Pork koldūnai served with sour cream. AI-generated illustration created for LithuaniaLinks.
What koldūnai are
These are flour-dough dumplings, distinct from the potato shell of cepelinai. The recipe here uses pork, but a dumpling name is not a complete ingredient list.
Koldūnai, virtiniai and regional names
Lithuanian dumpling names overlap. In Joniškis, Lithuania Travel describes virtiniai and larger regional kleckai with fillings such as bacon, curd or sauerkraut. Read the filling description as well as the name.
Meat-free versions
Mushroom-filled dumplings are also part of Lithuanian Christmas Eve cooking. They need their own filling and dough checks; the pork recipe below is not vegetarian.
Home recipe
Boiled pork koldūnai
4 portions
Approx. 600 kcal per serving · Without serving cream
Recipe adapted from: Ieva · Taste of Lithuania.
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- Preparation
- 60 minutes
- Cooking
- 10 minutes
- Total
- 100 minutes
Includes a 30-minute dough rest.
Ingredients
Add only what you need, or add the whole recipe at once.
Dough
- 320 g plain flour
- 1 large egg
- 120 g water
Filling
- 400 g pork mince
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- Salt and black pepper
- A little butter or oil, for the onion
To serve
- Sour cream
Method
- Mix flour, egg and water into dough. Knead for about 5 minutes, cover and rest for 30 minutes.
- Soften the onion in a little fat and cool. Mix with pork and seasonings.
- Roll dough about 3 mm thick and cut 6 cm circles. Add a teaspoon of filling, fold and seal firmly; pinch the tips together if wanted.
- Cook in gently boiling salted water. After they float, allow about 4 to 5 minutes more, then check the filling is cooked through.
- Lift out carefully and serve with sour cream.
Recipe notes
Check the centre of the meat filling with a clean food thermometer: 75 °C for 30 seconds, or 70 °C for 2 minutes, are Food Standards Agency combinations. Floating alone does not establish doneness.
Ingredient information: Wheat; Egg; Milk in butter and sour cream. Check the labels of bought ingredients.
Energy estimate
Approx. 600 kcal per serving
Reference servings per batch: 4. 1/4 of the dumplings, without serving sour cream.
Calculation details
Uses the listed 320 g flour and 400 g pork mince, a 50 g egg, a 70 g onion and 10 g butter for the onion. Unmeasured serving sour cream is excluded.
Calculated from ingredient quantities and the stated reference serving, rounded to the nearest 10 kcal. Brands, portion size and retained frying fat affect the result.
