Polish · Authentic-ish Polish
Uszka Dumplings
221 kcal a serving, against 293 for the traditional version. That is 72 kcal off, or 25%, with 7.7g of protein. Serves 6. 1 hour 45 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Thin wheat dough parcels filled with finely chopped mushrooms, fried onions, butter and egg, boiled and finished with more butter. Served in clear beetroot borscht for Christmas Eve.
What changed, and what each change costs
Butter and egg in the mushroom filling replaced with stock
Butter and egg glue the mushroom together and give a richer mouthfeel, but that's where most of the fat sneaks in. Swapping for just enough stock to bind means you keep the mushroom flavour without the heavy feeling.
What it costs you. The filling's nowhere near as plush. It's still tasty, but if you bite too hard, the duxelles might try to escape. Still, most will survive the soup if you're not launching them at the wall.
Dough made with water only, no egg or butter
Traditional dough has an egg for bite and a chunk of butter for tenderness, but honestly, water and flour work fine here, especially since uszka are small enough to cook quickly and don't dry out.
What it costs you. You lose a bit of chew and gloss, and the wrappers aren't as soft. Still, with soup soaking in, no one's weeping.
A little more fresh mushroom, less dried
To bulk up the filling without more fat or calories, extra fresh mushrooms fill the void. Dried shiitake still do their job for depth.
What it costs you. Strong dried mushroom flavour is dialled back a notch. If you want the slap in the face, bump up the dried and take the hit.
More parsley and black pepper
Bit more parsley adds freshness, and pepper brings back some of the warmth you lose with the butter gone.
What it costs you. None, unless you're anti-parsley. In which case, just leave it out; I won't tell.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 293 | 221 |
| Protein | 9.5g | 7.7g |
| Fat | 7.7g | 0.8g |
| Saturated fat | 4g | 0.1g |
| Carbohydrate | 46.7g | 46g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 3.3g | 3.5g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Polish prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. gluten, celery.
The method is in the book
This version brings all the earthy, savoury mushroom you want, and most of the shape survives the soup. You will miss the butter if you're used to the real deal: it's less lush, less silky, and you'll notice the wrappers aren't as soft. Nobody's going to mistake these for full-fat uszka, but on a regular Wednesday, that's not a disaster. Floating in beetroot borscht, though, they're still the business. You might even eat more than your nan would approve.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Polish, along with 56 more. It is not out yet. The swap kit is free in the meantime.