Romanian Semolina Dumpling Soup

Learn how to make semolina dumplings for the famous Romanian chicken soup with semolina dumplings or supa de galusti.

How to make semolina dumplings?

Post three in the Broths and Stocks Series is the chicken stock, probably the most popular stock there is. It is definitely my favorite stock; nothing can ever be so good and comforting as a good chicken soup made with homemade chicken stock. And the best things you can eat with your chicken stock are the Romanian semolina dumplings.

Everyone, whoever had anything to do with Romania, must know the famous Supa de galusti. I can imagine it to be the most commonly cooked dish everywhere in Romania, every child grew up eating this on a regular basis. A really simple and good chicken stock, a few carrots, and the semolina dumplings, it doesn't get any better when it comes to soup.

Few and cheap ingredients and lots and lots of flavor and goodness. One of those chicken soups for the soul, I would say, definitely for any Romanian soul on this planet.

How to make chicken stock from scratch

The way I make this chicken stock is very similar to the way I made the beef broth before. This time I use chicken, and the cooking time is longer. You can, of course, make this stock using beef just the way you can make the broth from a few days ago using chicken.

But there is quite a difference between the broth and the stock when it comes to taste.

• The broth is a very light liquid, which needs a bit of prepping when making the soup, while the stock is pretty much done after adding some salt and pepper. I make broth mostly to serve it as a light soup before the main course, for guests most of the time.
• The stock - I use it for making really nourishing soups, which can definitely be eaten as a main dish. The depth of the stock's taste cannot be achieved by the shortly cooked broth, and that is why I much rather prefer to make stocks instead of broths.
• The preparation time and work are exactly the same, the cooking time is much longer, but you don't have to stay beside the pot and stir all the time. Just turn the heat down and stop thinking about it for the next six hours or longer.

(Not the prettiest chicken, I know)

Ingredients

• You can make this stock using a whole chicken or several chicken legs or the carcasses of roast chicken or roast chicken legs. You can also buy a bag of chicken giblets and add them to the pot.
• I only spend the money on a whole chicken if I plan on making something special with the meat after cooking the soup, something like fricassee or Romanian boeuf salad (beef salad which I only make with chicken).
• Otherwise, I use the carcasses that I normally freeze after having roast chicken or roast chicken legs and add a bag of chicken giblets or 2-3 whole chicken legs.
• The vegetables and spices I use are pretty much the same I use when making beef broth or stock, without the green bell peppers, I find they don't fit so much when making chicken stock.

How to make semolina dumplings (Galusti)?

• They are the best dumplings in the world if you ask me, but they can be a bit tricky to make for a beginner. The problem is recognizing when the egg semolina mixture has the right consistency. If you have too little semolina, then the dumplings will disintegrate a bit around the edges, and the soup will not be very clear anymore.
• If you add too much semolina, your dumplings will be stony. After making them a few times, you will learn when the batter has reached the right consistency. And in doubt, trust me, it is better to have a cloudy soup and soft dumplings than to have a clear soup with stones in it. 🙂
• I have been making the dumplings without measuring the ingredients for years. After the initial few times of eating stones, everything worked perfectly. Now I have been experimenting with the quantities in order to be able to give you a more exact recipe.
• Use a kitchen scale (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab) and weigh your eggs before breaking them, then add the semolina 2 tablespoons at a time and only add the last tablespoon if absolutely necessary. Try making a dumpling first and only add more semolina if it disintegrates too much in the soup (Amazon affiliate link).
• Semolina dumplings made with one egg will make about 12 dumplings, enough for about 1 ½ liter/ 6 ¼ cups of soup. I always make the double amount; we do love our dumplings.

More dumplings?

Recipe

Romanian Semolina Dumpling Soup – Supa de galusti

Learn how to make semolina dumplings for the famous Romanian chicken soup with semolina dumplings or supa de galusti.

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Course: Soup

Cuisine: Romanian

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 6 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 6 hours hours 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 liters

Calories: 226kcal

Author: Adina

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Ingredients 

USEU

Chicken stock:

• ▢ 1 small chicken about 1 kg/ 2.2 lbs (See note)
• ▢ 3 medium onions halved
• ▢ ½-1 leek depending on size, large chunks
• ▢ 1 large piece of celeriac or several stalks celery large chunks
• ▢ 1 parsley root large chunks
• ▢ 3 garlic cloves unpeeled
• ▢ 6 cloves
• ▢ 6 juniper berries
• ▢ 15 black peppercorns
• ▢ 2-3 bay leaves
• ▢ 13 cups water
• ▢ salt

Semolina dumplings soup:

• ▢ 1 egg 60 g/ 2.1 oz
• ▢ a pinch of salt
• ▢ 6 to 7 tablespoons semolina made from durum wheat about 70-80 g/ 2.4-2.8 oz
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• ▢ 6 ½ cups chicken stock
• ▢ 3 medium carrots
• ▢ fine sea salt and pepper
• ▢ parsley

Instructions

• Chicken stock
• Simmer: Place all the ingredients in a very large pot, cover with the water, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to very low, skim the foam if necessary and leave to simmer very gently, uncovered, for about 6 hours.

  1 small chicken + 3 medium onions + ½-1 leek + 1 large piece of celeriac or several stalks celery + 1 parsley root + 3 garlic cloves + 6 cloves + 6 juniper berries + 15 black peppercorns + 2-3 bay leaves + 13 cups water + salt
• Strain the stock, keep the meat, and discard the rest. You could keep the carrots as well if you make the semolina dumpling soup immediately. Otherwise, discard.
• Boil: Place the stock in a clean pot and bring it again to a boil. Let boil rapidly for about 10 minutes. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper.
• Store: If you want to keep the broth for several days, fill it in clean bottles or jars. Place the lid on immediately and leave to cool completely. It will keep in the fridge for several days. To keep it longer, place it into smaller containers, and freeze.
• Dumpling soup
• Boil: Pour the stock into a soup pot. Peel the carrots and chop them into slices. Add them to the stock and bring everything to a boil.

  6 ½ cups chicken stock/ 1 ½ liter + 3 medium carrots
• Beat eggs: In the meantime, make the dumplings. Separate the egg. Beat the egg white with the salt until it is pretty stiff but not as stiff as you would need them for baking. Add the egg yolk and the vegetable oil and incorporate them carefully.

  1 egg + a pinch of salt + 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• Add the semolina two tablespoons at a time and fold it in gently. After adding 6 tablespoons of the semolina, the consistency should not be pourable anymore, and you should be able to trace marks on it with the fork. Add a maximum of one level tablespoon semolina if you think that the batter is too soft. Leave to stand for 5 minutes.

  6 to 7 tablespoons semolina made from durum wheat
• Form dumplings: The soup should be boiling now. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add ½ cup cold water to the stock. Add the dumplings to the soup using a teaspoon, fill about ½ -¾ of the teaspoon with batter and let it glide into the soup (you should immerse the teaspoon in the soup before starting).
• Cook dumplings: Cover the pot, leaving a crack open and cook the dumplings until soft; it should take about 10 – 15 minutes, but don't worry too much if it takes a bit longer. You can also turn off the heat when they are almost done, put on the lid, and leave the pot on the stove for a while. They will continue cooking in the soup and become soft and fluffy.
• Adjust the taste again and sprinkle some fresh parsley on top.

  fine sea salt and pepper + parsley

Notes

Chicken: You can use a whole "soup chicken OR chicken carcasses and 500 g/ 1.1 lb giblets OR chicken carcasses and 2 whole chicken legs.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 226kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 598mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 12g

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