Kurze with meat

A well-known dish from Dagestan, Kurze with meat resembles Siberian dumplings in some ways. But there are indeed differences. Firstly, the shape – it somewhat resembles a drop or a leaf, rounded on one side and pointed on the opposite. And, of course, the intricate stitch that seals the dumpling on top – Dagestanis believe it resembles the movement of a viper. The name "kurze" actually comes from the viper.

However, this is not the only difference. The filling must be made from veal or lamb (a mixture is allowed). Additionally, a sour milk component (sour cream, whey, kefir) and crushed tomatoes (fresh or canned) are added. Despite the fact that the finished Kurze with meat is very juicy, various sauces are served alongside.

Caloric content: 220 kcal per 100 grams of the dish.

Yield: 65 pieces.

Cooking time: 2 hours.

Cuisine: Dagestani.

Ingredients

Dough:

• flour (first grade) – 380 g;
• purified water – 150 ml;
• rock salt – 1 tsp.

Filling:

• veal mince – 400 g;
• white onion – 160 g;
• crushed tomatoes – 1.5 tbsp;
• rock salt – 1 tsp;
• sour cream – 1.5 tbsp;
• freshly ground black pepper – 0.5 tsp;
• red hot pepper – 0.5 tsp;
• paprika – 1 tsp;
• any herbs (fresh or frozen) – 1 tbsp.

Preparation

1. Set aside the ingredients for the dough. The water should be very cold, almost ice-cold.

2. Prepare the ingredients for the filling. It is advisable that the sour cream has a low fat content.

3. Start by kneading the dough. For this, sift the flour into a deep bowl, mix it with salt. In the well made in the middle, pour in the water.

4. Begin kneading the mixture by hand. The dough will be stiff and very tight, so you'll need to work hard, spending at least 10 minutes kneading. Gather the mass into a ball. Its texture is not quite ideal, but it will reach the desired condition later.

5. Wrap the ball of dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for at least 40 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, prepare the meat filling. Chop the onion in any way – either use a regular grater or blend the pieces with a blender. Add the onion puree to the mince.

7. Also add all the spices with salt.

8. Season the filling with sour cream, crushed tomatoes, and herbs.

9. Mix the mince thoroughly and let it stand for a while (about 15-20 minutes) in the refrigerator.

10. After the allocated time for the dough has passed, knead it a little more – although it remains tight, it has gained elasticity and pliability. Divide the mass in half for ease of rolling.

11. Hide one part in a bag, and roll out the other thinly (to 1 millimeter). Use a glass or a special mold with a diameter of 6 centimeters to cut out circles. Gather the scraps together and hide them in a bag (they can be kneaded into the dough and reused).

12. Place quite a bit of filling on the prepared dough (approximately 1.5 teaspoons). The thing is, the filling will shrink in volume after cooking.

13. Next, we begin to form the Kurze with meat. For this, take the prepared piece and fold it in half to form a semicircle. Tuck one edge of this semicircle inward towards the filling.

14. The next step is to pinch the dough to create the Kurze. Hold the dumpling between the fingers of one hand, and with the other, start to form the pinches: make a little fold on one side of the edge, then the same on the other. Continue alternating pinches, moving along the edge of the dumpling until you connect the beginning and end of the pattern. Aim to make the folds evenly for a beautiful and neat result, as shown in the photo.

15. At the very end, form a sharp tip for the Kurze. As a result, it will take on the shape of a droplet or leaf.

16. Place the finished Dagestani dumplings on a board sprinkled with flour.

17. Put a pot of water on the fire. Choose the volume of the pot so that the Kurze can float freely without sticking together. After boiling, salt the water and add a bit of vegetable oil – this will additionally protect the dumplings from sticking.

18. Lower several blanks into boiling water and gently stir them, creating a circular motion in the water. Then add a few more pieces and so on. But the total number of dumplings should not be large, so they do not pile up in a second layer on the bottom dumplings.

19. Cover the pot with a lid, leaving a gap for steam to escape. Periodically stir the blanks.

20. As soon as the first signs of boiling appear, remove the lid. Boil the kurze for 5 minutes.

21. The finished Dagestani dumplings will swell at the end – fish them out with a slotted spoon.

22. Vegetable oil is evenly distributed in the water and coats the products, but it is still worth adding a few pieces of butter to the plate with kurze.

23. Some of the blanks can be frozen, laid out in an even layer in the freezer, and after freezing, transferred to a bag. When cooking, there is no need to defrost the kurze, just throw them directly into boiling water and cook in the usual way.

In Dagestan, kurze with meat are served hot – straight from the heat and always with a sauce, for example – garlic-sour cream or tomato. A sprinkle of fresh herbs is always welcome. Kurze made of thin dough with juicy filling will leave no one indifferent.