Polish Potato Dumplings (Kopytka) Recipe - Crunchy Creamy Sweet (2025)

FAQs

What is kopytka in English? ›

Kopytka (literally "little hooves") are a kind of potato dumpling in Polish, Belarusian, and Lithuanian cuisines. They are similar to Italian gnocchi.

If the ball started to fall apart in the water, then you want to add some more starch to the dough. If it is really tough, then add a little moisture.

Why are my potato dumplings gummy? If your potato dumplings are gummy, it is likely the potatoes were overworked, or the dough was overmixed.

To reheat, cook in simmering water until heated through. Freezing: Mix and shape the dumplings as directed, then arrange on a rimmed baking sheet so they aren't touching and freeze until solid. Transfer the dumplings to zip-top bags and freeze for up to 3 months.

Kopytka dough is pretty much identical to potato gnocchi dough, but the two are shaped and served differently. Gnocchi is often shaped with a fork to create small ridges that trap sauces, while kopytka are shaped like small diamonds.

It's no secret that Polish kitchen is resourceful and greatly relies on cheap ingredients, often leftovers. Potatoes were always cheap in Poland therefore often a main ingredient or the main dish. Kopytka, kluski, dumplings, pierogi are all made of this adaptable vegetable.

This is a very common problem when pan frying dumplings, and most likely it is because your pan isn't hot enough. The easiest trick would be to buy a nonstick pan, but for those who don't want to spend the money, try out this test. To make sure your pan is at the correct temperature, try the water droplet test.

Stirring in a bit of cornstarch and water will make the insides of your dumplings super tender. It's the secret to juicy, tender dumplings! When you stir in the water-cornstarch mix everything will come together into a homogenous paste, which is exactly what you want.

Since excess liquid can make for soggy dumplings, cheesecloth can help drain water from cabbage, fat from pork, or other moisture from the filling ingredients. Place the food in the center of the cheesecloth, wrap tightly, and squeeze until all the moisture is removed. It can be repeated as needed.

Popular meat fillings include ground meat (usually pork, but sometimes beef or chicken), shrimp, and even fish. Popular mixtures include pork with Chinese cabbage, pork with garlic chives, pork and shrimp with vegetables, pork with spring onion, and garlic chives with scrambled eggs.

Where did potato dumplings originate? ›

Following the introduction of the potato to Europe, the German “kartoffel klöße,” or potato dumpling, emerged in northern Germany¹³.

It all depends on the wrapper/skin – what freezes well frozen and what freezers better cooked. For example, dumplings encased in the basic dumpling dough freeze well uncooked. Same thing for thin skins like wontons, siu mai and egg and spring rolls. Raw and frozen stiff: Siu mai and pot stickers.

Kopytka translates as 'little hooves' and they are sometimes described as Polish gnocchi because they are similar to Italian gnocchi.

“Kartofel" (or kartoshka) is used in a general sense, like “the fruit". What is the word for potato in Polish? Ziemniak.

Someone says Poland – you think: pierogi. True, a majority of foreigners associate them with Polish cuisine... But Poland is the land of tens, if not hundreds, of other dumplings too! What are dumplings – or, as we say in Polish – kluski (pronounced: 'KLOOH-skee')?

The English word "pierogi" comes from Polish pierogi [pʲɛˈrɔgʲi], which is the plural form of pieróg [ˈpʲɛruk], a generic term for filled dumplings.