Title: The Kalduni Story (Russian Dumplings)
Categories: Dumpling Russian Info
Yield: 1 Servings

Text and serving tips

On a Roll With Meaty Dumplings by Maria Cianci

Hanife ``Eni'' Sezgen, her grown daughter Saadet, our friend Dorothy, and I are making kalduni. We've rolled the dough, cut the circles and mixed the beef and onion filling. Now, three sets of eyes are fixed on Eni's fingers as she turns the dough up and over the little mound of meat and pinches the edges together in a plump half-moon, a fold that is second nature to those 82-year- old hands.

The Sezgens are Tatar Russians, and kalduni are one of their traditional dumplings.

``Don't pull the ears,'' Eni tells me good-naturedly, as I stretch the edges of the dough away from the filling before pinching them shut.

Eni's kalduni are plump, bulbous, and the filling hugs the edges. Mine display a novice's flat edge, so I concentrate on pressing the next dumpling correctly. Suddenly, I feel entrusted with a culinary tradition, and there is something very gratifying in wanting to preserve it carefully.

The Sezgens, including teenage grandson Devin and granddaughter Aliye, eat kalduni dipped in soy sauce, sesame oil, hot mustard, ketchup or sour cream. I'm fascinated by the East-West combinations, especially since the cooked kalduni -- with a dough that has the translucent shine of a pearl -- resemble pot stickers.

~snip-

In Penza, a town near Moscow where Eni was born, they ate kalduni with salt and pepper and pickled cabbage. A smaller version of the dumplings, called pelmeni and resembling tortellini, was served in chicken soup.

But the adaptation of various dips evolved as the Sezgens moved: first to China, then to Japan, then Turkey and finally to the Bay Area in 1961.

``The ketchup is American,'' says Eni, and the rest of us roll our eyes and groan. Still, the kalduni are yummy with the sweet-tartness of the tomato condiment, and once again we see how an ethnic dish can cross national borders, adapt to local ways, but retain its character.

The following sauces and suggestions for serving kalduni are further adaptations. But they are earthy and comforting, in keeping with the rustic nature of the dumplings.

As an entree, the kalduni in any of the following recipes or with any of the additional suggestions are good with a crisp, green salad. For dessert, take advantage of the Russians' love of sour cherries, and serve sour cherry pie, pastries or cheesecake. Follow dinner with another Russian favorite, tea.

Kalduni are a perfect weekend project, since they can be frozen and used throughout the week and beyond. The dough is easy to work with and contains no fat.

Any remnants of dough (after rolling out the scraps) are traditionally pinched off in bits and boiled in chicken soup. These cooked bits of dough are called chumara.

MORE IDEAS FOR LEFTOVERS

Kalduni will keep in the freezer for up to a month. Here are some additional easy ways to serve the dumplings:

~-Kalduni a la Sezgen. Boil kalduni and serve them with soy sauce, sesame oil, hot mustard, ketchup and sour cream for dipping.

~-Kalduni Soups. Serve kalduni in chicken broth with sliced carrots and scallions, or in a clear mushroom soup with sliced mushrooms, carrots and scallions.

~-Kalduni Primavera. Cut a few asparagus spears, scallions and a handful of string beans into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Combine with finely diced carrots, and saute briefly in a little butter until the vegetables are wilted. Add some frozen defrosted baby peas and a little chicken broth. Reduce the broth to about 1/4 cup. Add cooked kalduni. Toss until the mixture is well combined. Serve sprinkled with chopped chives.

~-Pot Sticker-Style Kalduni. Fry one side of boiled kalduni in oil until crisp and golden. Drain and serve with a dipping sauce of soy sauce that has been simmered briefly with fresh ginger and garlic, then strained, cooled, and sweetened with a little sugar and studded with minced scallions.

Source: The San Francisco Chronicle

MM format by Manny Rothstein 5/98

From: Manny Rothstein Date: 04 May 98

previous

next