Romanian Cottage Cheese Dumplings – Papanasi fierti

User Reviews

4.3

8 reviews
Good
  • Prep Time

    20 mins

  • Cook Time

    20 mins

  • Total Time

    40 mins

  • Servings

    20 dumplings

  • Calories

    443 kcal

  • Course

    Dessert

  • Cuisine

    Romanian

Romanian Cottage Cheese Dumplings – Papanasi fierti

These Romanian cottage cheese dumplings with semolina or papanasi fierti are incredibly tender and coated in sugary breadcrumbs.

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Ingredients

Servings

Papanasi mixture:

  • 1⅛ cups cottage cheese 9 oz/ 250 g, Notes 1, 2
  • 1 medium egg
  • ¼ cup semolina 1.7 oz/ 50 g
  • cup all-purpose flour 1.7 oz/ 50 g
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar or 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
  • a good pinch of salt

Breadcrumb coating:

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • ¾ cup dry breadcrumbs 2.5 oz/ 75 g
  • 2 tablespoons sugar or more to taste
  • flour for the working surface, more

Instructions

  1. Drain: Place the cottage cheese into a fine-mesh sieve and drain thoroughly.1⅛ cups cottage cheese/ 250 g
  2. Toast breadcrumbs: Start by preparing the breadcrumbs. Melt the butter in a large pan, add the breadcrumbs, and stir for a few minutes until the breadcrumbs are golden. Transfer to a large bowl and let them get cool. When cold, add the sugar and mix well.¾ cup dry breadcrumbs/ 75 g + 2 tablespoons butter + 2 tablespoons sugar
  3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a good pinch of salt.
  4. Combine: In the meantime, mix the drained cottage cheese, egg, and vanilla sugar in a bowl. With the immersion blender, blend the ingredients until you obtain a rough paste. Add the semolina and the flour and mix with a spoon. The dough should be soft and a little bit sticky but still manageable.cottage cheese + 1 medium egg + ¼ cup semolina/ 50 g + ⅓ cup all-purpose flour/ 50 g + 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar
  5. Dough: Sprinkle the working surface generously with flour. Turn the dough into the flour and form a ball. If the dough is too soft and you cannot really work with it, gradually add a little more flour. Don't overdo it, or the dumplings will turn out too tough. The dough should be very soft, and it is ok if it is still a bit sticky.
  6. Make dumplings: Flour your hands and form a sausage, about 1 – 1½ inches/ 3-4 cm in diameter. Cut the sausage into about 20 pieces. With floured hands, roll each piece into a ball. Turn this ball very lightly through the flour on the working surface (only if it's highly sticky), shake to remove the excess flour, and press into a disc. With a floured finger, press a small dent in the middle of the dumpling.
  7. Cook dumplings: When the water is boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low. Place all the dumplings into the pot. They will sink to the bottom of the pan, so take a slotted spoon and go under the dumplings to prevent them from sticking to the pot. After a few minutes, the dumplings will come up. Cover the pan and simmer gently for about 5 minutes. Then, turn off the heat and let the dumplings in hot water for another 5 minutes.
  8. Coat with breadcrumbs: Remove dumplings with a slotted spoon, drain them in a sieve and roll each dumpling in the breadcrumb mixture. Serve warm as they are or topped with some runny jam.
Equipments used:

Notes

  • Cheese: Traditionally, papanasi fierti are made with Romanian brânză de vaci, which may be hard to find outside of Romania. The closest alternative is cottage cheese, but since it has a different texture, it’s important to blend it until smooth for the best results.
  • Measurements: I recommend using a digital kitchen scale (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab).

Nutrition Information

Show Details
Serving 5dumplings Calories 443kcal (22%) Carbohydrates 68g (23%) Protein 16g (32%) Fat 11g (17%) Saturated Fat 5g (25%) Polyunsaturated Fat 4g (24%) Cholesterol 67mg (22%) Sodium 465mg (19%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 16g (32%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 20dumplings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 443 kcal

% Daily Value*

Serving 5dumplings
Calories 443kcal 22%
Carbohydrates 68g 23%
Protein 16g 32%
Fat 11g 17%
Saturated Fat 5g 25%
Polyunsaturated Fat 4g 24%
Cholesterol 67mg 22%
Sodium 465mg 19%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 16g 32%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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