Ushki Soup (Russian Mushroom Dumpling Soup)

About This Recipe

Ushki (little ears) are miniature Russian dumplings, smaller than pelmeni, traditionally filled with a savory mushroom mixture and served floating in a clear broth rather than with sauce. They're a staple of the Russian Orthodox meat-free table, since the filling is entirely mushroom and onion, making the whole soup naturally vegetarian while still tasting rich and satisfying. The filling depends on real mushroom flavor — onions and mushrooms cooked down hard until they release and then reabsorb their moisture, concentrating into something savory enough to carry a delicate dough wrapper. The dumplings themselves are tiny, meant to be eaten a spoonful at a time along with the broth, not as a standalone main. This is patient, from-scratch Russian home cooking, traditionally made for New Year's Eve or fasting periods, though a simplified home version comes together easily on any weeknight.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 2 cupsall-purpose flour
• 1egg
• 0.5 cupcold water
• 0.5 tspsalt
• 300 gmushrooms(finely chopped)
• 1onion(finely diced, divided)
• 3 tbspoil(divided)
• 6 cupsvegetable stock
• 1bay leaf
• 3 tbspchopped dill
• 3 tbspsour cream(to serve)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Mix flour, egg, water and salt into a smooth, firm dough. Knead 5 minutes, cover, and rest 20 minutes.

2. 2

   Cook the mushroom filling

   Heat 2 tbsp oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook half the onion until soft, add mushrooms, and cook until all their liquid evaporates and they turn deeply savory, about 10 minutes. Cool completely.

   Don't rush this step — undercooked mushroom filling tastes watery and bland once wrapped and simmered.

3. 3

   Roll and fill

   Roll the dough thin and cut into small 4cm squares or circles. Place a small amount of cooled filling in the center of each, fold into a triangle or half-moon, and pinch the corners together to form the 'ear' shape.

4. 4

   Build the broth

   Heat remaining oil in a soup pot, sauté remaining onion until soft, then add stock and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and season with salt.

5. 5

   Cook the dumplings

   Drop the ushki into the simmering broth and cook 5-6 minutes until they float to the surface and the dough is tender.

6. 6

   Serve

   Ladle into bowls, discard the bay leaf, and top with dill and a spoon of sour cream.

Variations

• •

  Add a handful of dried porcini, rehydrated and chopped, to the filling for deeper flavor.

• •

  Use a beef or chicken stock instead of vegetable for a heartier, non-fasting version.

• •

  Add cooked buckwheat to the broth for extra body.

Storage

Best eaten fresh, but leftover soup keeps refrigerated for 2 days; reheat gently rather than at a hard boil so the dumplings don't fall apart.

Frequently Asked Questions