Baked Pierogi with Vegan Mince Filling and Dip
When I think of pierogi, I always think of a warm, light-flooded, cozy kitchen with a wonderful smell and flour and yeast dough sticking everywhere. My grandma from Estonia used to take a whole day to prepare these deliciously fragrant yeast dough dumplings, only to watch with a smile as they were eaten up in a matter of minutes at family celebrations.
I learned the best trick for recipes with yeast dough from her, and I'll let you in on it, too: yeast dough can only rise if everything is done very calmly and carefully, so shhh. With this rule, you quickly have your kitchen to yourself, and the baking experience is a little relaxation cure. There were never that many utensils in her kitchen, so don't be afraid if you don't have a rolling pin, cookie cutter or the skills to shape beautiful little pastries. At my grandma's, a smooth bottle, a thin-walled cup and a fork were always enough to join the edges. And I can tell you: preparing today's recipe is very meditative. So, take enough time to shape your little pierogi with blissful relaxation.
Dumplings can be found all over the world and are a very popular traditional food. Whether Gyozas, Wan-Tans, Manti, Ravioli, Samosas, Maultaschen or like today: Piroggen. Every country has its own delicacies to offer, and if you're as in love with dumplings as I am, you can take a good look around our blog and go on a little dumpling journey.
The recipe is traditionally made with meat, and it took me a while to find the perfect vegan filling. However, since the world of vegan substitutes has revolutionized, there are many filling options. So, if you don't have vegan mince, vegan bacon, smoked tofu, or mushrooms are also delicious alternatives.
My family never misses out on pierogi at family celebrations, and they are loved by young and old alike. The great thing about them is that you can enjoy them straight from the oven (if you have enough puffing power) or cold, which makes them suitable for any time of year. My fresh yogurt dip with chili is an addition to my grandma's recipe. It brings a slightly spicy freshness to the savory recipe.
But now, get to work on the yeast dough and the filling - try it out for yourself!
Baked Pierogi with Vegan Mince Filling and Dip
Ingredients
For the yeast dough:
- 0.5 (21 g) (0.75 oz) cube of fresh yeast
- 190 ml (0.75 cup) plant-based milk
- 30 g (0.25 stick) vegan butter
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 300 g (2.5 cups) wheat flour (type 550)
- 1 tsp salt
For the filling:
- 160 g (5.5 oz) carrots
- 150 g (5.33 oz) leek
- 1 large onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 200 g (7 oz) vegan mince
- 2 tbsp vegan butter
- salt
- pepper
For the dip:
- 200 g (0.8 cup) vegan natural yoghurt
- 150 g (0.66 cup) vegan crème fraîche
- 0.5 lemon
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 0.5 tbsp chili flakes
- 0.5 tbsp spicy paprika spice
- salt
- pepper
- 50 g (1.75 oz) parsley
Also:
- plant milk to coat the dumplings
Instructions
For the yeast dough:
Heat the plant-based milk until it is lukewarm. Put the Flour and the sugar in a large bowl. Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm milk and add it to the bowl.
In the meantime, melt the vegan butter and cool to a lukewarm temperature. Add the melted vegan butter and salt to the bowl and knead. Let the dough rise in a warm place for one hour.
For the filling:
- Chop the onion, the carrots, garlic and the leek into small pieces. Heat the butter in a pan and fry the onion in the butter until translucent. Then, add the vegan mince and fry for approximately 5 minutes. Then add the remaining vegetables to the pan. Fry everything together for approximately 10 minutes, then leave to cool.
Form the dumplings:
First, preheat the oven to 180 °C / 355 °F (fan oven). Roll out the dough as thinly as possible. Then, cut out circles using a cup or round cutter.
Add a tablespoon of filling to each dough circle and fold the circles together in the middle. Then, seal the edges with a fork. Brush the pastries with plant milk and bake for 20 minutes.
For the topping:
- Mix the natural yogurt and crème fraîche. Add the juice and zest of half a lemon and stir in. Chop the parsley and crush the garlic, then add both to the yogurt. Season to taste and top with chili flakes and fresh herbs. Finally, serve with the pierogi and enjoy.
