Easy Hungarian egg dumpling recipe (nokedli)

Nokedli, these delectable Hungarian egg noodles or dumplings make the perfect side dish. They need only a few everyday ingredients and are easy and super fast to make. These little dumplings (we call them nokedli or galushka) are very similar to the German spaetzle. They are amazing with stews, paprikash, or they make a quick main course the next day with some added scrambled eggs.

The key is the consistency of the batter. If the batter is too thick, it is hard to scrape it through the holes. If it is too runny, it will drip through the holes without getting a nice shape. The good news is that either way, you can adjust it to get the right consistency: if the batter is too thick, add a little bit of water, if it is too runny, add a bit of flour to the batter. You can add dumplings to your favourite soups too. Find the recipe for creating a smaller batch of dumplings for soups in my Hungarian cauliflower soup recipe post. It is that easy!

Easy Hungarian egg dumpling recipe

Ingredients

4 cups flour

6 eggs

1 tsp salt

1 cup water

Method

In a large pot bring to boil about 2.5-3 liter water (10-12 cups) with some salt.

Whisk the flour, eggs, salt together, and add the water gradually.

Once the water is boiling, place the spaetzle-dumpling maker on top of the pot. Pour about 1 cup of batter onto it, and with a spatula start pushing the dumplings through by moving the spatula back and forth. The aim is to scrape all the batter through the holes.

Push the batter with the spatula sliding towards the top of the board while you keep the tip of the spatula on the surface. Then lift the spatula, place it to the end of the noodle maker sheet, and pull the batter back towards yourself again without lifting. After every few strokes stir the water with the spatula, so the noodles do not stick to the bottom of the pot.

Once the entire batch is in the water, put the dumpling maker on the side. The dumplings will soon rise to the surface. Wait about 2-3 minutes and remove them from the water by using a medium-large metal strainer. I usually give a quick cold rinse (just moving the strainer through running cold water), so the dumplings don’t cook more while resting in the bowl.

Place the cooked dumplings in a bowl, and continue with the next batch until you use all the batter. Cover until serving.

You might like these recipes too:

Light and easy chicken paprikash

Refreshing Hungarian cucumber salad recipe

Print

Easy Hungarian egg dumpling recipe (nokedli)

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Hungarian

Keyword dumplings, easy, egg, Hungarian, quick, side dish

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 6 people

Ingredients

• 4 cups flour
• 6 eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup water

Instructions

• In a large pot bring to boil about 2.5-3 liter water (10-12 cups) with some salt.
• Whisk the flour, eggs and salt together, and add the water gradually.
  
• Once the water is boiling, place the spaetzle-dumpling maker on top of the pot. Pour about 1 cup of batter onto it, and with a spatula start pushing the dumplings through by moving the spatula back and forth. The aim is to scrape all the batter through the holes.
  
• Push the batter with the spatula sliding towards the top of the board while you keep the tip of the spatula on the surface. Then lift the spatula, place it to the end of the noodle maker sheet, and pull the batter back towards yourself again without lifting. After every few strokes stir the water with the spatula, so the noodles do not stick to the bottom of the pot.
• Once the entire batch is in the water, put the dumpling maker on the side. The dumplings will soon rise to the surface. Wait about 2-3 minutes and remove them from the water by using a medium-large metal strainer. I usually give a quick cold rinse (just moving the strainer through running cold water), so the dumplings don't cook more while resting in the bowl.
  
• Place the cooked dumplings in a bowl, and continue with the next batch until you use all the batter. Cover the dumplings until serving.

Notes

• If the batter is too runny, add a bit of flour, and if it is too thick, add a little bit of water. Add them gradually to find the right consistency.
• Add a bit of butter to the dumplings, and stir them well. The butter will stop the dumplings from sticking together.
• you can add freshly cut parsley (or dried) or other herbs to the batter, or sprinkle on top of the noodles when serving
• the dumplings make a wonderful main course too. Beat some eggs with salt & pepper (approximately one egg per cup of dumplings). In a large saucepan heat up a little bit of oil, butter, or fat on medium heat. Add the dumplings, warm them up a bit by stirring for a couple of minutes, then add the scrambled eggs. Stir the batch constantly until the eggs are cooked. Serve it immediately with some fresh salad, like my delicious cucumber salad, or with some pickles. Yummy!
• You can use a noodle-spaetzle maker to make your noodles, but do not worry a second if you do not have this tool in hand. You can use a flat cheese grater, or a vegetable grill basket with large holes, or make your dumplings by using a board and a knife (the old-fashioned way): wet both the board and the knife, so the batter won’t stick. Angle the board over the pot, and separate one ‘line’ of dough. Start cutting a little amount from the end of the line, one after another into the boiling water. If you use this method, add a bit less water, so the dough is not “sliding” off the board. You will get a bit bigger size dumplings, but they will taste just as delicious.
• Add dumplings to your favourite soups. Find the recipe for creating a smaller batch of dumplings for soups in my Hungarian cauliflower soup recipe post. 

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