Hungarian nudli is a kind of potato dumplings, similar to the Italian gnocchi. It’s made of a light potato dough (it’s actually the same dough used for plum dumplings), which is rolled into ropes and cut into 1,5 inch lengths. It’s very important to cool the potatoes after you have pushed them through a ricer, otherwise you won’t be able to knead the ingredients into a smooth dough. These tiny dumplings can be rolled in toasted breadcrumbs, or, like in this case, they can be coated with sweetened ground poppy seeds.
Ingredients:
For the dough:
- 1 kg (~2 1/4 lb) potatoes
- 300 g (~2 1/3 cups) all-purpose flour
- 1 egg
- 30 g (~2 tbsp) butter
- pinch of salt
For the coating:
- 100 g (~1/2 cup) melted butter
- 150 g (~1 1/4 cups) ground poppy seeds
- 80 g (~2/3 cup) powdered sugar
Boil potatoes with their skin on in salted water. Drain and peel the potatoes, push them through a potato ricer, and cool completely.
Combine ground poppy seeds and powdered sugar.
Make a hollow in the middle of the potato mass, add one egg, salt, butter and flour, and knead the dough until smooth. Dough should be light and pliable, but not sticky.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
Working with small portions, on a lightly floured surface roll the dough into 1/2 inch thick ropes, then cut into 1,5 inch lenghts.
photos: zserbo.com
Add nudli to the boiling water in batches in order to avoid overcrowding them, and after they float to the top, and water boils again, cook for 2-3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer dumplings into a bowl. Splash melted butter onto the dumplings and stir to cover them evenly, then sprinkle sweetened poppy seeds over them. Serve with fruit jam.
