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Susan Jung

The first time I ate pierogi was the day I moved to New York, from California.
After spending a few discouraging hours viewing tiny apartments going for sky-high rents, just by chance, I wandered into an Eastern European restaurant that was warm and welcoming. It was serving dishes I'd never tasted before, including sweet and savoury pierogi, boiled or fried.
I visited the restaurant many times in the following years and usually ordered pierogi. I don't know of any Hong Kong restaurant that serves them, so I decided to make them myself, and met with success on the first attempt. I love this dough - it's supple, soft and easy to work with.
 
Potato, bacon and cheese pierogi with sautéed onion
For the dough:
500 grams plain (all-purpose) flour
235 grams sour cream
120 grams unsalted butter, slightly softened
2 large eggs, whisked
 
For the filling and to serve: 
400 grams potatoes (I use smooth-skinned local potatoes), preferably all the same size
450 grams streaky bacon
125 grams cheddar cheese, grated
3 large onions
Sour cream
Chives (don't use Chinese chives because the flavour is too strong)
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, whisked, for brushing
 
Put the flour and five grams of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer (preferably a stand mixer). Cut the butter into 1cm chunks and put it in the bowl, then add the sour cream and eggs. Beat the mixture to combine then continue to mix until the dough is smooth, cohesive and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Divide the dough into two pieces then flatten each one into a disc, wrap them in cling-film and refrigerate for several hours, or overnight.
Wash the potatoes but do not peel them. Put them in a pan and add salted water to cover by about 2cm. Bring the water to the boil then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender.
Drain and when the potatoes are just cool enough to handle strip off the skin (it comes off easily when hot). Place the potatoes back in the pan and mash them until smooth.
Cut the bacon into 5mm-wide strips, put them in an unoiled skillet and place it over a medium flame. Cook the bacon until brown and crisp. Use a large slotted spoon to remove the bacon from the skillet and drain on paper towels. Pour most of the bacon fat into a bowl.
Halve the onions and slice them to about 3mm thick. Put the onion in the skillet used to cook the bacon and place it over a medium flame. Cook the onion until soft and pale brown, adding bacon fat if needed to prevent it from sticking to the pan. Mix about a third of the cooked bacon into the onion then set this aside.
Add the cheese and remaining bacon to the potato, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one piece of dough so it's about 2mm thick. Use a 5.5cm round cutter to cut out as many circles of dough as possible. Lay them out, slightly overlapping, on the work surface and cover with a piece of cling-film so they don't dry out.
Lay several circles of dough on the work surface. Brush a very small amount of egg around the perimeter of each one. Roll some of the potato mixture into a ball (about 2cm in diameter) and place it on a piece of dough (unlike with Chinese dumplings, you can use more filling than you'd expect, because the dough is stretchy).
Fold the edges of the dough over the potato ball, stretching the dough as needed, and pinch the edges to form a half circle. Crimp the edges of the dough with a fork to form a decorative edge and to seal in the filling.
As you finish shaping the pierogi, lay them on a tray lined with cling-film, and when the tray is full, cover them lightly with cling-film. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
Scraps of the dough can be pressed together and refrigerated for about an hour, before re-rolling to make more pierogi.
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the pierogi to the water in batches; do not crowd the pan. Cook them until they float to the surface, then scoop them out of the water with a slotted spatula.
Drain them, then put them on an oiled tray. Drizzle with a little more oil to coat them lightly so they don't stick together.
To heat the pierogi, melt some bacon fat in a skillet set over a medium flame. Add the pierogi and cook until brown and crusty on one side, then flip them over and cook the other side. While they're cooking, heat the bacon and onion.
Put the pierogi on a plate and add the bacon and onion. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and add some minced chives as a garnish.
Makes about 80 pierogi.


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Susan Jung's recipes

How to make pierogi - dumplings from Eastern Europe - with potato, bacon and cheese

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Pierogi dumplings are comfort food at its best and, although the dish may be hard to find in Hong Kong, it's easy to create at home


Dough made with sour cream is so supple and easy to work with, you will have no trouble turning out delicious dumplings. When ready, boil, then fry them. Yum!


How to make pierogi - dumplings from Eastern Europe - with potato, bacon and cheese

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Pierogi dumplings are comfort food at its best and, although the dish may be hard to find in Hong Kong, it's easy to create at home

Pierogi dumplings are comfort food at its best and, although the dish may be hard to find in Hong Kong, it's easy to create at home