Dumplings are one of the most popular everyday dishes, and not only in Russia. Italian ravioli, Chinese fountains and gyoza, Czech dumplings with fruit filling, exotic Indian modak - each country has its own unique dumpling culture, dating back to the distant past. We decided to understand the diversity of dumplings and compiled a detailed guide to their geography and the peculiarities of preparation and serving in different countries of the world.
The theory that dumplings have original Russian roots raises many questions. Most likely, this dish came to our and other cultures from Chinese cuisine, in which, by the way, you can find analogues of almost any dish in the world. In China, dumplings were prepared more than two thousand years ago, and later the Tatar-Mongol nomads adopted this recipe from them, who introduced it to the peoples of the Urals. For Permians, Komi, Udmurts, as well as Siberian Tatars, dumplings became an important ritual dish. They came to Russian cuisine from the end of the 14th - beginning of the 15th century and after the colonization of the Urals. The name comes from the distorted Permian “pelnyani” (“pel” - ear and “nyan” - dough).
Real dumplings, as V.V. Pokhlebkin wrote, are characterized by a combination of minced meat from three types of meat: beef (45%), lamb (35%), pork (20%). Later, the Tatars began to use only lamb, and the Russians only beef and pork. Onions, black pepper and less often herbs are also added to the minced meat.
It is believed that dumplings taste better when they are frozen after being molded. Naturally, they came up with the idea of doing this in Siberia - that’s where the name “Siberian” dumplings came from - thus, only pre-frozen dumplings can be called Siberian (or Ural).
V. V. Pokhlebkin
Soviet and Russian historian
and culinary specialist
Recipe for Siberian pelnyani
The dough for real Permyak dumplings consists of 2.5 cups of wheat flour, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup of cold water. For minced meat you need to take 450 g of beef, 350 g of lamb, 200 g of pork, 3 onions, 2 tbsp. spoons of flour, 1 raw egg, 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper, 1/2 cup of finely chopped young nettle or honey (can be replaced with parsley).
All types of meat are turned through a meat grinder, and greens and onions are finely chopped and mixed with minced meat. You need to knead the stiff dough and leave it for 15–20 minutes under a towel, after which it is rolled out into a thin layer up to 1 mm thick (the thinner the better). Using a glass, cut out circles from the sheet, moisten their edges with water (so that they are then more firmly connected). Place a teaspoon of filling in the middle of the circle and carefully pinch to form a crescent, and then connect its corners. Carefully place the finished products on the board and leave them to dry slightly, after which they can be put in the freezer.
It is recommended to boil dumplings not in plain salted water, but either in meat and bone broth, which will then go on a plate, or a la nazh - that is, in a broth that will not be used for food after that - this means that the broth can be Season it well with onion, bay leaf, pepper, parsley and add salt to make it stronger and sharper.
Why are they especially good?
handmade dumplings?
Experts do not favor the use of dumpling boards due to the fact that the strength of their seams is insufficient, and the dumplings have to be undercooked so that they do not fall apart right in the pan. This method is only suitable when using minced pork, which cooks faster.
Dumplings are traditionally served with butter or sour cream, 3% vinegar, pepper, mustard
or horseradish.
How to diversify dumplings?
Let's not dwell on our dumplings and quickly go through dumplings from different countries of the world. This list of dishes will probably inspire someone to experiment with different ingredients. Try adding something from the list to make your dumplings sparkle with new flavors. Naturally, you don’t need to mix everything and everything at once, and it’s worth remembering that in the end you won’t end up with dumplings, but something else. Act according to logic and remember that pork, for example, goes well with shrimp, potatoes with fat tail, and bamboo shoots with ginger.
In September 2010, the World Karaoke Championship was held in Moscow, in which the audience award went to US telephone company technician Edward Pimentel. An unusual reward awaited him - a million dumplings. According to the organizers, if he eats 100 dumplings a day, they will last for 27 years.
List of ingredients:
mushrooms, seafood, Chinese cabbage (or kimchi), green onions, cheese, cilantro, ginger, chili, garlic, potatoes, fat tail, lard, pumpkin, peanuts, cardamom, bamboo shoots, coriander, cumin
Dumpling geography
18 recipes from different parts of the world
Vareniki
What is the difference between dumplings with meat and dumplings? Besides the fact that they are sculpted differently, it turns out that the key answer lies in the very name of the dish. If the filling for Russian (including) dumplings is prepared from raw meat, then when making dumplings, chopped boiled meat is used. Fried lard and onions are added there for juiciness. Let us remind you that this Slavic dish, more common in Ukrainian cuisine, also often uses fillings from potatoes, cabbage, mushrooms, fruits and berries, and cottage cheese. In Poland there is a dish known as pierogi ruskie, which is also related to dumplings.
Peculiarity: Dumplings with meat are also often fried after boiling. The finished dish is sprinkled with fried onions and cracklings.
Ravioli, mentioned in Italian literature since the 13th century, is considered a Sicilian dish, where it probably came along the Silk Road from China. Their filling can consist of anything from meat to vegetables, fruits and cheeses or any possible combination of these. Unlike dumplings, ravioli can be not only boiled, but also fried - with this method of preparation, they are usually served with a soup (broth or puree) corresponding to the filling. Boiled ravioli are often served with various sauces, tomato, mushroom, cream, etc.
Peculiarity: The dough is prepared the same as for our dumplings or homemade noodles, but with the addition of olive oil.
Wontons or Hongtun are a type of Chinese dumpling. Their fillings include chicken, pork, shrimp, Chinese cabbage, mushrooms (shiitake, xianggu) and fruits. Wontons are steamed, boiled or fried in vegetable oil. Small boiled pork dumplings usually go into soup, while large fried ones are served separately.
One of the most popular varieties is Sichuan spicy wonton soup. who immortalized Lil B. The dish consists of dumplings drenched in a spicy broth seasoned with chili and black vinegar.
Peculiarity: Ginger, garlic and hot pepper are usually added to wonton mince.
Manti is a Central Asian dish that is popular in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. Manti are very closely related to the Chinese dumplings baozi (the Mongolian-Buryat buuz, boz or poses also originated from them). The filling in manti can be made from lamb, beef, horse meat, goat meat and poultry. Often fat tail fat, camel hump or cow udder are added. As for vegetables, minced meat can be complemented by onions, potatoes, pumpkin or carrots. Manti is served with sour cream, tomato sauce, hot pepper and garlic.
Peculiarity: Manti are steamed in special steam cookers.
Modak is a traditional dumpling from the Indian state of Maharashtra. The dough is made from rice flour and the filling is made with crushed coconut pulp and jaggery, nuts and cardamom. The dome-shaped dumplings are fried or steamed and eaten with hot ghee (clarified butter). This dish is traditionally prepared on the day of worship of Ganesha. It is with this delicacy in his hand that this god of wisdom and prosperity is depicted in sculptures (holds the sweetness in his left hand and reaches for it with his trunk).
xiao long bao
Shanghai dumplings, shaped like khinkali, are steamed in bamboo baskets. Their filling consists of pork and a large amount of broth. There are even types of xiao long bao, in which, instead of minced meat, a jelly-like aspic is placed - during steaming it melts, forming a broth. The hot liquid filling is drunk through a straw and sealed with a dough shell.
Peculiarity: The juice is the most important part of the dish.
Kimchi Mandu
Korean spicy dumplings, more closely related historically to manta rays from central Asia than to their Chinese or Japanese cousins. Boiled mandu usually comes in a round shape, similar to our domestic ones. Mandu for frying are molded in the form of boats. The meat filling (usually half pork, half beef) adds onion, ginger, as well as tofu and spicy Chinese cabbage kimchi (both products must be squeezed out to get rid of excess moisture). For a vegetarian version, the meat can be replaced with mushrooms - preferably shiitake.
Peculiarity: Mandu is served with soy sauce.
The term dim sum traditionally refers to southern Chinese breakfast dishes that include pu-erh tea, rice soup, shrimp balls, porridge, baked goods and other dishes. Nowadays, this word increasingly means something similar to dumplings with a thin, almost transparent layer of rice dough and a wide variety of fillings. Popular fillings: minced pork, chicken, duck, shrimp, crab or vegetables and all possible combinations thereof. Usually a set of four to five types of dumplings is ordered for the table.
Peculiarity: Served in a bamboo steamer, in which they are cooked.
Ban bot lock
A Vietnamese type of dumplings or dumplings with dough made from tapioca starch (in Russian realities, potato starch is also suitable). The filling is made from pork and shrimp, but the beauty of the dish lies in the sweet and sour sauce. To prepare it, mix 3 tablespoons of hot water, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce and a tablespoon of sugar in a bowl. Squeeze the juice from half a lime there and add garlic, chili pepper, cilantro and green onions to taste.
A Taiwanese snack consisting of disc-shaped dumplings with a diameter of six to eight centimeters. The translucent dough contains a filling of minced meat flavored with savory. As usual, ba-van is served with sweet and sour sauce. The filling varies among different regions of Taiwan, but generally consists of a mixture of pork, bamboo shoots and shiitake mushrooms. The gelatinous, sticky dough is made from a combination of cornstarch, sweet potato starch, and rice flour. Traditionally, ba wan is steamed, but is also served deep fried.
Momos are actually more like steamed buns than dumplings (and yes, it turns out they're not just a car accessory brand). They are prepared both with and without filling in Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, in the Indian states of Sikkim, Darjeeling and the Ladakh region. Having Himalayan origins, the dish is a close relative of poz, manti and dumplings. A variety of meats, vegetables (cabbage, potatoes, chayote) or cheese (traditionally paneer or smoked chhurpi) are placed inside the dough. As a rule, momos are served with garlic or tomato-based sauce.
Peculiarity: Minced meat for the filling is prepared with the addition of onions, garlic, coriander, salt, pepper and often cumin.
Polish ears
Polish ears are miniature dumplings made from unleavened dough, a smaller version of the Polish dish called pierogi (which are not at all like our pies). Usually the ears are filled with wild mushrooms and/or minced meat. Traditionally served as a side dish or added to soup (Polish red borscht), although they are also eaten simply with melted butter, herbs and green onions. Ears are also part of the traditional Christmas table in Poland.
Peculiarity: The smaller the Polish abalone, the higher the class of the cook is considered.
Gyoza is originally a Chinese Jiaozi dish, which then became very popular throughout Japan. These oriental dumplings are made from very thin dough and filled with minced pork, Chinese cabbage, neera (can be replaced with leeks or green onions), sesame oil with the addition of garlic and ginger. Meat can also be replaced with seafood. Dumplings are served with soy sauce, rice vinegar and hot oil. Fried gyoza is most popular in Japan, although it is also boiled and steamed.
Peculiarity: Fry the dumplings on one side until golden brown, then add water and cover until the top of the gyoza is cooked.
Khinkali is the Georgian answer to manta rays, poses and Chinese analogues. The filling is traditionally spiced minced lamb or a combination of beef and pork (onions and cilantro are often added). The dough is prepared only from flour, salt and water. As it cooks, the raw meat filling the dough pouch releases precious broth. When you first take a bite, it is important not to spill it on the plate, but to drink it carefully. As usual, the upper part of the khinkali - the tail - is not eaten.
Peculiarity: Ready-made khinkali are generously sprinkled with ground pepper, but it is not customary to serve sauce with them - they already have enough juice.
Fan guo, or ChaoZhou Fun Guo, is a type of dumpling native to the southern Chinese province of Guangdong. They are typically filled with crushed peanuts, garlic, green onions, ground pork, dried shrimp, dried radishes and shiitake mushrooms. They also add cilantro, jicama or dried daikon. All this is wrapped in fairly thick pancakes made from a dough based on wheat flour, tapioca flour, corn or potato starch and water.
Peculiarity: Steamed dumplings served with spicy chili oil.
Shvestkove dumplings
Švestkové dumplings are Czech dumplings with fruits: plums, less often apricots, cherries and even peaches. First, knead the dough from 2 cups of flour, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons of melted butter, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1/4 cup of milk and 1 teaspoon of salt. Small fruits are then coated in the mixture and cooked in boiling water for about 8 minutes. After this, the dumplings need to be flavored with butter and sprinkled with sugar.
Peculiarity: Before serving, sprinkle with cinnamon and top with cottage cheese or whipped cream.
Apple dumping
Apple Dumpling (which can literally be translated as "apple dumpling") is a popular dish throughout the United States and is especially common among the Amish in and around Pennsylvania. Despite the name, the dish is more reminiscent of strudel than anything from the list described above. Peeled and chopped apples, seasoned with cinnamon and sugar, are wrapped in rolled out dough and baked in the oven until tender.
Peculiarity: The finished dish is served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Daifuku, or daifukumochi, is a Japanese dessert consisting of rice dough filled with anko (bean paste boiled with sugar or honey), grated melon or fruit. Daifuku can vary from three centimeters in diameter to the size of a palm. Sweet dumplings are eaten cold, fried or microwaved.
Peculiarity: Daifuku is often sprinkled with powdered sugar or cocoa powder.
In fact, there are many types of Chinese dumplings, and there are even more fillings for them. I think everyone knows that when it comes to cuisine, the Chinese are very big dreamers. Therefore, it is simply not possible to cover all types. Today, I will first briefly talk about the main types of Chinese dumplings, since if you search for their recipes online by name, then on the first pages of Yandex there will be a lot of unreliable information. And then I’ll show you how you can independently prepare one of the most widespread types of dumplings at home, and in a variation that will be acceptable to you and me.
What are Chinese dumplings called?
To begin with, it should be noted that they can be divided into two categories: those that are boiled in water, and those that are steamed. True, some of them can be prepared either way. I wouldn’t single out fried ones separately, since this is a subspecies of the first two.
Jiaozi- these are dumplings with various fillings, the shape of which is identical to our dumplings. They are always boiled in water and then called shuijiao, and sometimes after boiling they are fried in oil in a frying pan and then renamed jianjiao. The list of fillings can be endless. It will be meat, vegetables, seafood (for example, small shrimp), and even a mixture of these three ingredients, translated as “three freshnesses.”
Baozi- These are steamed dumplings, the closest relatives of Buryat poses (or buuz). Their dough is thick and loose. They are steamed in wooden wicker baskets.
Xiaolongbao- a type of baozi. In appearance and sculpting method they are similar to Georgian khinkali, but are steamed. Unlike baozi, their dough is thin, like dumplings.
Shaomai The shape resembles a knot, slightly open at the top. Their dough is very thin, almost transparent, and they are also steamed.
Hongtun or as they are called in southern China wonton, - small dumplings, usually round in shape, usually served in broth or soup with the addition of vegetables and other ingredients.
Very often, a number of Chinese dumplings include dim sum(or dim sum). Although in fact this is the southern Chinese pronunciation of the word "dianxin", which translates as small sweets, small snacks. I’m not very familiar with the cuisine of southern China, so I can’t say for sure, but I assume that some of the small dumplings are considered such a snack there. However, it is not true to think that dim sum is only dumplings.
Today I will introduce you in detail, step by step, to the recipe for the most popular type - jiaozi.
Dumpling dough - recipe
Usually, in everyday life, the simplest dough is prepared: flour, water and salt. The secret is long kneading, after which it becomes very elastic and rolls out thin. But I want to suggest you make choux pastry (the Chinese don’t avoid it either). In my opinion, this is generally the most successful dumpling dough, easy to work with and manageable.
Ingredients:
- flour – 350g;
- salt – 0.5 tsp;
- water – 200ml;
- egg – 1 piece;
- vegetable oil – 2 tbsp.
Cooking process
Filling for dumplings
As I already wrote at the beginning, we will not prepare such dumplings, which as a result will seem too exotic to you. Therefore, we will take ordinary minced pork, to which we will add only a few additional ingredients, which will refer us to Chinese cuisine.
Filling composition:
- minced meat – 300g;
- onion – 1 piece;
- ginger root - a small piece;
- celery - a small bunch of leaves or a piece of stem;
- garlic – 1 clove;
- soy sauce – 3 tbsp;
- salt - to taste;
- water – 3-4 tbsp.
How to prepare the filling
How to make Chinese dumplings
We will boil Jiaozi in water like regular dumplings. Those. Bring the water to a boil, add a little salt. Place the dumplings in boiling water and stir gently for a minute so that they do not stick to the bottom of the pan. Then we just make sure that the water doesn’t boil too much and doesn’t splash out.
When they float to the surface, cook for another 5 minutes and listen with a slotted spoon.
By the way, the Chinese cook jiaozi somewhat differently from us. They wait until it boils and pour a few tablespoons of cold water into the pan. When the water boils again, pour cold water again. Those. don't let it boil. Perhaps so that the actively boiling water does not damage the thin dumpling dough.
What to serve dumplings with
Traditionally, jiaozi is served with soy sauce and dark rice vinegar. It’s difficult to buy this vinegar here in Russia, so I recommend doing this:
- Peel a couple of cloves of garlic.
- Chop them finely.
- Pour soy sauce into a small cup and add garlic to it.
When you eat and take a bite of the dumpling, pour a teaspoon of garlic sauce into it. This is delicious!
Cooking gurus never tire of surprising us with their imagination.
Cooking techniques are constantly being updated with new products, and restaurant menus are expanding and becoming richer in outlandish names. If you see transparent dumplings, liquid bread, hot ice or hard borscht on the list of dishes, do not be alarmed.
This just means that you have come to a molecular gastronomy restaurant...
The chef here is both a chemist and a physicist, and his dishes break traditional ideas about food. Let's get to know molecular gastronomy better!
You can’t forbid eating beautifully
Molecular gastronomy is a real deception for the senses. They may bring you a plate and ask you to wait until the waiters bring…the smell. It sounds anecdotal, but in fact it is reality.
Molecular gastronomy is not known to everyone. Most ordinary people believe that this is harmful and that it is not worth trying such things. In fact, molecular cuisine dishes are dietary and unusual in taste. And the serving of such food and the process of tasting it is a real enchanting show.
Who first decided to try combining science and cooking? Molecular cuisine appeared in the 80s of the last century. An English physicist named Nicholas Curti said that people pay too little attention to their gastronomic preferences. According to him, it is easier for us to measure the temperature of the atmosphere of the planet Venus than to understand what processes are occurring in the soufflé that is on our table.
After retirement, he tried to systematize data on the physical and chemical properties of products. The term “molecular gastronomy” was coined by Nicholas Courti together with his follower, the French chemist Hervé Thys.
Today, the most famous chefs in the world who prepare dishes of molecular, or, as it is also called, modern cuisine are Heston Blumenthal from the restaurant “The Fat Duck”, Ferran Adria from “El Bulli”, Spain, Michel Bras from restaurant "Michel Bras" in France, Frenchman Pierre Gagnaire from "Pierre Gagnaire" and Anatoly Comm from the Russian restaurant "Varvara".
From ordinary products they create masterpieces akin to the paintings of Salvador Dali and Van Gogh. Culinary geniuses are real alchemists who have tamed the laws of physics and chemistry.
They dispute the correctness of the term “molecular gastronomy,” but gourmets really liked it and were accepted with a bang in the world of gastronomy.
Art is a matter of technology
"Modernist cuisine", which is what molecular cuisine is also called, requires certain skills in working with products and the presence of special devices. The most popular techniques used by celebrity chefs today are:
1. Freezing
The essence of the technique is the treatment of products with liquid nitrogen. The temperature of this substance is minus 196 degrees Celsius. This makes it possible to instantly freeze a product of any consistency. In addition, liquid nitrogen evaporates instantly, so you can make ice from any sauce, cream or juice right in front of restaurant visitors, which many restaurateurs practice in their establishments.
Agnès Marshall was the first to use liquid nitrogen to make ice cream back in 1877. Among his contemporaries, Blumenthal introduced this method of processing products for his menu.
Freezing with liquid nitrogen, firstly, saves a lot of time (ice cream, for example, can be cooled to the required temperature in just a few seconds). Secondly, it makes it possible to completely preserve all the properties of products, their color, moisture content, and vitamin composition.
2. Emulsification
The most delicate foam from fruit or vegetable juice is the taste itself in its purest form. Ferran Adria first introduced this technique in his own restaurant, but the basics of preparing espuma were known back in the 17th century.
It’s now difficult to surprise with foams made from fruits, vegetables and drinks; cooking gurus have moved on. Espuma is made from different types of meat, mushrooms, cocoa and coffee. The result is a light, weightless sauce. An example is the dish of Anatoly Komm. The most delicate mousse made from Borodino bread with unrefined butter and salt can win the heart of any gourmet. Magic, no less!
Create the effect of espuma using the additive - soy lecithin, which is extracted from soybean oil (pre-filtered). Used for preparing glazes, chocolate products, water-oil and air-water emulsions.
3. Vacuumization
The sous-vide cooking technique is an advanced process of cooking food in a water bath. The ingredients are sealed in special vacuum bags, in which they are then cooked at a temperature of about 60 degrees Celsius for many hours and sometimes even days. Meat products prepared in this way remain juicy and tender, as well as incredibly flavorful. The vacuum method is good for marinating meat, fruits and vegetables.
4. Gelatinization
Jelly can also be made at home, usually from a bag or using gelatin. What's the catch? Molecular gelatinization is the art of creating ordinary, seemingly at first glance, dishes from unusual products. Mango-flavored egg, arugula spaghetti, honey caviar - such delights on a plate will pleasantly surprise you.
The gelatinization effect is achieved using the following additives:
agar-agar– natural thickener based on seaweed, very stable, dietary;
carrageenan– another algae-based thickener that gives the substance a viscosity or jelly-like structure.
5. Spherization
One of the most spectacular molecular gastronomy techniques introduced to the public by Ferran Adria. Sodium alginate when diluted in liquid it becomes a thickener, upon contact with calcium lactate acts as a gelling agent. It is in this way that artificial caviar with any taste is created. Imagine a liquid enclosed in a thin shell. Trying it is a pleasure. It turns out to be such an unexpected explosion of taste.
Another way to create an interesting effect when serving a molecular dish is to use dry ice, which is essentially frozen carbon dioxide. If you pour it with a special aromatic substance mixed with water, it releases a very bright smell that takes the taste sensation to a completely different level. Sleight of hand and no fraud, but the trick is very effective.
Helpers in the molecular kitchen
Chefs also have special kitchen gadgets in their arsenal that help separate the wheat from the chaff, as they say. For example, a rotary evaporator helps to make a concentrate from any liquid, which is then used to create gels and spheres, and a centrifuge helps to separate any product into several components that are used for cooking (tomato juice thus turns into thick tomato paste, pale yellow juice and fats with a strong aroma).
Anyone who wants to try setting up an experimental molecular kitchen at home can purchase a beginner cook's starter kit. It costs $125 and includes 5 molecular additives in jars, a syringe, flexible spaghetti tubes and a few other necessary items.
A siphon for mousses and foams costs 4,500 rubles, a set for cocktails – 3,500 rubles, liquid nitrogen – about 1,000 rubles/10 liters, dry ice – 1,500 rubles per kilogram.
A selection of simple molecular dishes
Experts note that it is impossible to prepare a full-fledged restaurant dish at home. In any case, a non-professional will not be able to give it the taste that a real master chef can easily handle. However, without delving into the culinary technology of the future, but knowing the basic concepts of molecular cuisine, you can try to create something unusual and surprise your loved one or friends with a new dish.
molecular egg
Unusually, you can cook an egg in the most ordinary way - by placing it in the oven for 2 hours at a temperature of exactly 64 degrees. The texture is completely different from the one cooked on the stove - more tender and softer.
Molecular tomato soup
Pour 350 ml into the pan. low-fat chicken broth, add vegetables cut into slices: 1 carrot, half a leek, 6 cherry tomatoes. Season with basil, parsley, green onions, salt and pepper to taste. Squeeze two or three cloves of garlic into the broth. Add 2 tablespoons of thick tomato paste. Bring to a boil, cook over low heat for another 20 minutes.
Puree with a blender and strain through cheesecloth. Add one agar-agar sachet to the prepared vegetable liquid. Put it back on the fire, stir and bring to a boil. Pour into molds and refrigerate until completely set.
Shuba roll
Beat beet juice and beet pulp in a blender, strain through cheesecloth. Pour the liquid into a saucepan, add one sachet of agar-agar to it, bring it all to a boil and remove from the stove. Pour beet juice with thickener into a thin layer onto a tray with cling film. After cooling, grated boiled vegetables - potatoes and carrots, as well as a strip of herring are laid out on the prepared gelled sheets. Cut the finished roll with a sharp knife.
In this way, any salad can be made in the form of rolls - for example, from a carrot “film” you can make the beloved “Mimosa”, which is loved by many.
Mango under coconut snow
Cut the mango into thin slices. Gently pour liquid nitrogen into the prepared coconut cream and mix. Place mango slices on a flower-shaped plate and sprinkle with cold “snow.”
Raspberry ravioli
Add one sachet of sodium alginate to 475 grams of water, stir until it is completely dissolved. Leave for 15 minutes. Beat 1.5-2 cups of fresh raspberries in a blender with one tablespoon of sugar and half a teaspoon of calcium lactate. Drop the raspberry mousse into the solution with a spoon and leave for three minutes. Rinse in water and make a beautiful presentation.
Orange juice caviar
Strain the juice of one orange. Add one teaspoon of algin. Mix with a blender or whisk. Add a teaspoon of calcium chlorine to a glass of water to make it harder. Pour the juice with algin into a syringe and drop drop by drop into a glass of water. To remove the bitterness of calcium chlorine, the caviar must be washed in cold water.
Strawberry spaghetti
To make this recipe a reality, you will need 400 grams of strawberry puree, 25 grams of strawberry syrup (thick), 75 grams of sugar syrup, 25 grams of gelling agent.
Mix all ingredients and heat strongly, without letting it boil. Draw hot liquid into a syringe, attach a flexible silicone tube immersed in cold water to the syringe. After cooling, the finished spaghetti is squeezed onto a plate and decorated with fruit to taste or sour cream and sugar foam.
Spaghetti using this principle can be made from the same tomato soup or arugula mixed in a blender with water - from any vegetable or fruit.
Chemistry in the kitchen: is it really useful?
White rum mousse with raspberry sauce in the form of foam, spinach jelly soup, dessert floating in the air, shrimp carpaccio, which has three flavors - it sounds and looks beautiful...
But are such dishes safe? Would you like to order at a restaurant or try to cook at home something that contains “sodium alginate”, “calcium chloride” or “maltodexins”?
Molecular cuisine – Not molecular chemistry. Additives from bags affect the consistency of the ingredients rather than the taste of the dish or its nutritional value. Sodium alginate is used in the food industry for the preparation of mayonnaise and sauces, maltodexins - in baby food, calcium chloride - for the production of cheese. These supplements are approved and do not cause irreparable harm to the body.
Of course, molecular cuisine is not a delicacy for every day; this can be seen both in the price of the dishes and in the complexity of their preparation. But this gastronomic miracle is definitely worth trying.
By and large, any culinary process can be considered a kind of molecular gastronomy. So, when preparing semolina porridge in the morning, know that you deserve the title of a real chef. And if you add at least a little love to each dish, it will automatically turn into a masterpiece!
One of the favorite oriental dishes among foreigners is chinese dumplings. They are somewhat similar to the ones we are used to, but some differences in the recipe make this dish moderately exotic and interesting for almost everyone who has tried it.
So, the peculiarity of minced meat for Chinese dumplings is that cooks mix pork, beef, lamb, poultry, shrimp with chopped vegetables. Vegetables used include Chinese cabbage, leeks or onions, spinach, and mushrooms.
So, if you want to try cooking this not very labor-intensive, but tasty and festive dish, go ahead!
We offer an approximate list of products that can be easily varied:
The meat is chopped finely It is better not to use a meat grinder. Peel and finely chop the ginger. Chop the onion (one and the other) with a knife, do the same with mushrooms, spinach and all the other dough ingredients. There should be about the same amount of meat as vegetables. This gives the dumplings a special juiciness and flavor. 
Seasoning for Chinese dumplings is added to the minced meat and salted, but carefully - the minced meat should be slightly undersalted. The fact is that traditionally these dumplings are served with spicy sauces, where rice vinegar, soy sauce are mixed, pepper, sesame oil, ginger and other ingredients are added to taste.
The dough is made from flour and starch (starch - approximately ¼ of the amount of flour or a little more), cold water and eggs. Starch allows you to roll it out thinner and makes the dough transparent. Chinese dumplings are made a little differently than we are used to. After kneading, the dough needs to rest for a while, then it is rolled into long ropes, which are then cut into portioned balls. These balls are rolled out with a rolling pin into slightly elongated “pancakes”. The filling in Chinese dumplings is not very generous, so that they do not tear during the cooking process due to the abundance of juice.
The dumpling is shaped like this. The filling is placed in the center of the oval pancake, then the dough is folded in half, as for a dumpling we are used to, but they are pinched with both hands on both sides at once and, as it were, the sealing area is brought together to the center, thus, you get something between a dumpling and a manti.
This is exactly what a “correct” Chinese dumpling looks like!
Cook Chinese dumplings in a large amount of fresh water (the dough is also not salted!), stirring carefully with a slotted spoon so that they do not stick to each other and to the bottom. 
Serve hot with various sauces.
Hajiao [虾饺] - from Chinese cuisine
ABOUT! Dumplings! Mi-mi-mi...
This is Hajiao - the famous “transparent” shrimp dumplings. A kind of calling card of the Yam Cha tradition. Due to popular demand, I am providing the recipe.
Ingredients
For the test
- Boiling water – 240 ml
- Wheat starch— 240 ml
- Tapioca starch- 2 tbsp. *
- Vegetable oil- 2 tsp.
For filling
- Raw shrimp - 250 g
- Canned bamboo shoots— 100 g
- Raw lard - 50 g
- Egg white - 1 piece
- Soy sauce - 1 tbsp.
- Sugar - 1 tsp.
- Corn starch- 1 tbsp.
- Sesame oil - 0.5 tsp.
- Salt
Rinse the bamboo shoots well, pour boiling water over them and cut into thin strips. Grind half the shrimp into minced meat, cut the second into large pieces, mix, add finely chopped lard, bamboo and the rest of the ingredients, knead and leave for half an hour.
In a large bowl, mix two types of starch. Pour vegetable and sesame oil into a separate bowl, add boiling water, stir a little and pour it all into a bowl with starch. Mix everything well with chopsticks or a wooden spoon. After that, transfer the dough to a board and knead well once it has cooled a little. As a result, the dough should not stick to your hands. If necessary, the board can be dusted with wheat starch. Cover the dough with a damp towel and leave for 5 minutes.
Roll out the dough into a “sausage” with a diameter of about 3 cm and cut into equal parts of the same length. Place under a towel to prevent the dough from drying out.
Before rolling out, a piece of dough needs to be squeezed properly in your hand and warmed up. How to roll out. I usually roll it out with a Chinese cleaver lightly greased with sesame oil. You can simplify it: put a ball of dough between two layers of baking paper, press it hard with a wide knife (the dough will immediately become an even circle) and then with the same knife, straight through the paper, roll it out to the desired thickness, making circular movements, clockwise and counterclockwise arrows. However, don’t overthink it—an ordinary rolling pin will do. Try to roll out thinner at the edges than in the middle.
The juice should be approximately 9-10 cm in diameter. Place a little filling in the center (about 1 tsp) and close with large overlapping stitches, in the shape of a crescent. Don't ask how. It is difficult to explain in detail in words. Someday I'll take step-by-step photos. In general, sculpt it as you please - it won’t affect the taste. We sculpted them in the form of hares. And even in the form of hedgehogs. The main thing is not to stretch the dough, otherwise it will tear. Did you play with plasticine as a child? Here! Sculpt.
Place the finished dumpling in a steamer on baking paper greased with vegetable oil with holes cut in it (you can use thin slices of carrots, lettuce, spinach, etc.) and cover with a lid. Once the steamer is full, steam the dumplings for 5-6 minutes until they become translucent. Serve with soy sauce mixed with rice vinegar 3 to 1.
The dumplings turn out absolutely magical. If the raw dough is absolutely snow-white, then when finished it becomes matte-translucent, a little sticky. Very unusual, but tasty. Some call them narcotic - you get hooked on them very quickly.
By the way, the ears of hares really live their own lives and shake very funny when they move. As I say, it’s all mi-mi-mi.
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* - tapioca starch replaces corn starch, the opposite is also true
Note:
Yam-Cha
- one of the most original and never interrupted tea traditions.
Tea party yum-cha
occurs, as a rule, in the first half of the day, in special establishments or in separate rooms at restaurants. To a cup of fragrant oolongor pu-erh, a large number of small snacks called dim sum
Dumplings play a big role in Chinese cuisine and occupy a special place in it. In any real Chinese restaurant, a separate chef is always responsible for working with the dough, that is, dumplings and dim sum, who does nothing else - only dumplings and dim sum. According to one version, it was from China that dumplings spread throughout the world.
Can any food touch your heart? The Chinese believe that... “Touch the heart”, “ignite the soul”
- this is how the phrase can be translated from Cantonese "dim sum" [点心, diǎnxin].
The day of a modern Chinese begins with a newspaper, a cigarette and dim sum. As soon as the “tea houses” open, and they open very early, there is a full house inside: loud voices merge with the clanking of tea utensils and the rustle of newspapers, cigarette smoke hangs from the ceiling, a line forms for food - in order not to miss anything, sometimes you have to throw away decency and do a good job with your elbows. And around the hall, like junks on a winding river, waitresses skillfully maneuver between the tables with carts lined with high towers of small bamboo steamers.
The classic type of dim sum includes Hajiao [虾饺, hájiǎo]
— famous “transparent” dumplings with shrimp. A kind of calling card of tradition "Yam Cha"
.
Contrary to popular belief, dim sum includes more than just dumplings. In fact, this is a whole kaleidoscope of small snacks, the variety of which is amazing.
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Additional information on the Chinese grocery store in Moscow:
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