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Juicy, spicy and incredibly delicious taste these vegan pelmeni with lentils. The al dente filling and the tender dough, which make up the Russian dumplings, combine perfectly with each other in terms of taste. The vegetarian Russian dumplings fill you up and are healthier than the classic ones. They are an ideal main meal, while can be prepared in advance and frozen. You can find a detailed recipe for the vegetarian pelmeni with exact quantities and step-by-step instructions here at the bottom.
What are pelmeni?
Pelmeni are a famous dish of Russian cuisine, which is one of the national dishes of Russia. They are small dumplings filled with minced meat and cooked in water or broth. They could be compared to German maultaschen or Italian tortellini.
Due to their taste, filling effect and easy storage, pelmeni became very popular all over Russia. It is believed that they originated in Siberia or the Urals. Supposedly, the small dumplings were invented in the Republic of Udmurtia, which is located west of the Ural Mountains.
It is said that the Russian word “pelmenj” (singular of “pelmeni”) comes from the Udmurtian “pelnjanj”. “Pel” means “ear” and “njanj” means “bread”. Literally translated, “pelnjanj” means “bread ear”.
Pelmeni vegetarian – ideas for fillings
Russian pelmeni can also be make vegetarian. There are many different recipes for this.
If you absolutely want to get close to the classic pelmeni variant in terms of taste and consistency, you can use seitan for the filling. In addition, lentils, beans, mushrooms and vegetables are suitable for vegan filling of Russian dumplings. Russian dumplings are very tasty vegetarian with potato-mushroom puree or buckwheat-mushroom puree.
Pelmeni dough – classic and vegan
Pelmeni dough is usually made with flour, water (sometimes a mixture of water and milk), egg and salt. However, egg can be omitted without any problems, as you can see from my recipe. This is how you get a vegan dough.
The secret of my pelmeni dough is that it is made with vegetable oil and hot water. This makes it very elastic, soft but not sticky, doesn’t crack and makes it easy to shape. It is simply a pleasure to work with this dough.
The secret of this best vegan pelmeni
I have experimented a lot with recipes for vegan pelmeni and find this recipe with lentils to be the best ever. I used raw pardina lentils for the filling. They are particularly stable to cooking and do not fall apart when boiled or fried. This makes the filling taste al dente and juicy at the same time.
I kneaded the dough from flour, hot water, vegetable oil and salt. Thanks to hot water and vegetable oil, it is so super not only in uncooked state, namely elastic and easy to shape. Even after cooking, vegan pelmeni dough tastes delicious – very soft and tender.
By the way, I also managed to make the best vegan patties with pardina lentils. Have you tried them yet?
Homemade tastes best
You can buy frozen pelmeni as a ready-made product in some German supermarkets and in Russian stores. First of all, their taste is not as good as homemade Russian dumplings. And secondly, you can buy them only with meat filling and not vegetarian or vegan.
So let’s make the most delicious vegetarian pelmeni ourselves! It is absolutely not difficult. And you know what ingredients you use for it. Besides, these vegan pelmeni with lentils taste simply divine and are healthier than the classic dumplings. Because pardina lentils, which are used here as a vegan filling, are rich in iron, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin B1 and protein.
Shape pelmeni: pelmennitsa or handmade
Forming each small dumpling with your hands, of course, takes some time and requires patience. But it’s worth it, because you get real pelmeni – with a lot of filling and little dough.
What’s more, it’s even fun to make the dumplings yourself. And if the whole family joins in, they’ll be ready in no time. Be sure to get kids involved, too!
But if you need to make them quickly, or if you don’t feel like making Russian dumplings by hand, you can get pelmennitsa to help you. It is a special form for making pelmeni. However, the small dumplings with pelmennitsa can’t be filled as full as it is typical for homemade pelmeni.
How to serve Russian pelmeni?
Russian pelmeni are eaten with sour cream, mayonnaise, butter, mustard or any other sauce. Fresh herbs, for example parsley, go well with it. Russian dumplings are sometimes served together with the broth in which they were cooked.
The pelmeni vegetarian with lentils are very filling and are excellent as a hot main dish for lunch or dinner. By the way, you can fry cooked Russian dumplings from the day before in a pan with a little vegetable oil until lightly golden brown. This way you can warm them up and give them a crispy top layer.
In addition, you can make a delicious casserole out of the vegan Russian dumplings with lentils.
How to store pelmeni vegetarian?
You cook pelmeni right before serving, because they don’t taste good cold.
You can freeze dumplings that are not cooked immediately after forming. To do this, line a cutting board with baking paper or plastic wrap, spread uncooked dumplings on it and put them in the freezer. Once they are frozen, you can transfer them to a freezer bag.
Then cook the frozen pelmeni immediately without thawing. I always make the vegetarian pelmeni in stock and freeze them. That way you always have them in the freezer for a quick lunch or dinner.
These Russian dumplings are
- juicy,
- spicy,
- heavenly delicious,
- vegan,
- with lentil filling,
- firm to the bite,
- healthy,
- filling,
- more delicious than the original,
- easy to make with few ingredients,
- ideal as a main course for lunch or dinner,
- suitable for freezing,
- to be prepared in advance.
Vegan pelmeni recipe
The recipe for pelmeni vegetarian with pardina lentils is very simple and comes with few ordinary ingredients that you may already have at home. The day before, it’s best to cook the rice.
Here you can get a rough idea of how the preparation goes and what you need for it. The exact quantities and step-by-step instructions for making the vegetarian pelmeni can be found in the recipe box below.
For the pelmeni dough you only need
- flour,
- hot water,
- vegetable oil
- and salt.
For the filling you need
- raw pardina lentils,
- cooked rice – preferably round grain rice,
- cold water,
- onions and garlic,
- various spices – paprika, nutmeg, salt and pepper
- and vegetable oil for frying.
How to make vegan pelmeni: here’s how (Check out the detailed recipe at the bottom.)
- First, knead all the ingredients into a firm dough – carefully, because at the beginning the mixture is hot. Let the dough rest for about 40 minutes.
- For the filling, finely grind dry pardina lentils and soak them in cold water for about 30 minutes. Fry the onions and garlic in vegetable oil until translucent and add them to the lentil mixture together with the cooked rice and season.
- Now roll out the dough thinly, cut out small circles, spread the lentil filling on them and form small dumplings.
- Cook the vegetarian pelmeni in salted water with a few bay leaves for about 15 minutes. Done!
How to make pelmeni vegetarian: tips and tricks
- It is important to season the lentil filling well. You can also use other spices and herbs. However, you should not try the raw lentil mass, because raw lentils contain toxins.
- Instead of pardina lentils, you can use another type of lentils for the recipe.
- Use a sticky type of rice for the recipe, not a loose one. Thus, round grain rice is best for this.
- Cook rice the day before and store it in the refrigerator. The next day, it will no longer contain excess liquid.
- Do not cook the vegan pelmeni for less than about 15 minutes. It is not enough to cook them for a few minutes, as the filling is made of lentils, which are poisonous when raw.
Have you made pelmeni vegetarian yourself according to this recipe? I’m looking forward to your result, your star rating and your comment here below on how you succeeded and tasted the Russian dumplings vegan.
Got an appetite for more Russian dumplings in vegan version? Try:
Pelmeni vegetarian (vegan) with lentil filling
Ingredients
for the dough
- 400 g flour
- approx. 200 ml hot water
- 50 ml vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- flour for the work surface
for the filling
- 180 g pardina lentils raw
- 110 g cooked rice (round grain rice)
- 2 onions
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 180 ml cold water
- 1 tsp paprika powder
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- salt
- pepper
- vegetable oil for frying
for the cooking
- 1 - 2 bay leaves
- salt
- water
Instructions
Preparation of the dough
- Mix flour and salt in a mixing bowl.
- Gradually add hot water, first mix it with a fork while the mixture is hot, and then knead it with your hands to form a firm dough.
- Add vegetable oil to the dough and knead it until it absorbs the oil, and then knead it for about 3 - 5 minutes more. Let the pelmeni dough rest, covered, at room temperature for about 40 minutes.
Preparation of the filling
- Finely grind dry raw lentils, then pour 180 ml of cold water over them and let them swell for about 30 minutes so that they completely absorb the liquid.
- Chop onions and garlic and fry them together in a pan with a little vegetable oil until translucent.
- Add cooked rice and fried onions with garlic to soaked ground lentils and mix to a homogeneous solid mass, seasoning with paprika, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Preparation of the vegetarian pelmeni
- Lightly dust the work surface with flour. Roll out the pelmeni dough thinly and cut out small circles, for example with a shot glass.
- Place about 1 teaspoon of lentil filling in the center of each small dough circle, close each circle to form a semicircle and stick the edges together tightly. Then press the two ends of each semicircle together to form the typical pelmen shape.
- Bring salted water with bay leaves to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the pelmeni one by one, stirring gently, bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes. After that, take them out with a slotted spoon and serve them immediately.
- Freeze the leftover uncooked pelmeni. See the notes here above.
Notes
- It is important to season the lentil filling well. You can use any spices and herbs for this. Do not taste the raw lentil mixture, as raw lentils contain toxins.
- Instead of pardina lentils, you can take another type of lentil.
- Use a sticky type of rice and not a loose one. Thus, round grain rice is best for this.
- It is best to cook rice the day before and store it in the refrigerator.
- Do not cook the vegan pelmeni for less than about 15 minutes. It is not enough to cook them for a few minutes, as the filling is made of lentils, which are poisonous when raw.
- Note the detailed tips and tricks for making the pelmeni vegetarian at the top of the post.