Karelian pasties are a divine delicacy very popular in Finland. it is the ultimate dessert for snowy winters slowing down everything to a halt. if you ever travel to Finland you cannot miss this. it's yummy and fairly easy to make. Finnish cuisine has a heavy dose of Swedish, German and Russian influence. Swedish Christmas delicacy like Jansson's temptation is a common dish served in Finland. Finnish cuisines focus a lot on the use of fresh herbs in their diet. And they also prefer unsweetened dishes as opposed to the Swedes. Finland previously suffered from severe malnutrition, around the 19th century. During that time international imports weren’t allowed here. People had to make the most of the little crop this frosty climate had to provide. This has played an important role in shaping the structure of cuisines in Finland. Since then, people have learned to use a lot of meat, milk and milk products, berries, fishes and potatoes in their diets. However today this factor works in favor of Finnish chefs and they use these traditional dishes to create a newer and better version with modern imported ingredients. Meats like pork, duck, beef and even reindeer (in Lapland) is commonly eaten.
Finnish cuisines: Finnish cuisine also use a lot of exotic berries found in the wild forests in the Arctic Circle in their dishes. Like wild raspberries, cranberries, cloudberries, arctic brambles and wild strawberries which are used in rice porridges, desserts, and the famous traditional Christmas beverage, mulled beer. Fish is also an essential part of Finnish cuisine and is consumed a lot all over Finland. Especially Finnish Salmon tastes just out of the world. It is prepared with great care & love using cheese, lemons, and herbs like dill & thyme. Rye flour is most commonly eaten in Finland. Rye flour has great natural benefits and is used a lot by chefs today for its high nutritional values. Did you know that Finland has the highest rate of coffee consumption? Finnish people drink a lot of coffee, which records states averages to 12kg of coffee per person on an annual basis preferably with sweet buns.
Finland is a beautiful country with delightful sceneries around that just relaxes the mind and with even good people and food. Finnish food is delicious and not at all spicy. It is made with pure hearts full of love that just fills your heart when you have a bite of their food. Today I’ve discussed the recipe of one such scrumptious delight, Karelian Pasties, famous in Karelia, northern Finland. It was mostly made for Christmas Eve dinner, but considering its mouthwatering taste, do you think it is limited to the 25th of December even today! Of course not! You’ll just love these pastries. Now quickly get to know this simple yet scrumptious pastries recipe. It reflects the whole of Finland’s cuisine, portraying typical Finnish simplicity an essential ingredient in every Finnish recipe paired with a humble dose of deliciousness.
Recipe of Finnish National dish, Karelian Pasties
Ingredients:
- 4 cups of water
- 1 cup small grain uncooked white rice
- 2 cups of milk
- Salt as per taste
- 1tsp of salt
- 1 cup of rye flour
- ¼ cup of all-purpose flour
- 3tsp melted butter
For the egg-butter side dish (Munavoi)
- 2eggs
- 50gm butter
- Salt as per your taste
- 125gm cottage cheese
Method:
For the rice porridge filling:
- Boil 2 cups of water in a saucepan and put in the rice and allow it to soak the water. Reduce the heat and add the milk slowly. Keep stirring the pot continuously till the milk thickens to the extent that it coats the rice. Now add salt as per your taste for seasoning and turn off the fire.
For the pasties crust:
- Make a dough of rye flour and wheat flour with salt and cold water. Mould it into the shape of a bar. Now simply cut out small bars from this.
- Using your hands make balls out of each bar you’ve made and roll them out into thin circles.
- Put a small amount of the rice porridge filling and fold from both the ends leaving an inch of space between them
- Now crimp the folded edges and fold the ends of the pasties up to mold it like a small boat and prevent them from burning.
Baking the pasties:
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F
- Place a parchment paper on a baking tray and place your pasties about 3-4 inches apart on it.
- Brush the pasties with hot milk and butter.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes, till the pasties, turn golden brown in color with the crusty layer on top.
- Serve it cold
Munavoi:
- To make this easy side dish just boil up 2 eggs and once perfectly done cool it and remove the shells
- Use a fork and mash it roughly along with butter and cottage cheese. Sprinkle salt for seasoning as per your taste buds demand.
Now there are no more steps required, just one i.e. to eat your Karelian Pasties with Munavoi. A perfect delicacy for long dark cold winter nights in Finland, while admiring the snow white natural beauty all around you.
Happy Cooking!