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Classic Kreplach

by
Carol Ungar
April 02, 2021
Photos: Carol UngarPhotos: Carol Ungar

Hoshana Rabbah—the holiday that falls on the seventh day of Sukkot—includes one of the strangest of Jewish rituals: beating willow branches against the floor.

If making kreplach entirely from scratch is too arduous, you can cut the work in half by using store-bought wonton wrappers. Then make and enclose the filling—you will need to brown and spice the meat before. Seal the wrappers with a bit of water and serve right into the soup as you would soup nuts. Just a word of warning. Don’t ever leave the short cut kreplach in the soup pot or they’ll melt away into oblivion.

Featured in: Move Over, Matzo Balls. Here Come Kreplach, the Metaphysical Dumplings.

Great for: Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah

Ingredients

Dough

  • 2 ¼cups flour
  • 1egg plus one yolk
  • ½cup water
  • pinch salt

Filling

  • 1cup chopped meat (can be raw because these kreplach will be boiled)
  • 1onion, grated or sautéed (optional)
  • Pinch black pepper

Preparation

Dough

  • Step 1

    Combine ingredients and work into dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer (If you are pressed for time, you can even leave dough refrigerated overnight).

To make the Classic Kreplach

  • Step 1

    Boil salted water in large pot. On a heavily floured surface, roll out dough as thin as it will stretch. (For the thinnest, most professional looking kreplach, use a hand-cranked pasta maker.) Cut dough into 2 x 2 inch squares.

  • Step 2

    Add half-teaspoon of filling to the center. Pinch closed into triangles or half moon shapes. Place finished kreplach in boiling water and let simmer for 20 minutes.

  • Step 3

    If you see kreplach sticking together in the pot, gently separate with wooden spoon. Remove from pot with a slotted spoon and eat right away or freeze.