Vareniki is one of the 12 indispensable dishes of the traditional Ukrainian Christmas dinner, and poppy symbolizes prosperity and wealth in the coming year. So it's a great idea to include them on your holiday menu..

Looking for delicious Christmas recipes? You may like these Ukrainian dumplings stuffed with poppy seeds and served with sour cream or honey; original dumplings with a simple filling, cooked unconventionally. In the selection we offer recipes for lean dumplings associated with the Ukrainian people, culture and traditions.!

The dumplings we're going to make today use delicate wheat dough wrapped in a delicious variety of fillings.. It's insanely delicious. Really worth a try.

Lean dumplings recipes.

Dumplings with poppy seeds.

Ingredients:.

Dough.

50 g butter.

400 g wheat flour.

2 eggs.

250 ml milk.

a pinch of salt.

Filling.

4 st. raisins.

Sugar 3 tbsp.

150 g (5 oz) poppy seeds.

Preparation:.

Dough.

To make poppy seeds dumplings, start mixing milk, butter and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil and turn off the heat. Stir in 160 g flour. Then add eggs one at a time.. Add leftover flour gradually. First, knead the dough with a spoon.. Then keep kneading with your hands.. As a result, you should have a soft elastic dough that does not stick to your hands..

Cover the dough with a linen cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes before shaping the dumplings (the napkin will also prevent the dumplings from drying out).

Filling.

Put the poppy seeds in a bowl and pour boiling water over the top for half an hour. Drain off excess water and grind the poppy seeds 3 times or grind with a pestle.

Rinse the raisins and soak them separately in boiling water for 20 minutes. Drain and let the raisins dry.

Combine raisins, poppy seeds and sugar until smooth.

Let's give the shape.

Roll out the dough into a thin layer (2 mm) on a lightly floured surface. Cut mugs with a glass or cookie cutter.

Collect the trimmings and return to the bowl of dough, use the trimmings with the next batch of dough. Put 1 st in the center of the circle. toppings. Fold the circle in half and press the edges firmly. Repeat until all dough and filling are finished..

To cook the dumplings, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a little salt and add the dumplings in portions (10-15 dumplings at a time). Stir the dumplings so they don't stick.. Cook the dumplings for 5-7 minutes, until they float up. Transfer the dumplings to a deep bowl with a slotted spoon.. Add ghee or vegetable oil to keep the dumplings from sticking to each other.

Serve dumplings warm, seasoned with sour cream or honey.

If you want to freeze the dumplings for later use, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and leave in the freezer overnight.. Then transfer the frozen dumplings to a zippered bag. By the way, when you decide to boil the dumplings, it is not necessary to defrost them first.. Remove from the freezer and cook.

Open dumplings.

These original meatless dumplings festively decorate the table for Christmas. You can prepare these envelopes in advance and reheat them before serving..

Ingredients.

1 egg.

3 tablespoons (45 ml) milk.

340 g mashed potatoes.

1 red onion, finely chopped.

1/2 teaspoon salt.

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg.

36 slices of thin dough (wonton dough).

2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil.

2 tablespoons (30 ml) lemon juice.

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley.

2 tablespoons of cranberries, for garnish.

Preparation.

Whisk salt, egg and milk in a bowl.. Leave on for 5 minutes. Add mashed potatoes - everything except onions, spices. Stir vigorously for about 1 minute, until completely combined.

Lay out 6 slices cut from wonton dough (or anything other than puff, thin dough) on the work surface.. Place about 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the mixture in the center of each mug. Moisten the edges with water, then fold the edges up around the filling, making them look like an open purse without pinching the dumplings. Set aside on a tray and repeat with remaining circles..

Place the dumplings, open side up, in a large non-stick skillet.. Make sure they don't touch each other.. Add about 1 cm water and 1 tablespoon (15 ml) oil to the skillet. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer the dumplings for 8 minutes.

Remove the lid and continue cooking for 3 minutes or until the filling has warmed up, the water has completely evaporated and the bottom of the dumplings begins to brown. Set aside on a serving platter.

Meanwhile, in a bowl of cold water, soak the onion with 1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice for 5 minutes. Drain.

Add leftover lemon juice, parsley, and cranberries to bowl of onions. Mix well. When ready to serve, sprinkle the dumplings with onion garnish.