Machanka

Ingredients

Meat

• 400 gsmoked pork ribs, cut between the bones
• 250 gsmoked sausage (kielbasa), sliced 1 cm thick
• 150 gpork belly, skin off, in 1 cm dice

Gravy

• 2large onions, sliced
• 2 tbspplain flour
• 500 mlwater or light pork broth
• 250 mlsmetana or sour cream
• 2bay leaves
• 6black peppercorns, crushed
• ½ tspcaraway seed
• 1 tspsalt
• 2 tbspdill, chopped

Bliny (to dip)

• 250 gplain flour
• 400 mlwhole milk
• 2eggs
• 1 tspsugar
• ½ tspsalt
• 7 gfresh yeast (or ½ tsp dried)
• oil, for the pan

Directions

1. Whisk the bliny milk, yeast, sugar, salt, eggs and flour into a thick batter, cover and leave to rise 45 minutes until bubbled and risen by half. Belarusian bliny are yeasted and thick, not crepe-thin.
2. Meanwhile render the diced pork belly in a heavy pan over medium heat for 8–10 minutes until the fat runs and the dice are golden.
3. Add the sliced onions and cook 10 minutes in the rendered fat until soft and beginning to colour at the edges.
4. Add the ribs and sausage and fry 5 minutes, turning, until the smoked pieces darken and the pan smells of smoke.
5. Scatter the flour over and stir for 2 minutes so it toasts to blond and coats everything, then pour in the water a little at a time, stirring out lumps as you go.
6. Add the bay, crushed peppercorns, caraway and salt, cover and simmer very gently for 40 minutes until the rib meat pulls from the bone and the gravy has thickened to the consistency of pouring cream.
7. Take the pot off the boil, stir in the smetana and warm through without letting it bubble, or it will split. Finish with the dill.
8. Fry the bliny in a lightly oiled pan, a ladle at a time, 2 minutes a side, until golden and spongy.
9. Serve the machanka in a communal bowl in the middle of the table. Everyone tears off a piece of blin, dips it into the gravy and fishes out a piece of meat — the word machanka comes from the verb to dip.

Technique

• Machanka is a dipping gravy, not a stew served in bowls. It should be thick enough to cling to a pancake but loose enough to dip into.
• Smoked pork is the whole flavour. Fresh pork makes a perfectly nice gravy that is not machanka.
• Never boil after the smetana goes in; sour cream curdles instantly at a rolling simmer. Off the heat, stirred in, it stays smooth.

Substitutions

• No smoked ribs: use 400 g of smoked ham hock meat or double the smoked sausage, and add ¼ tsp of smoked paprika to compensate.
• Boiled potatoes or thick draniki are eaten with machanka just as often as bliny.

Variations

• A paler version made with fresh pork, milk and no flour browning, common in the Minsk region.
• Some households finish it with a spoon of mustard or a splash of the brine from pickled cucumbers for sharpness.

History

Pork and sausage stewed into a thick gravy for dipping pancakes, a farmhouse dish eaten from one shared bowl.

Frequently asked questions

What is Machanka?

Machanka is a soup & stew from Belarus: pork and sausage gravy for dipping pancakes. Pork and sausage stewed into a thick gravy for dipping pancakes, a farmhouse dish eaten from one shared bowl.

How long does Machanka take to make?

Machanka takes 20 min of preparation and 1 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Machanka?

Yes, within limits. No smoked ribs: use 400 g of smoked ham hock meat or double the smoked sausage, and add ¼ tsp of smoked paprika to compensate. Boiled potatoes or thick draniki are eaten with machanka just as often as bliny.

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

Take the pot off the boil, stir in the smetana and warm through without letting it bubble, or it will split. Finish with the dill.