I discovered these delightful Serbian dumplings quite recently. They are not a popular dish in Bulgaria, but I wanted to try them because they seemed like an interesting dessert for a dinner party I was planning and, being a popular dish in many Balkan countries, they were a good recipe for my blog. Made with sweet and wonderfully juicy plums enveloped in a light and fluffy potato-based dough resembling the dough for gnocchi, these dumplings proved to be a lovely dessert. The subtle flavour of the potato dough pairs really well with the tanginess of the plum. However, it’s very important that the plums you are using are sweet! Sour dumplings may not be to everyone’s taste. Plum dumplings are relatively easy to make. As a dessert, they are traditionally served dusted with cinnamon and glazing sugar. Serbian plum dumplings make a good side dish to a pork roast.

HISTORY OF PLUM DUMPLINGS

Plum dumplings (commonly known as Knedel) are a favourite treat in many Eastern and Central European countries. The recipe is believed to originate in former Yugoslavia. And, although, as long as I’ve heard, the original method of cooking plum dumplings was by pan-frying them, nowadays, they are commonly cooked as any dumplings, in boiling water.

Knedel is a popular dish in Germany, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Chez and Slovenia. The German and Austrian recipe variations are sometimes made with yeast or quark dough (a kind of fresh German cheese), but most often with potato dough, like the Serbian version.

In Serbia, plum dumplings are commonly known as Gomboce sa šljivama and, in Croatia and the rest of the former Yugoslavian countries, Knedle se šljivama. In traditional Romanian cuisine, plum dumplings are a well-known dish called Galuste cu Prune.

HOW TO MAKE SERBIAN GOMBOCE SA SLJIVAMA (PLUM DUMPLINGS)

📋 INGREDIENTS IN THIS RECIPE

Plums: Choose 10 juicy and sweet plums of the same size. You can use any red or purple variety of plums, as long as they are sweet. Damson, Queen Victoria, Japanese or Italian plums work well in this recipe. If the plums are still green after purchasing them in a supermarket, let them sit out of the sun for a few days until they ripen. Plums are a juicy and nutritious fruit and an excellent source of vitamins and antioxidants. Plums are believed to relieve constipation, have anti-inflammatory properties and benefit heart, bone and mental health.

You can make also delicious apricot dumplings with the same recipe if you substitute the plums with apricots.

Potatoes:  Use old potatoes that are starchy because they make a good mash. Yukon gold potatoes are a good option for this recipe. I have written about the benefits of eating potatoes in my post Perfectly Sauteed Potatoes.

Flour:  Old traditional recipes in Serbia call for using strong bread flour when making these plum dumplings, but I prefer the contemporary version made with all-purpose flour and semolina. Semolina is a coarse flour made from durum wheat, commonly used in pasta and makes the dough denser and easier to work with. You can substitute the semolina with all-purpose flour, but that will result in a softer dough.

Egg: The eggs help to bind the dumpling dough. To read about the benefits of consuming eggs, visit my post Easy Bulgarian Mish Mash (Scrambled Eggs with Vegetables and Feta).

Fat: Although it’s possible to use olive or cooking oil for making the dough, I highly recommend using well-cooled melted butter instead. Butter makes the dumplings taste richer and creamier.

Sugar: Adding some sugar to the plums is a good idea if you have a sweet tooth and want the dessert sweeter. For more flavour, use flavoured sugar, like vanilla sugar. You can make vanilla sugar at home by adding a couple of drops of vanilla essence to granulated sugar.

FOR THE COATING:

Breadcrumbs: You will need finely ground plain breadcrumbs in this recipe. If you only keep Panko breadcrumbs at home, pulse them a few times in a food processor to make finer crumbs.

Butter:  Use unsalted butter for frying the breadcrumbs. Do not substitute it with oil, because butter adds flavour and makes the crumbs delicious.

Sugar: If you have a sweet tooth, add sugar to the plums. This is optional and if your plums are sweet, you most likely will not need the sugar. Regular granulated sugar works fine for that. For dusting the dumplings, before serving, use powdered (glazing) sugar.

Nuts: In this recipe, I use ground walnuts in the coating for the dumplings. They add to the texture and give the dumplings a wonderful nutty flavour. You can omit the nuts completely, or substitute the walnuts with hazelnuts.

Spice: Using cinnamon in the coating is optional. Cinnamon will add a delightful flavour to the dessert.

📖 STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1: MAKE THE DOUGH

Heat water in a large pot on your hob. When the water comes to the boil, place the whole potatoes with the skin and cook for 20 minutes. Check if the potatoes are tender by poking a potato with a sharp thin knife. If the knife comes out easily, your potatoes are cooked and you need to remove the pot from the heat. Place a large sieve in your sink and transfer the water and potatoes inside to discharge the hot water. Let the potatoes cool in the sieve for a few minutes before peeling their skin, then cut the peeled potatoes into medium-sized cubes.

Place the cubed potatoes in a large bowl and mash them while still warm. Alternatively, you can press them through a ricer or grate them finely with a grater when they are cool enough to touch. Add salt and stir to combine. Cover and let the mash cool in the fridge for at least a few hours. It’s better, to make the potato mash the night before and leave it covered in the refrigerator to chill overnight.

Break the egg in a small bowl and whisk it lightly to combine. Add cooled melted butter to the bowl with the chilled potato mash, pour the whisked egg into the mash, and stir to integrate the ingredients into a fluffy mixture.

Ensure you have the right potions of flour and semolina and add them to the mashed potatoes. Knead the mixture with your hands until you have a sticky dough.

STEP 2: GET THE PLUMS READY

Wash the plums, then cut them in halves lengthwise. This will make it easier for you to remove their pits. Cut out the pits with a sharp knife. Leave the pitted plums aside, ready to use later.

To make your dumplings sweeter, place 1/2 teaspoon of granulated sugar in the middle of each plum where the pit was before, and cover with the second half of the plum. Using vanilla-flavoured sugar will add more flavour to the dumplings.

If making the dumplings to go with a savoury dish, there is no need to add sugar.

STEP 3. SHAPE THE DUMPLINGS

Divide the dough into 10 equal portions. Ensure each piece of dough is enough to cover the plum. Roll one portion of dough on a well-floured surface with a pin to 1 cm thickness or flatten it by hand. Make sure to flour your hands when working with the dough as it is sticky.

With well-floured hands, wrap the plum in a flat piece of dough. Moisten the ends of the dough to seal it and shape the dumplings into a perfectly round ball by rolling it between the palms of your hands. Packing the dough tightly around the plum will ensure that there are no air pockets left inside the dumpling and will result in cooking them evenly.

STEP 4: COOK THE PLUM DUMPLINGS

In a large pot, heat water to the boil and drop a few dumplings inside. Do not boil too many dumplings at the same time or they may not cook evenly. Let the plum dumplings simmer for 20 minutes at medium heat. If you have packed the dumplings correctly they will sink to the bottom of the pot with boiling water and will pop up on the surface when they are cooked.

STEP 5: MAKE BREADCRUMB COATING

While cooking the dumplings, prepare the coating. Melt butter in a large frying pan. When the butter starts sizzling, place the breadcrumbs and the ground walnuts inside. Saute until the breadcrumbs have a bright golden colour. Stir often to prevent them from burning.

When the breadcrumbs are done, remove the pan from the heat and add granulated sugar and cinnamon. Stir to mix the sugar and cinnamon evenly into the coating.

When the dumplings are cooked, take them out of the water with a slotted spoon. Shake the spoon to remove excess water and roll the dumplings into the breadcrumb coating. This is an important step because if the dumplings are too wet, they will make the breadcrumbs wet which we do not want to happen. However, the dumplings must be damp for the breadcrumbs to stick.

🍲 HOW TO SERVE SERBIAN PLUM DUMPLINGS

Gomboce sa šljivama ( Serbian plum dumplings) is a versatile dish. The dumplings are a perfect sweet snack that can be served instead of a cake with your afternoon coffee or tea.

Being so fabulously light and juicy, sweet plum dumplings make a mouthwatering dessert, well-complemented with a splash of vanilla sauce, whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

For a more substantial meal, serve plum dumplings as an individual meal after a soup course, or as a side dish, with cooked pork.

Enjoy! 👨‍🍳👨‍🍳👨‍🍳

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