Kreplach seem like the kind of dish only your bubbe would make. Especially from scratch. And I always felt intimidated to even try it. You have to make the dough, make the filling and shape it just right. (Turns out, actually you don’t).
But last year I was lucky enough to spend time with a real, live bubbe and cookbook author (and also my friend) Ronnie Fein who shared with me her tried-and-trued method and recipe.
Turns out it’s easier than I thought: The kreplach don’t need to be perfectly shaped to be delicious, and they are definitely something you can tackle with a little planning and determination. You will need to make (or buy) some kind of filling ahead of time (Note: You can buy some pre-cooked brisket or pot roast from, say, Whole Foods or your local butcher instead of making it from scratch).
Watch our short video below. Maybe a few times. And hopefully you’ll be inspired to tackle these homemade Jewish dumplings, which, yes, are totally worth the effort.
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Many thanks to Ronnie Fein for sharing her expertise and recipe with us.
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 3 Tbsp cold water, approximately
For the meat filling:
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 medium clove garlic, finely chopped (optional)
- 3 cups chopped, cooked beef (about 12 ounces – can be either ground beef or finely chopped leftover brisket or roast)
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp paprika
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions
- To make the dough: Place the flour, salt and beaten eggs in a food processor. Process while gradually adding just enough water to have the dough form into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let rest for at least one hour.
- To make the filling: Heat the vegetable oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for about 2-3 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened. Place the chopped meat in a bowl. Add the softened onion (and garlic), egg, paprika and salt and pepper to taste. Mix thoroughly.
- Roll the dough, a portion at a time, on a floured surface until the dough is very thin (less than 1/8-inch). Cut dough into 2-1/2 to 3-inch squares.
- Place one heaping teaspoon of filling in the center of each square. Fold the dough over the filling to make a triangle. Pinch the dough together to seal the edges (if necessary wet two sides of the square).
- Bring a large soup pot of water to a boil. Cook the kreplach about a dozen at a time for about 15 minutes, or until they are tender.
- To serve, place the cooked kreplach in chicken soup and cook for 4-5 minutes. You may also fry the kreplach in vegetable oil.
