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Potato dumplings stuffed with vegan cracklings and served with sauteed and fried sauerkraut
This is a vegan version of an old fashioned homemade dish that my father used to prepare for us years ago. I wanted to make it and enjoy it a long time ago, so now I’m even more excited that I finaly made it. It’s one of those wonderful dishes that awakes and brings old childhood memories while enjoying the gorgeous flavour of vegan fried cracklings filling with fried sauerkraut. It’s loaded with strong flavours, the softness of potato dumplings that are tender and mild creates a perfect balance with strong and sour sauerkraut and vegan fried crispy and tasty cracklings.
As far as my memory goes my father mentioned that he used to eat those dumplings in Austria and Croatia, in counties where those kinds of potato dumplings are something that can be occasionally found on the kitchen menu – stuffed either with fruits, with sweet or savory filling.
Sauerkraut is a fermented cabbage full of probiotics that is one of the main sources of vitamin C through winter, and that is often present at winter time in most households on Balkan peninsula.
This is the dish that takes most of the time for preparation of vegan cracklings because they must dry in the refrigerator for 24 hours, therefore keep that in mind if you decide to make it. Otherwise, it is one of the most simple dishes to make.
Detailed recipe with the list of ingredients can be found in the recipe box under the image section. You may also want to check out Instagram and Facebook under the name Naual A.Hansen where you can find more interesting photos and recipes.
Vegan fried ckracklings, in the image above.
Dumpling dough with filling ready to be closed, in the image above.
POTATO DUMPLINGS WITH FRIED CRACKLINGS & SAUERKRAUT
Potato dumplings stuffed with vegan cracklings seved with sauteed and fryied sauerkraut
Equipment
- Non-stick pot
- Non-stick frying pan
Ingredients
For the potato dumplings:
- 800 gr of mid-size potatoes;
- 400 gr wheat flour;
- 1 tsp. of salt;some water + a bit of salt for cooking potatoes.
For the vegan cracklings and for the cracklings filing:
- 300 gr of TVP chunks or similar chunks made of pease;
- 6 tbsp.of soy sauce;
- 20 drops of liquid smoke;some oil for frying craklings to generously cover the bottom of pan;
- 150 gr of chopped onion + 1-2 tbsp.of oil for frying + pinch of salt.
For the sauteed sauerkraut:
- 750 gr of sauerkraut;
- 3.5-4 dcl of water for sauteing;
- 1 large chopped onion;
- 3 tbsp. of oil;1/4 -1/2 tsp. of ground black pepper;
- 1-2 tsp. of sweet red paprika powder.
Instructions
- Boil TVP (soy) or the similar sort of chunks made of peas in hot boiling water for 1 minute, then let it rest in that water for 10 min. Drain really well out of water by pressing it in a strainer, then put drained chunks on a large flat plate, add soy sauce and liquid smoke to it with 1 tsp. or red paprika powder and stir well. Let it dry out in the fridge until it's just slightly wet - almost totally dry, and that will take 24 hours.
- Frying vegan cracklings: warm up oil on a non-stick frying pan (oil level of a half thickness of a finger) to a high temperature, then add chunks. Fry them on each side in a sizzling hot oil until they are dark brown and crispy. Take them out of a pan and put on paper napkins and cover them above with paper napkins too. Let them rest while napkins absorb oil.
- Sauteing and frying sauerkraut: pour some oil and saute onions in a non-stick pot until they are soft and golden brown, then add sauerkraut and saute for 2 min on a high temperature. Reduce the temperature, add water and sautee sauerkraut until the whole water has evaporated. Add red paprika powder and black pepper, stir well, and start frying on a high temperature without stirring. Once it starts darkening on the bottom stir it briefly and let it fry again on the bottom. Repeat that a couple of times until you are satisfied with colour and the taste. Turn off the stove and set aside.
- Preparation of dough: pour water in a large pot and add a good pinch of salt, add potatoes and cook them until they are tender inside. Drain out of water and peel them off. Mash potatoes with potato masher until a soft consistency, then add wheat flour and salt, and start kneading the dough until it's soft and all of the flour is used.
- Filling of dough: divide the dough into 11-12 equal parts, take one piece after another and spread it in your hand palm (as in images). Fill it with prepared cracklings filling, then close it and shape it in a form of a ball. Repeat the same with the rest of the dough pieces.
- Cooking of potato dumplings: bring salted water to a boil, then once it's boiling start adding potato dumplings. Cook them on a medium high temperature until they start floating on the surface. Then cook them for a minute or two more. Make sure when you put potato dumplings into the water that they don't stick to the bottom, if that happens just gently push them up by using a spoon. At some point they will stop sticking to the bottom and start going up towards the surface.
- Serving: take potato dumplings out, drain the water and put them on top of sauerkraut. Decorate with leftover filling and serve warm. Store in the fridge for up to 2 days, warm it up in a microwave or a pot right before serving.
