Complete Guide to Kreplach

What Is Kreplach?

Kreplach is essentially a jewish dumpling stuffed with ground meat, potatoes, and other fillings. It’s often boiled and served with chicken soup or fried to crispy perfection. Kreplach is a traditional dish of European Jews (Ashkenazi).

Although they are associated with traditional Jewish cuisine, kreplach are similar to ravioli or tortellini (Italy), wanton or jiaozi (China), pelmeni (Russia), maultaschen (Germany), and uszka (Ukraine and Poland).

Kreplach History

‘Kreplach’ has an ambiguous background. Some say it derives from the German word Krepp, which means crêpe. Others suggest that the word has the initials of three Jewish festivals: K for Kippur, R for Rabba, and P for Purim, and ‘lach’ is a Yiddish word meaning little. Some also say that God hid the meaning of kreplach while saving the Jews with His miracle.

Although now there are multiple recipes of kreplach, the traditional one is always made using chopped, ground, or beaten meat. The filling is enveloped in soft dough and shaped loosely in triangular form. kreplach is then poached until tender and added to soup for a hearty meal. Kreplach preparation takes time because the dough needs to be perfect. Flour, water, and eggs are used to make kreplach dough, which follows kosher law.

Rolling it out thin, the dough is cut into tiny squares, and the filling is placed right in the middle. A triangular shape is formed by bringing one edge over to the opposite edge. The triangular shape has a historical meaning that symbolizes biblical figures. Most historians say that the three points of a triangular kreplach represent the Old Testament – Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham.

Another theory is that the pointed ends represent the hat of Haman in Purim’s biblical story. Purim is celebrated by Jews with dessert kreplach filled with a jam called hamantaschen. These kreplach symbolize freedom from persecution when Queen Esther of ancient Persia saved the Jews from Haman.

The traditional kreplach recipe is made with beef, but some communities use turkey for filling. As a bird, the turkey is a dim-witted animal that symbolizes King Ahasuerus at Purim. Some Jews prefer sweet filling for kreplach, and dried fruit with spice is a delicious substitute for meat. The dough usually requires time for preparation. Modern cooks who do not have the time to make the dough from scratch use wonton wrappers with similar thin consistency.

Kreplach Recipe – Traditional

Kreplach has many recipes, but the traditional one includes the following:

INGREDIENTS

For Dough

• 2 and a half cups of flour
• A pinch of salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 egg yolk
• Half a cup of water

For Filling

• A cup of ground beef
• A small onion (sautéed or grated raw)
• A pinch of black pepper
• Salt (for cooking)

DIRECTIONS

For Dough

• Take a large bowl and combine flour and salt.
• Add water, egg, and egg yolk to the bowl.
• Use a wooden spoon or a food processor with a metal blade to work on the dough. Make sure it is soft and smooth.
• Cover with plastic wrap.
• Refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight.

For Kreplach

• Boil salted water in a large pot.
• Combine beef, onion, and pepper in a bowl. Mix it well.
• Roll out dough as thin as possible on a floured surface.
• Cut the dough into 3-inch squares.
• Scoop a teaspoon of filling and place it in the center of each square.
• Fold the squares to form triangles and pinch the edges closed.
• Once all kreplach are ready, drop them into boiling water.
• Stir gently using a wooden spoon to keep each piece separate.
• Let it simmer for 20 minutes.
• Use a wire skimmer or slotted spoon to remove kreplach from the pot.
• Serve in hot soup or freeze if you want.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Ronnie Fein (@ronnievfein)

Kreplach Soup Recipe

Kreplach is best served with soup. If you do not want to make traditional kreplach soup with ground beef, you can have other ingredients for the filling. Here is one of the best kreplach chicken soup recipe:

INGREDIENTS

For the Dough

You can use the same dough from the traditional kreplach recipe or buy wonton wrappers from your nearest supermarket. The consistency of wonton wrappers is the same as the sheets prepared from scratch. You will need 30 wonton wrappers for this recipe.

For the Filling

• Peeled carrots – 5
• Onion – 1
• Peeled large zucchini – 1
• Peeled sweet potato – 1
• Peeled small beet – 1
• Celery stalks – 5
• Bunch celery for leaves – 1
• Chicken drumsticks – 6
• Garlic cloves – 4
• Kosher salt – 1 and a half or 2 tbsp
• Cold water – 15 cups

DIRECTIONS

• Cut onion, carrots, zucchini, celery, and sweet potato into small pieces.
• Add the vegetables to a pot with celery leaves, whole peeled beet, chicken drumsticks, garlic cloves, salt, and water.
• Bring the water to a boil and let it simmer.
• Cook the soup for 1 1/2 or 2 hours.
• Remove chicken, celery leaves, and beet.
• Once the chicken is out, remove the skin and bones from the drumsticks and shred the meat.
• Take about 1/4 cup of soup vegetables and mash them.
• Mix the mashed vegetables and chicken with 1-2 tbsp of soup.
• Lay out the sheets or wonton wrappers on parchment paper.
• Place a teaspoon of the filling in the center of each square.
• Dip the remaining wonton wrappers into cold water and place them quickly over the filling. Push the edges down to seal the two wrappers.
• Boil a pot of salted water. Drop as many kreplach into the pot as you like and cook for 1 or 2 minutes.
• Use a slotted spoon to remove kreplach from the boiling water.
• Place the pieces on a piece of parchment paper.
• Add the kreplach to the pot of soup you prepared before serving.
• To freeze kreplach, place them on a baking sheet in the freezer for 2 hours.
• Take out the kreplach from the freezer and transfer them to a Ziploc bag.
• Return the bag to the freezer until you need it again.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by The Nosher (@jewishfood)

Fried Kreplach

Fried kreplach do not have the added soup preparation time, so they are usually easy to make. The process is even simpler if you do not make the dough from scratch and use wonton wrappers!

People make kosher fried kreplach with various fillings. Some add veggies and cheese, while others prefer the juicy meat filling. No matter what filling you want, the frying process remains straightforward. You can either pan fry the kreplach or deep fry them.

To deep fry the kreplach, you’ll need vegetable oil heated up to 350 degrees. Deep fry the kreplach until golden brown and serve them hot with fried onion.

If you don’t like deep fried kreplach, you can pan fry them in a large skillet. First, you’ll need to boil the kreplach using the traditional kreplach recipe mentioned above.

Place the skillet over medium-high heat and add 1/8-inch vegetable oil. Then, add the boiled kreplach in the shimmering oil and fry them until they are crispy brown on both sides.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Pasta Social Club (@pastasocialclub)

Traditional Jewish Kreplach (aka Dumplings or Pierogi)

Learn how to make traditional Jewish Kreplach at home with potatoes.

Summary

Kreplach is a traditional Jewish dumpling recipe. The filling can be meat, veggies, cheese, or something sweet like jam or dried fruit. This traditional recipe is a favorite on Jewish holidays.

Kreplach can be prepared using different methods. They can be boiled, deep fried, or pan fried. You can also freeze them after preparation if you don’t need them right away.

The traditional kreplach dough is made with flour, water, and eggs. The dough is kneaded, rolled out thin, and cut into small squares. Modern cooks often use frozen dough sheets or wonton wrappers to prepare kreplach. You can also find ready-to-eat kreplach in supermarkets.

Kreplach – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What Does Kreplach Taste Like?

Kreplach filling can be meaty if prepared using a traditional recipe. My personal favorite is with chicken! The seasoning and spices add to the tangy flavor and leave behind an aftertaste. The soup is the ordinary chicken flavor, with kreplach giving it an extra kick.

Why Do We Eat Kreplach?

Kreplach is consumed to mark the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. Jews fast on this day from sundown to sundown, but they consume kreplach before they begin their fast. It’s a traditional practice of Easter European Jews. Kreplach is also eaten on Purim.

Where Did Kreplach Come From?

Kreplach is a traditional Jewish recipe that originated from Israel. However, history suggests that eating kreplach on Jewish holidays is a practice of Ashkenazi Jews.

How Do You Reheat Kreplach?

If you’ve frozen the kreplach before boiling, you can boil it to reheat before serving. If the frozen kreplach were boiled before freezing, you could reheat them in the chicken soup you’ll serve.

Related Articles

Best Pastrami Burgers in USA

Know All about Turkey Pastrami

Jewish Food Glossary