www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Food - Recipes Pyrohy vs Potstickers!

I think I just found out what pyrohy are. How are they different from a pot sticker as you would get at a Chinese restaurant or gyoza that you would get from a Japanese restaurant?

By the way, my wife makes superb gyoza and I make the best dipping sauce!

Pyrohy are a true gift from God, the pinnacle of all food pyramids!

All other food merely enables one to crawl through the day to the next meal. :p

Survival without satisfaction.

Nothing could ever beat grandma's pyrohy. Of course, Mrs. Dr. Eric could say the same for her grandma's gyoza!

I remember an unimpressive-looking Chinese restaurant whose menu began with "Chinese perogies" - they were heavenly, as was everything else on the menu. The chef was newly arrived from Malaysia. He's probably running a super-expensive Chinese eatery these days.

Incognitus

These foods have a common origin actually, although the pyrohy/pierogies are more doughy.

After the Mongols and Tatars overran the region of eastern Europe some of the foods they commonly ate were introduced into the Slavic countries.

So the extension of pyrohy across the map of Europe could be a good marker for the extent of the disruption and suffering caused by that horrible invasion.

Other foods came west in the same way, for instance kapusta (saurkraut) which is nothing but fermented cabbage (the Tatars would bury cabbage in holes and recover it the next time they rode through the area). This kind of food has been known to cause disruption with or without the Tatars present.

+T+
Michael

I'm a pilmeni fan myself (the Russian pyrohi). Same thing, just the meat in the middle is solid, like a meatball, instead of more mushi hamburger. I'm also not a fan of anything in the pyrohi except for meat!

I learned how to make pilmeni in Siberia (obviously the Siberian type, meat only). My wife and I will make a batch once in a while. Great with sour cream.

I've actually never been to a church function that had meat pyrohi. What's the deal?

So make some pelmeni for your next church function!

Incognitus

The Chinese restaurant I frequent has a much larger food that I prefer. They call them baos. Very doughy buns with a central filling. Everything imaginable can be put inside. Chicken, pork, seafood, veggies, custard. (Not all at once.) Really delicious! http://practicalmadness.com/./images/bao.jpg

However, the pirohy at the last church function was a dumpling of its own class. Mmmmm. We like to eat it with applesauce. Is that weird?

Amber's grandma doesn't make gyoza. Amber's grandma is a WASP not Japanese.

Pat I'll have to try your grandma's pyrohy!

Gyoza are filled with ground chicken while pot stickers are filled with ground pork. Except in Malaysia and some of the Muslim circles in China where they're filled with ground beef!

XB!

Some assorted observations from a Chinese POV:

- There's a curious phenomenon to be observed amongst those Russians and Ukrainians whose families took refuge in China at some point after the Revolution: they often eat their pyrohy/pelmeni with soya sauce and/or black vinegar (which the Chinese do). This is of course, doubly amusing, if pyrohy are of Chinese/Mongol origin, as it then represents a second cross-fertilisation!

- There exist in China, Dumpling Restaurants, where nothing except dumplings are served. Of course, these are usually boiled in hot water (which the chinese then call Jiaozi) but also cooked in a pan with a little water which evaporates, letting the bottoms get slightly burned (Chinese call these Guotie, Japanese call them Gyoza). This may sound boring, but I was amazed when I saw the variety available! Basically anything that could be chopped up and put in a dumpling... pumpkin, egg, seafood... they even had dessert dumplings (not eaten with soy/vinegar of course).

- I believe our dear Incognitus has a recipe for dessert pyrohy... would he be so kind as to share it with us?

Fantastic!

Guotie is wor tip? I've seen pyrohy done both ways - just boiled (then covered with butter and onions) or finished by frying with butter and onions. Has to have the wok hay, I think.

Here\'s [pierogiesplus.com] a place in the old country that has a few varieties, and I think I've seen site for a place in Cleveland that was even more adventurous. No seafood, though. That will be a breakthrough.

How about strawberry pyrohy with a fine balsamico?

That recipe for dessert varennyky is simple enough. First, make the varennyky with wild blueberries, sweetened to taste (but remember, the sauce is coming). Keeping them warm, in a double boiler combine SWEET butter, powdered sugar and Grand Marnier, again to taste. Reduce this appropriately and apply sauce to varennyky. Enjoy!

It's wonderful - the trick is to find the wild blueberries and someone adept at making varennyky with them. For that matter, it's possible to use cherries instead, but be sure you get the all the pits out!

Incognitus

The Harbinzi (the real Shangrila) also deep fry their Pyrohys and put things like vermicelli etc in them...yum! China certainly influenced the food of those who lived there.

ICXC
NIKA

Beware - the Vyg fathers listed piroshchenie as a sin to which monastics are apt to fall. Presumably this goes for 'boiled' as well as baked!!!

Fr Mark

I'm confused now. In the thread about John's change of Rite. Some were writing that they put mashed potatoes in pyrohy. I thought that they were meat and vegetable filled dumplings. Are there recipes on line anywhere?