Zwetschkenknödel mit Nussbröseln (vegan) (vegan plum dumplings with toasted nut breadcrumbs)
A whole plum, stone removed and replaced with a sugar cube, wrapped in a vegan potato dough and poached gently, then rolled in breadcrumbs toasted with walnuts and butter until deeply golden. Using day-old, cold mashed potato for the dough is what keeps it firm enough to wrap around the plum without falling apart in the poaching water.
Prep40 min
Cook20 min
Servings4
Christoph's vegan plum dumplings, day-old cold mashed potato used for the dough, which is what keeps it firm enough to wrap without falling apart.
Ingredients
Written for a 4 L pot
Units
Temperature
Servings
Potato dough
- 500 g floury potatoes, cooked the day before, cold, mashed rounded
- 120 g flour rounded
- 40 g potato starch rounded
- 8 g fine salt rounded
- 8 firm plums, stone removed via a small slit rounded
- 8 sugar cubes, one per plum rounded
Nut breadcrumbs
- 60 g vegan butter rounded
- 80 g breadcrumbs rounded
- 50 g walnuts, finely chopped rounded
- 40 g sugar rounded
- 20 g icing sugar, for dusting (optional) rounded
Dietary labels are a guide, not a guarantee. If you have an allergy, read the ingredients yourself.
Method
- Combine the cold mashed potato, flour, potato starch and salt in a bowl. Mix gently just until it comes together into a smooth, firm dough; overworking it makes the dough tough.
- Tuck a sugar cube into each pitted plum, closing the slit around it.
- Divide the dough into 8 portions. Flatten each into a disc large enough to wrap around a plum, enclose the plum completely, and roll gently between your palms to seal and smooth the seams.
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a bare simmer. Lower the dumplings in gently and poach 15 minutes, uncovered, until they float and feel firm when pressed.
- Meanwhile, melt the vegan butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs, walnuts and sugar, and toast, stirring constantly, for 4 to 5 minutes, until deeply golden; watch closely, since they scorch quickly once the butter browns.
- Lift the dumplings out with a slotted spoon, drain briefly, and roll in the warm nut breadcrumbs. Dust with icing sugar, if using, and serve warm.
Notes
- Use cold, day-old mashed potato, not warm freshly cooked potato. Warm potato holds too much moisture to bind properly with just flour and starch; cold potato has released enough water to give a workable, firm dough.
- Do not overwork the dough. Handled too much, the potato starches develop and the dumplings turn gluey rather than staying light.
- Watch the nut breadcrumbs constantly once they start toasting. Butter, sugar and nuts together scorch fast, and the gap between perfectly golden and burnt is a matter of seconds.
- They are best eaten warm, straight after poaching; they firm up and lose their character once fully cold.
Ingredient substitutions
- Plums should be a firm variety that holds its shape through poaching; very ripe or soft plums tend to fall apart.
- Walnuts can be hazelnuts, chopped the same way.
- Vegan butter should be a block-style baking margarine rather than a spreadable tub for the breadcrumbs to toast properly.
From Christoph Mayer