Kreplach are small delicious dumplings traditionally filled with meat or cheese and often served in a bowl of piping hot soup. Sometimes they are fried, making them more similar to pierogi. However you cook them, they are typically made using wheat-based flour, making them off limits to many. In this rendition, cassava flour is used, creating a traditional feel with more tolerable, whole-food ingredients!
Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Makes: 4–6 servings
½ pound (225 g) boneless skinless chicken breast
2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil, divided
½ teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup (110 g) carrots, diced
1 onion, diced
Fresh minced dill to taste
1½ cups (183 g) cassava flour, plus more if needed
3 eggs
3 tablespoons (45 ml) olive or avocado oil, plus more if needed
1 teaspoon sea salt
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and place the chicken in a baking dish with 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the olive oil, onion powder, garlic salt and black pepper. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the juices run clear and the center is cooked.
Alternatively you can use a pressure cooker by cooking on high pressure for 15 minutes.
While the chicken is cooking, sauté the carrots and onions in the remaining olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat for about 10–12 minutes or until the vegetables have softened.
Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the oven or pressure cooker. Cut it into smaller chunks and then, in a blender, combine the chicken, cooked onion, carrots and dill. Blend or pulse until the ingredients are well combined and no large chunks are left. You want it thicker than a puree but ground enough to spoon into the center of the kreplach dough.
To make the dough, combine the flour, eggs, oil and salt. Stir in a bowl to combine and then knead by hand. You may find that you need a little more flour if the dough is too wet or a little more oil if it is too dry. Once you have a ball of dough, pinch off about an eighth of the dough and roll it through your pasta maker on the sheets setting. You want to use a thicker setting because this dough is more delicate than traditional wheat based dough and cannot be rolled as thin.
Lightly flour (with cassava flour) the surface where the dough will be rolled out. The dough going through the pasta maker will need to be very well oiled. Once you’ve rolled it through, handling it very carefully, use a 3- to 4-inch (7.6–10-cm) glass or biscuit cutter to cut circles in the dough. If you do not have a pasta maker, just roll the dough as thin as you can and then cut circles with the glass or biscuit cutter.
Bring your pot of broth or water to a boil over high heat.
Take about a teaspoon (or less) of the filling mixture and place it into the center of each dough circle. Do not overfill. You can either fold the dough circles in half and pinch to seal closed or you can fold them in triangles similarly to the Hamantaschen. After choosing your desired shape, repeat steps above until all your dough is filled.
Carefully drop the filled dumplings into the boiling broth or water until they float to the top. Then allow them to cook for a few more minutes. Now they are ready to eat as is or can be part of “Jewish Penicillin: Build Your Perfect Bowl”.
Bubbe’s tip: I want that you should be happy. If chicken does not put a smile on that punim, then by all means stuff these with brisket.