Dumplings (Halushky, Halušky, Halushki, Haluski) is a very ancient traditional everyday nutrient pasta originating in Ukraine. These are little pieces of dough without filling usually boiled and served with different sauces. On this page, you can find a popular ancient step-by-step recipe by Etnocook on how to make these dumplings with cottage cheese.
History of the homemade Ukrainian Halushki
During the Kyiv Rus (Kievan Rus, IX-XIII centuries) this dish was as famous as the world wide known Ukrainian Borshch (Borshcht) and Varenyky (Pierogi, Pyrohy), the authentic recipes of which are reconstructed by the traditional Ukrainian cuisine Etnocook.
Ivan Kotliarevsky (1769-1838), Ukrainian poet and playwright mentioned the famous Ukrainian ethnic dish Halushky in his poem “Eneyida”:
“They spent their time in eating cates,
Sweetmeats and all confections rare;
White wheaten dumplings filled their plates
And puffy rolls with caviare;
Garlic and borsch and sauerkraut,
Mushrooms and berries joined the rout,
Hard eggs with tasty kvass were here,
And a delicious omelet
By foreign chefs one’s zest to whet,
And all this food they drowned in beer” Ivan Kotliarevsky
In the Ukrainian city Poltava there is a monument to the famous dumplings Halushky. It is a huge bowl with seventeen concrete dumplings on a pedestal decorated with a traditional Ukrainian towel.
How to make dumplings Haluski from scratch
In this ethnic recipe from Etnocook are used very healthy ingredients such as whole-wheat flour and cottage cheese. As it is well known, the whole-wheat flour contains all of the grain (bran, germ, and endosperm), vitamins, minerals (selenium), protein, calcium, iron, fiber. Whole-grain wheat flour is very nutritious and mixed with the white flower makes a perfect dough for Dumplings. Ukrainian homemade cottage cheese is a great source of calcium and protein.
Ukrainian homemade dumplings are very easy to cook, and, of course, they are very tasty. Halushky can be made just of flour and water or with added vegetables, eggs, cheese (cottage cheese, curd, or sheep milk cheese Bryndza), mushrooms, meat, berries.
Actually, there are a lot of different ways how to prepare dumplings. Ukrainians usually use old fashioned methods of boiling and steaming the most. However, Halushky can be also simmered, fried, and even baked.
How to serve Haluski
Ukrainian national dish Halushky are usually served as the main course with butter, vegetable oil, sour cream, Mushroom gravy, or Chicken hearts stewed in sour cream sauce
Additionally, dumplings Haluski can be used in soups, such as Chanterelle Soup with Сheese dumplings (Halushky), Nettle soup
Ukrainian Cheese Halushky
- For a dough may be taken a little more water or flour, depending on the quality and consistency of the ingredients.
- Quail eggs can be replaced by chicken in a 2: 1 ratio
- When cooking don't cover the pan with a lid, to avoid overcooking
- Ready dish can be be served with onions fried on vegetable oil to golden colour
- Etnocook Mushroom Gravy Recipe (https://etnocook.com.ua/hrybna-pidlyva/)
Ingredients of the Cheese dumplings (Halushky)
- cottage cheese - 300 g
- whole-wheat flour - 80 g
- vegetable oil (sunflower oil) - 50 ml
- water - 50 ml + 3 l for cooking
- quail egg - 2
- salt - ~4 g, to taste
- Sauce (to taste)
- butter - 50 g
- green dill - 50 g
- sour cream - 150 g, to taste
Instructions:
1. Prepare the ingredients for Cheese Dumplings
Prepare all the ingredients that are needed to cook delicious Ukrainian Dumplings Halushky with cottage cheese and whole-grain flour with the recipe from the traditional ethnic cuisine Etnocook.
2. Put ingredients in a deep bowl
In a deep bowl put cottage cheese, sifted flour, eggs, oil, salt, and add water in small portions.
3.Make the dough for Halushky
Make the elastic dough, adding flour if necessary (if the dough is too liquid) or water, if it is too tight.
4. Form dumplings
Put on the kitchen surface (desk or board) a little amount of flour, roll out the dough thin of 1/2 cm, and form dumplings by knife, ~2X2 cm each.
5. Cook and serve dumplings
Cook small portions of dumplings in a lot of boiling water over low heat for ~ 5-10 minutes. Put Halushky in a deep bowl, pour the onions fried in butter, add sour cream, greenery and serve hot.