Take the 2-minute tour ×

Is it possible to cook pelmeni aka meat dumplings (Russian food) in microwave? What are steps? Without any precooking in pot or at pan.

share|improve this question

2 Answers 2

up vote 3 down vote accepted

Anything that is normally cooked by simmering / boiling in liquid can be cooked in a microwave in the same way, if your microwave can keep the liquid simmering.

So for pelmeni just put them in a bowl of salted boiling water (use a kettle or the microwave to bring it to the boil first), bring back to a simmer and cook on high for the same length of time you'd cook them in a pan on the stove. If your microwave is not powerful enough to keep the water simmering, cook smaller amounts at a time.

It's less efficient than doing it on the stove, takes more time and is more fuss. The pelmeni will take longer to come back to a simmer than they would on the stove, so the dough will be relatively overcooked and soft.

share|improve this answer
good point about boiling water first in kettle! –  kusoksna Dec 24 '10 at 19:36

It is possible, but considering the fact that the filling for pelmeni isn't pre-cooked (in any recipe that I've seen), you want to make sure to cook it thoroughly.

You can place them in a microwave safe bowl with water and cook them for 9-12 minutes until done.

You can also place pelmeni in a single layer on a plate. Cover with a wet paper towel or clean cloth - it should be thoroughly wet. Cook on high, checking every few minutes to make sure the towel or cloth is still wet. Again, do this for 9-12 minutes.

There's no significant time-savings over doing this on the stove-top, but if you only have a microwave available, it works. They taste better on the stove top.

share|improve this answer

Your Answer


