Dumplings

Poppy Seed Varenyky

Whole poppy seeds do nothing in a filling — they pass straight through without giving up flavour or oil. They have to be soaked and then ground until the mass lightens and turns moist, almost creamy. There is one visual cue: black seeds become grey-white.

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Poppy Seed Varenyky — the finished dish
Prep
40 min
Cook
15 min
Rest
1 h 30 min
Total
2 h 25 min
Servings
6
Level
Medium
Per serving
400 kcal

Ingredients

Dough

Filling

  • What to use instead

    Replace half the sugar with honey for a darker, stickier filling if you are not keeping the dish vegan.

To serve

Makes: about 45 varenyky

Method

  1. Step 1: Scald the poppy seeds

    Cover the seeds with boiling water 2 cm above the level and leave for an hour. They swell and soften; dry seeds will never grind properly.

  2. Step 2: Drain

    Tip into a fine sieve lined with muslin and let them drain for 15 minutes. A wet filling will soften the seam of every dumpling.

  3. Step 3: Grind until pale

    Blitz or pound the seeds for 10 minutes until the mass lightens to grey-white and turns moist. That colour change means the seeds have opened.

  4. Step 4: Make the dough

    Scald the flour and salt with hot water, add the oil and knead smooth as in the basic recipe. Rest under film for 30 minutes.

  5. Step 5: Finish the filling

    Stir the sugar, walnuts, zest and breadcrumbs into the poppy seeds. The crumbs take up the last of the moisture so the filling no longer feels wet.

  6. Step 6: Shape

    Roll the dough to 2 mm, cut 8 cm rounds and add a heaped teaspoon of filling. Seal firmly, keeping the seam dry.

  7. Step 7: Boil

    Cook in batches of 12 in salted boiling water. Three minutes after they float is enough — the filling is already cooked, only the dough needs time.

  8. Step 8: Serve

    Drizzle with oil so they do not stick and dust with icing sugar. Good hot, and still good warm the next day.

Tips & variations

  • Tip

    Buy poppy seeds fresh and smell them first: their own oil turns rancid quickly, and nothing rescues a rancid filling.

  • Swap

    Replace half the sugar with honey for a darker, stickier filling if you are not keeping the dish vegan.

  • Tip

    With no blender, pass the soaked seeds twice through a mincer fitted with the finest plate — almost the same result.

  • Storage

    The filling keeps three days in the fridge. Freeze raw varenyky for up to three months and cook them from frozen.

Nutrition

Approximate nutrition per serving and for the whole dish
1 serving Whole dish 6 servings
Energy400 kcal2,400 kcal
Protein11 g66 g
Fat13 g78 g
Carbohydrates60 g360 g

Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.

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