meaning of the word “dumpling” comes from two words – ear and bread. Indeed, the shape of the dumpling resembles the shell of an ear.

Many families have a tradition of making dumplings together, during which a “surprise” in the form of pepper, onion, coin or other ingredient is placed in one of the dumplings. Anyone who comes across such a dumpling can expect prosperity and wealth in life.

In some regions of the country, dumplings are served on the table in one large dish, from where each participant in the feast puts the dumplings on his plate. By this, the hosts show their hospitality and goodwill to the guests, hinting that they are ready to share their lodging, food and daily life with them for this time.

Few people know, but dumplings can not only be boiled in water and steamed, but also fried in a pan, baked in the oven, stewed, or served as soup with dumplings. Cooked dumplings will only last for two days if stored properly in the refrigerator. Homemade dumplings can be stored frozen for four months.

Fried eggs, pasta and meat

The decision to have breakfast in an elite setting is an equal risk for the one who eats the food and the one who serves it. According to strict rules of etiquette, the table must be served with a knife, fork and teaspoon for fried eggs.

How to eat fried eggs

: using all cutlery. First, we puncture the yolk and drink it from the teaspoon where it leaked out before. The spoon is no longer needed; it can be removed to the edge of the plate. The protein is cut with a knife and sent to the mouth on a fork. After eating, all three utensils remain on the plate.

Neatness and ease in eating - this is what table etiquette is for. Enjoying a meal and looking neat afterwards is part of social etiquette.

With omelet

You can also easily make a mistake. According to etiquette, it should be served with two serrated forks - if these are airy beaten baked eggs (one fork for slicing, the other for bringing to the mouth), or a teaspoon - if an omelette of whipped whites is served as dessert.

It's very difficult to stay neat while eating pasta.

, but
spaghetti
can also be eaten according to etiquette.

In spoon and fork, this means that you should take the spoon with your left hand and lower its edge into the plate. With your right hand, take a fork and carefully wrap the spaghetti around it. Use a spoon to trim off any excess. There is nothing stopping you from putting the portion wrapped around a fork into your mouth.

You should operate more quickly with one fork, lifting it and letting it fall back into the plate, winding up the spaghetti so that there are no long ends left that you just want to tighten with sound. The secret to eating spaghetti with a fork is that you need to wrap no more than two, or maximum three, pasta on the fork.

If a piece of meat is served as a side dish

, you should not cut it all into small pieces if the restaurant is in Russia and not in the USA. The required piece is cut off from the far end with a knife and directed into the mouth with a fork. No knife needed if served sliced. With a fork in your right hand, you pick up a piece and put it in your mouth. The knife is also used when serving sliced meat only if the smoked meat is served with hard skin.

Chopped meat balls, cutlets, meatballs

You should not cut with a knife. Its use is justified in cases where dividing into pieces is impossible otherwise.

Step-by-step preparation

Cooking dumplings in a double boiler:

Pour the sifted flour into a separate bowl with high sides.
Add salt.
Break the chicken eggs into a glass and beat with a whisk until thick white foam appears.
We combine all the ingredients.
Then pour in hot water and knead the elastic dough.
We form a tight ball from the finished dough, cover it with cling film and put it in a warm place for half an hour.
Now defrost the minced meat and sprinkle it with ground black pepper.
Peel the onion and cut it into small cubes.
Mix the minced meat and onion thoroughly with your hands.
We take out the dough, sprinkle the kitchen table with flour and roll it out using a rolling pin.
Using a glass or a special mold, cut out small circles.
Place the filling in the center of each piece of dough and fasten the edges in any way convenient for you.
Grease the steamer container with vegetable oil.
We transfer the already molded dumplings onto it.
Place the container in a double boiler and cook in the appropriate mode for about 10-15 minutes until done.

Before serving the dish, it is recommended to garnish it with finely chopped parsley or dill. It is best to use sour cream, garlic or mushroom additives as a sauce.