Bulbianiki

Ingredients

Potato dough

• 1.5 kgfloury potatoes, peeled
• 1egg
• 3 tablespoonspotato starch
• 2 teaspoonssalt
• black pepper

Meat filling

• 300 gminced pork
• 1onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoonoil
• salt and black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoonmarjoram

Or mushroom filling

• 400 gmushrooms, chopped
• 1onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoonsbutter
• 1 tablespoonsoured cream
• salt and pepper

To serve

• 150 gsmoked bacon, diced
• 1onion, chopped
• 200 mlsoured cream
• chopped dill

Directions

1. Peel the potatoes and grate them very finely. Use the fine side of a box grater or a food processor. Work quickly, since grated potato browns within minutes. Tip the grated potato into a cloth over a bowl.
2. Twist the cloth and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Squeeze hard, since a wet dough will not hold a filling. Give it about ten minutes to settle. Pour the clear water off the top and discard it. Add the egg and the potato starch to the potato. Season it with salt and black pepper.
3. Mix it all together thoroughly. It should be thick enough to shape in your hands. Add a little more potato starch if it is loose. Work fast once the dough is made. Making the meat filling takes a few minutes. Fry the chopped onion in the oil until soft.
4. Add the minced pork and break it up as it cooks. Cook it until it is browned right through. Season it with salt, pepper and marjoram. Let it cool completely before you use it. Warm filling makes the potato dough go slack. Fry the chopped onion in the butter until soft. Add the chopped mushrooms and turn the heat up.
5. Cook them hard until all their water has gone. That takes about ten minutes of steady cooking. Stir in the soured cream and season it. Let it cool completely before filling. Shaping them takes a little practice. Take a handful of the potato dough. Flatten it into a thick disc in your palm. Put a spoonful of cold filling in the centre. Fold the dough up around it with your other hand.
6. Seal it completely so no filling shows through. Shape it into an oval or a fat cylinder. Set each one on a floured tray. Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil. Do not crowd the pot at any point. Lift one out and cut it to check the middle. Heat the oven to 200C and butter a dish.
7. Set the shaped dumplings in it in one layer. Brush them with melted butter or oil. Bake them for about forty minutes. They should be golden and cooked right through. Fry the diced bacon in a dry pan until crisp. Add the chopped onion to the rendered fat. Cook them together for about eight minutes. The onion should be soft and golden.
8. Lift the dumplings out and drain them well. Set them out in warm deep bowls. Pour the bacon, onion and fat over them. Spoon soured cream over the top of that. Scatter chopped dill over everything. They are eaten hot with a fork.

Technique

• Bulba is the Belarusian word for potato, and Belarusians are nicknamed bulbashy for the place potatoes hold in their cooking.
• The starch settled out of the squeezed potato liquid is returned to the dough and is what binds it.

Substitutions

• Minced beef or a mix of pork and beef works in place of pure pork.
• Dried mushrooms soaked and chopped give a stronger mushroom filling.

Variations

• A baked version with a crisper outside is made in many households.
• Some cooks add fried onion to the potato dough itself.
• Draniki, the Belarusian potato pancake, uses the same grated potato base.

History

Belarusian potato cookery at its fullest, from a country nicknamed bulbashy for its potato diet.

Frequently asked questions

What is Bulbianiki?

Bulbianiki is a main from Belarus: grated potato dumplings stuffed with meat or mushrooms, boiled or baked. Belarusian potato cookery at its fullest, from a country nicknamed bulbashy for its potato diet.

How long does Bulbianiki take to make?

Bulbianiki takes 1 hour of preparation and 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Bulbianiki?

Yes, within limits. Minced beef or a mix of pork and beef works in place of pure pork. Dried mushrooms soaked and chopped give a stronger mushroom filling.

What is the most important thing to get right in Bulbianiki?

Seal it completely so no filling shows through. Shape it into an oval or a fat cylinder. Set each one on a floured tray. Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil. Do not crowd the pot at any point. Lift one out and cut it to check the middle. Heat the oven to 200C and butter a dish.