My husband is ¾ Hungarian and ¼ Polish. His mother didn’t cook Hungarian food but his grandmother, Shula, did. She was a good cook and excellent baker, if you didn’t bite into a coin that accidentally got into the batter. My mother in law was very nostalgic about this dish but never learned from her mother to make it. I learned how to from No Recipes (Watch his video, he shows how to make it).
The process of making the noodles is a little bit messy but satisfying. I didn’t have a nokedli maker so I used a boxed grater and spatula. It’s harder without the nokedli maker but doable. The noodles’ texture is like egg-ish gnocchi. And together with the overly cooked cabbage and onion is very comforting.
• It’s the easiest and cheapest noodles I ever made.
• I did make it with millet flour once but it didn’t taste good. I think it would work with all-purpose Gluten-free flour. I should try one of these days.
• It would be a serious challenge but not impossible to make a vegan version. A vegan pancake batter might work. I’ll try.
• One of my followers on instagram, who’s Hungarian, reported that she cooks the nokedlis in soups (instead of boiling them in water). I didn’t try it yet but it sounds good.
• You can buy a nokedli maker here or use a cheese grater or perforated spoon. I used the tray of the espresso machine.
Nokedli
Ingredients
- ¼ Avocado or another vegetable oil
- ½ medium cabbage - sliced
- 1 large onion - sliced
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
For the dumplings
- 3 eggs
- ¾ cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups flour
- Olive oil
Instructions
- Warm the oil in an oven-proof large skillet*. Add the onion, cabbage, salt and a generous amount of black pepper, and mix. Saute on medium heat for 20 minutes. Add ½ cup water and bring into a boil.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. If the skillet isn’t oven proof you can transfer the cabbage and onion to a baking tray lined with baking paper.
- Roast the cabbage and onion until they are brownish and caramelized, about 20 minutes.
- To make the dumplings: whisk the eggs in a medium bowl. Add the water and salt, and whisk until combined. Add the flour gradually, whisking constantly, until the batter is smooth and runny. Thick runny, not watery, like pancake batter.
- When you're ready to make the Nokedli, bring a large pot of water to a boil. (DON’T add salt to the water!)
- There are a bunch of techniques to shape them. If you have a nokedli maker than great, if you don't, you need something with medium-sized holes spaced far enough apart, like a cheese grater or perforated spoon. The idea is to put a small amount of dough on it, and then use a silicone spatula to press the dough through the holes (Watch the video, link in the post). It sounds complicated but it’s easy and satisfying to see the dumplings emerge from the holes and form into pasta like drops. Do this in small batches or you will end up with some dumplings that are overcooked. When you're done adding the dumplings, give them about 30 seconds after they float to the surface to ensure they are cooked. Fish them out with a slotted spoon and put into a large bowl. Drizzle them with olive oil.
- Put the cabbage and onion over the nokedli and toss gently to coat them. Taste and correct seasoning. Serve immediately.
