Lithuanian Cepelinai

How to make Lithuanian Cepelinai (Zeppelin) Dumplings?

Lithuanian Cepelinai is a national dish of Lithuania. This unique dish is made from potato dough with minced meat inside. Potato dough is made from boiled and raw grated potatoes. The filling is wrapped in the dough and the cepelins are cooked. Cepelinai is served with fried bacon, fresh herbs and sour cream.

For the best result, take reddish-brown potatoes. Gluten in potato varieties is different and the dough can simply boil. The dish requires skill and skill, and it may not work out the first time. It didn’t work out for us the first time! Too much filling (2 tablespoons) did not have time to prepare and the shell of the dough peeled off from the filling.

The first mention of this dish dates back to the beginning of the Second World War. Therefore, the shape of this dish is like a zeppelin.

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Recipe type: Main dishes

Recipe type: Lithuanian

Yield: 6-8

Prep time: 40 mins

Cook time: 35 mins

Ingredients:

Potato starch — 1 tablespoon

Potatoes — 1 kg

Salt — 1 teaspoon

Minced pork — 400 grams

White or yellow onion — 1 onion

Fresh parsley — 1 tablespoon

Bacon — 50 grams per serving

Sour cream — 1 tablespoon per serving

Directions:

1. Wash and peel the potatoes.

2. Put 1/3 of the potatoes in a saucepan with cold water. Turn on the maximum fire. Wait until it boils and cook for 15 minutes.

3. Drain the water and let cool. Grind with a blender or grate on a fine grater. Set aside.

4. Rub the remaining part of the potatoes on a fine grater. Wrap in a thick towel and squeeze out all the moisture from the potatoes. Drain the potato juice into a deep bowl. Allow 5 minutes for the starch to settle to the bottom of the bowl. Drain the water and leave the starch.

5. In a bowl with starch, mix boiled and raw grated potatoes, add salt and a tablespoon of potato starch. Stir until smooth.

6. Divide the potato dough into 6-8 parts.

7. Mix minced pork with finely chopped onion and a pinch of salt.

8. Form a potato tortilla in the palm of your hand.

9. Put 1 tablespoon of minced meat in the middle of the tortilla. Combine the edges of the tortilla so that the filling remains inside. Form into the shape of an zeppelin.

10. Boil water in a large saucepan.

11. Turn down the heat to a minimum. So that there would be no bubbles.

12. Add a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of potato starch.

13. Cook for about 15-20 minutes.

14. Fry the bacon until crisp.

Serving: Serve the cepelinai immediately hot with bacon, parsley and sour cream.

Bon Appetit!