These traditional Polish Mushroom Dumplings (uszka) are served hot with Polish borscht as the first dish of the Christmas Eve meal.
You might also like Polish Christmas mushroom soup!
Today I am posting a recipe for traditional Polish Mushroom Dumplings (uszka).
The name 'uszka' in Polish means 'little ears', which refers to the shape of these dumplings. Don't worry if your batch doesn't exactly look like a bunch of ears inside a bowl, it's not the most appetising description anyway! As long as you make them small and compact and neat looking they'll be fine.
Polish mushroom dumplings ingredients
This is a simple recipe requiring few ingredients. For the dough you will need flour, hot water, butter (or oil if preferred) and salt. The filling is made using dried porcini mushrooms, onion fried in a little oil, breadcrumbs for binding and seasoning as well as a little soy sauce.
Uszka dough
I used my tried and tested pierogi dough recipe to make uszka dumplings. It is very easy to work with and I recommend rolling it out very thinly so the dumplings are not too doughy. (They should be more about the mushrooms than the dough). The dough is quite resilient and won't tear easily.
I used the same dough to make Polish sauerkraut dumplings, potato and cheese pierogi as well as meat dumplings.
Mushroom filling for uszka dumplings
The mushroom filling in this uszka recipe is very easy to make. It involves briefly soaking the mushrooms, rinsing and then cooking them for about 30 minutes in a small amount of water. Then simply strain and puree the mushrooms with the rest of the ingredients and make the dumplings.
I am using a bit of soy sauce in the filling mixture, which, you might have guessed, is not a traditional ingredient used to make uszka. Soy sauce adds depth and savouriness to this recipe.
Equipment you'll need
- Rolling pin, glass (2.3in/6cm diameter), knife and kitchen cloth
- Small pan for frying the onion
- Small saucepan for cooking the mushrooms, spoon and hand blender
- Large pot for boiling the dumplings
- Slotted spoon and large plate
Step-by-step recipe instructions
1.Prepare mushrooms: Rinse thoroughly rubbing with your fingertips to remove any grit, then place in a pot, add enough water just to cover them and leave to soak for 10 minutes.
2. Fry onion: Meanwhile fry the onion gently in 1 tablespoon of oil for 4-5 minutes until softened, stirring often. Set aside.
3. Boil mushrooms: Bring the mushrooms to a boil (in the same pot with water), covered, then simmer gently for 30 minutes. Strain thoroughly, reserving the liquid.
4. Puree mushrooms: Chop the mushrooms roughly and place in a blender along with the fried onion, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and seasoning. Pulse until the mixture is sticky but still has some texture. Stir in the breadcrumbs. Adjust the seasoning if needed and set aside while you make the dough.
5. Make dough: Place the flour, salt and butter (or oil) in a large bowl and gradually add water stirring to combine.
6. Knead: Transfer the dough to a flour dusted surface and knead to form a smooth dough ball (knead for about 6 minutes).
7. Roll out: Divide the dough into 2-3 parts (easier to work with) and place under a bowl (to prevent drying). Roll it out each dough ball to approx. 2 mm in thickness on a lightly floured surface and make round shapes using a cookie cutter or the rim of a glass (2.3in/6cm).
Add leftover dough to the remaining dough (remember to keep it covered).
8. Form uszka: Place a small amount of the mushroom filling inside each round shape and close it in by sticking the sides together. Next bring the ends together. Arrange the uszka on a lightly floured surface and keep covered with a kitchen cloth.
9. Boil: When you've made 10-15 uszka carefully place them in a pot of gently boiling salted water, stir, and cook for 3 minutes from the time the dumplings come up to the surface.
10. Serve: Remove from the heat, lift the dumplings out using a slotted spoon and place on top of a lightly greased plate without overlapping each other. Drizzle over a little oil or butter. Serve hot with Polish barszcz.
Top tips
- The most affordable porcini mushrooms I've ever come across are sold in Polish delicatessens.
- Reserve the water from cooking the mushrooms and add to your Polish Christmas borscht recipe, a hearty stew or barley soup.
- You can make the filling ahead and once cooled refrigerate overnight.
- If the dough sticks to your hands (or to the surface as you roll it out) dust with a little flour (but do not add too much as this may make the dough tough).
- Make sure you stick the edges of each dumpling together well so they don't open up in the pot.
- When forming the dumplings keep a sheet of paper towel next to you to wipe your fingertips as needed (it's important to keep them dry).
- Make ahead: If you don't want to serve the dumplings straight away place them in an oven proof dish (the oil will prevent them from sticking to one another) and once cooled refrigerate (for up to 3 days) until they are ready to be reheated. Cover and reheat in the oven. Alternatively reheat in the microwave.
- Any leftover dough can be used to make other dumplings, such as cheese and potato, and sauerkraut dumplings.
- Serve the uszka with Polish Christmas borscht.
- Freezing: Place uncooked mushroom dumplings on a floured tray in a single layer, dust the tops with more flour and freeze. After 2-3 hours transfer the dumplings into a freezer bag/plastic container and place back in the freezer. Cook from frozen (as per Instructions). You can also freeze the liquid from cooking the mushrooms in a small jar and add into soups or stews later.
More Polish Christmas Eve recipes
- Polish Dried Fruit Compote Recipe
- Fish Casserole with Vegetables
- Polish Kutia Recipe (Wheat Berry Pudding)
See also these other traditional Polish recipes!
Keep in touch!
How have your Polish porcini dumplings turned out for you? Let me know in the comments below, thanks!
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Polish Porcini Mushroom Dumplings (Uszka)
Ingredients
For the dough
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose/plain flour plus a little for dusting
- ½ cup+2tsp (130 ml) very warm water
- 1 tbsp butter or 1½ tbsp oil
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
For the filling
- 1.76 ounces (50 g) dried porcini mushrooms
- ½ onion finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil plus more for drizzling
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare mushrooms: To make the filling place the mushrooms in a bowl, add a little water and rub using your fingertips to remove any grit. Rinse well, place in a pot, add fresh water (enough to cover the mushrooms thoroughly) and soak for 10 minutes. Cover, bring to the boil, then simmer for 30 minutes.
- Make dough: Place the flour, salt and butter (or oil) in a large bowl and gradually add water stirring to combine.
- Knead: Transfer the dough to a flour dusted surface and knead for about 6 minutes until it becomes smooth and soft. If it sticks to your hands too much add a bit of flour (not more than 1 tsp) and knead in. Cover with a bowl or wrap in cling film and set aside for 15 minutes.
- Fry onion: Heat the oil and fry the onion over a low heat for 3-4 minutes until softened, stirring occasionally (do not brown the onion as it may taste bitter). Set aside.
- Make filling: Once the mushrooms have cooked strain well reserving the liquid (which you can add to Polish borscht or krupnik soup). Chop the mushrooms roughly, combine with the onion, soy sauce and seasoning and puree until the mixture becomes sticky (but still has some texture). Add the breadcrumbs and stir thoroughly. Taste the mixture and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Roll out dough: Divide the dough in 2 or 3 parts (easier to work with) and roll out one part (keeping the other 2 covered) on top of a lightly floured surface until approx. 2mm thick (don't worry, the dough is stretchy and quite resilient and won't tear easily). Using a cookie cutter or the rim of a glass with a diameter of approx. 2.3in/6cm make round shapes (gather up excess dough and combine with the other dough part).
- Form uszka: Place a small amount of the filling in the middle of each dough round (if the dough is sticking to the work surface use a knife to help it come off but take care not to tear it). With tips of your fingers stick the edges of the dumpling together then bring the ends towards each other and stick together too (your fingertips should be dry so it's a good idea to keep a sheet of paper towel near you to wipe them if they get sticky).Keep the dumplings on a floured surface covered with a tea towel.
- Boil: Fill a large pot with salted water, cover and bring to the boil. Continue making the dumplings as you are waiting for the water to boil. When the water starts boiling carefully place the uszka in the pot one by one (don't overcrowd the pot, do this in batches if you have to) and quickly but carefully stir with a wooden spoon. When the dumplings come up to the surface cook them gently for about 3-4 minutes then switch off the heat and using a slotted spoon transfer to a lightly greased large plate.
- Serve: Serve hot along with Christmas borscht, 4-5 per one portion of the borscht.
Notes
- The most affordable porcini mushrooms I've ever come across are sold in Polish delicatessens.Â
- Reserve the water from cooking the mushrooms and add to your Polish Christmas borscht recipe, a hearty stew or barley soup.
- You can make the filling ahead and once cooled refrigerate overnight.
- If the dough sticks to your hands (or to the surface as you roll it out) dust with a little flour (but do not add too much as this may make the dough tough).
- When forming the dumplings keep a sheet of paper towel next to you to wipe your fingertips as needed (it's important to keep them dry).
- Make sure you stick the edges of each dumpling together well so they don't open up in the pot.
- Make ahead: If you don't want to serve the dumplings straight away place them in an oven proof dish (the oil will prevent them from sticking to one another) and once cooled refrigerate (for up to 3 days) until they are ready to be reheated (in the same dish). Cover with tin foil and reheat in the oven. Alternatively reheat in the microwave.
- Any leftover dough can be used to make other dumplings, such as cheese and potato, and sauerkraut.
- Serve hot with Polish Christmas borscht.
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is automatically generated and should be considered as an estimate.
**A note about baking: If using a fan-assisted oven refer to your appliance's instructions and adjust the temperature accordingly.
Marika
Why cant you brown the onion?
Monika
Because onion is sweet when glazed, fried lightly, and that's the flavour you want going into the filling. If you brown the onion it might lose the sweetness and become a little bitter. So it should be lightly fried only, not crisped up. Hope that helps:)
Celia
Thank you!
Mila
I see you used soy sauce in the filling, I guess it is not traditional? And can be substituted with a salt?
Monika
No, it's not traditional, though my mum used it eventually too. Yes, you could just add more salt and pepper to taste, but soy sauce gives a bit of extra depth.
Ai
Hello, I just love reading your blog posts, all of them are so easy to follow! I'm definitely going to try this one too. Merry Christmas!
Monika
Thank you! Glad to hear that:) Happy New Year!
Ginger
Gorgeous! I use all sorts of dried mushrooms for dishes like these, as they tend to have a more pronounced flavour than the standard button ones. Your dumplings look beautiful! Happy Christmas!
Monika
Thank you! I love these mushrooms in various recipes too. Thanks for stopping by and Merry Christmas to you too:)
Len
Porcini are pretty expensive where i live (Toronto). Can you just sub in button or cremini?
Monika
I've never used cremini so I am not too sure, but some type of wild mushroom is preferable, they need to have a strong flavour (unlike ordinary mushrooms). Hope that helps:)
Monika
Just had another thought, if there is a Polish shop near you they'll have dried mushrooms likely cheaper than supermarkets, and it's the same stuff:)