Hungarian Buttered Dumplings (Nokedli)

These teeny, tiny Hungarian dumplings - also known as spätzle in German - make a toothsome side dish to many hearty winter stews and soups.

These dumplings have been enjoyed since the days of the Austro-Hungarian empire, and as such you’ll find them eaten from Germany to Hungary and everywhere in between, known as ‘spätzle’ or ‘nokedli’. The resulting dumplings are similar to pasta, albeit with more satisfying bite and heft. They’re especially irresistible when dressed with butter, grated nutmeg and pepper and served alongside your favourite stew or soups, such as goulash or paprikash [GET THE RECIPE]. Making nokedli involves making a sticky, gluey dough which is then pushed through a colander. In Central Europe, you can get special strainers for making these dumplings, but I’ll suggest some clever work-arounds in the walkthrough so you can make these at home with no sweat. Let’s go!