Coumpa Recipe - Norwegian Potato Dumplings
Tomorrow is my Daddy's 61st Birthday. It is a family tradition on his side of the family to eat potato dumplings called coumpa (Koom-pa) or klub (cloob). My Grandmother used to make it a few times a year and all of my cousins, aunts, uncles and parents gathered around their table (now my dining room table) to eat a Scandinavian boiled potato feast.
I have posted my father's aunt's recipe before: http://troublealwayshasadoor.blogspot.com/2006/02/grace-has-been-graced.html
But since I was making this dish for my Dad's Birthday, I decided to measure all the ingredients and put the recipe down here for you (and Tee http://spiltmilk.blogspot.com) exactly the way my Grandmother taught me. She no longer is able to cook so I am glad I took the time to learn and therefore carry on the tradition for my children and future grandchildren.
Coumpa or Klub (Norwegian Potato Dumplings)
as taught to me by my Grandmother who married my Swedish/Norwegian Grandfather
10 lbs. white baker potatoes, peeled sliced into large wedges and food processed until they are in tiny flakes. Can also use an old fashioned hand-crank meat grinder.
7-9 c. white flour (I used 8)
3-4Tbsp. white kosher salt (I used 3 1/2)
1 8in. lightweight pie tin with holes pricked in bottom (this is to place in the stockpot before adding coumpa balls, to help them not stick to the bottom of the pan)
Before you start grinding potatoes, place a large 10-12 qt. stockpot 3/4 full of water on the stove to begin heating to the boiling point. Grind raw potatoes and put in large mixing bowl that will hold approximately 16 cups or more.
While working on grinding potatoes, keep peeled potatoes waiting to be ground in a sinkful of cold water, this helps them to not brown as much.
Before adding flour to ground potatoes drain off as much excess liquid from the ground potatoes as you can. Next add 5c. flour and 3Tbsp. salt. Using clean hands, mix well. Add remaining flour one cupfull at a time until dough becomes very sticky and is able to hold the shape of a ball, should be approx. 8 c., give or take. Taste to see if it needs more salt. Do not add more than 1 Tbsp. more.
By now water should be boiling in the kettle, place the tin on the water and with hands that have been rinsed in cold water, scoop about an apple sized amount (1 cup) of coumpa dough out of the bowl and place a few pieces of salt pork inside.
Loosely shape into a ball and carefully drop into boiling water, aiming for the middle of the tin to secure it on the bottom of the pan. After making 2-3 coumpa balls, rinse hands in cold water. This makes it easier to shape them and have them slip off your hands easily. Continue making coumpa balls and placing them in the boiling water, making sure to alternate where you are dropping them as to cover the pot evenly. When last ball is made, place lid on stockpot at an angle leaving an air hole for steam to escape. If there is too much water in the pot, remove some as this boils over easily. If there is not enough water, add a little more hot water and don't start timing the cooking process until the water returns to a boil. Once water reaches a boil, cook coumpa at least one hour. Remove one at the end of one hour, cut in half to check done-ness and boil 15-20 min. more if needed. Serve warm with margarine or butter. Our family enjoys them most cooled, then fried golden brown in butter. Makes approx. 2 dozen large balls, they are very filling so plan on 2 coumpa as an adult sized serving.
I have posted my father's aunt's recipe before: http://troublealwayshasadoor.blogspot.com/2006/02/grace-has-been-graced.html
But since I was making this dish for my Dad's Birthday, I decided to measure all the ingredients and put the recipe down here for you (and Tee http://spiltmilk.blogspot.com) exactly the way my Grandmother taught me. She no longer is able to cook so I am glad I took the time to learn and therefore carry on the tradition for my children and future grandchildren.
Coumpa or Klub (Norwegian Potato Dumplings)
as taught to me by my Grandmother who married my Swedish/Norwegian Grandfather
10 lbs. white baker potatoes, peeled sliced into large wedges and food processed until they are in tiny flakes. Can also use an old fashioned hand-crank meat grinder.
7-9 c. white flour (I used 8)
3-4Tbsp. white kosher salt (I used 3 1/2)
1 8in. lightweight pie tin with holes pricked in bottom (this is to place in the stockpot before adding coumpa balls, to help them not stick to the bottom of the pan)
Before you start grinding potatoes, place a large 10-12 qt. stockpot 3/4 full of water on the stove to begin heating to the boiling point. Grind raw potatoes and put in large mixing bowl that will hold approximately 16 cups or more.
While working on grinding potatoes, keep peeled potatoes waiting to be ground in a sinkful of cold water, this helps them to not brown as much.
Before adding flour to ground potatoes drain off as much excess liquid from the ground potatoes as you can. Next add 5c. flour and 3Tbsp. salt. Using clean hands, mix well. Add remaining flour one cupfull at a time until dough becomes very sticky and is able to hold the shape of a ball, should be approx. 8 c., give or take. Taste to see if it needs more salt. Do not add more than 1 Tbsp. more.
By now water should be boiling in the kettle, place the tin on the water and with hands that have been rinsed in cold water, scoop about an apple sized amount (1 cup) of coumpa dough out of the bowl and place a few pieces of salt pork inside.
Loosely shape into a ball and carefully drop into boiling water, aiming for the middle of the tin to secure it on the bottom of the pan. After making 2-3 coumpa balls, rinse hands in cold water. This makes it easier to shape them and have them slip off your hands easily. Continue making coumpa balls and placing them in the boiling water, making sure to alternate where you are dropping them as to cover the pot evenly. When last ball is made, place lid on stockpot at an angle leaving an air hole for steam to escape. If there is too much water in the pot, remove some as this boils over easily. If there is not enough water, add a little more hot water and don't start timing the cooking process until the water returns to a boil. Once water reaches a boil, cook coumpa at least one hour. Remove one at the end of one hour, cut in half to check done-ness and boil 15-20 min. more if needed. Serve warm with margarine or butter. Our family enjoys them most cooled, then fried golden brown in butter. Makes approx. 2 dozen large balls, they are very filling so plan on 2 coumpa as an adult sized serving.
27 comments:
Thanks. I've been looking for a recipe for a long time. My mother used to make this, but I tried googling "klub" & couldn't find anything. My Mom always used to cook the club in a pot in which she had boiled a ham or ham bone instead of the salt pork in the middle. Slicing and frying the leftovers was almost better than the originals!
cool! hope you will let me know how you like this recipe. good luck!
I never liked them with a meat filling, but I sure love the plain version.
I also never heard of frying them to a golden brown the day after, but it sounds pretty good.
We would cut our leftovers up into bite sized pieces and place in a frying pan or kettle, cover with milk, and then heat on stove until the milk was hot but not boiling. They were then served with only a little of the milk but with lots of butter. Makes for a very filling breakfast.
Hey, thanks so much for posting this recipe. My father used to make this for us when I was a child. He called it "krub" but I now see it is actually KLOOB, which makes sense. It was my favorite food, fried up the next day in butter, I could eat a ton of it. He has been gone 12 years now, and I dream of his krub! Thanks for helping me find a way to recreate a great childhood memory!
Thanks for the recipe. We've never written it down in our family, so this will help my sons if they ever make it. Our family puts salt pork & hamhocks in the water and cook for an hour or so, then we add the dumplings. Of course the next morning you must slice them & fry them in butter !! Pure heaven, although people who have never eaten them arent quite sure what to think of them. Most like it after trying them fried at least.
My mother, who passed two years ago, used to make "koomla" as she called it. If I had one meal to choose, knowing that I was dying, koomla would be it. Thank you for taking the time to post this recipe. She never made it with the salt pork, but I am going to try it. Butter and salt of course :)
These look exactly as my mother's used to look. She also cooked them in broth from a ham bone. I'll be making these tonight for my 89 yr. old cousin who hasn't made them in many years.
Thank you!
It was so fun to read your recipe and your post. I grew up eating this norwegian dish. We called it KRUB too! We always at it with butter AND Bacon sauce/grease. All fo the left overs were fried in bacon grease the next day! Wow, what a comfort food. This dish is a tradition in my family! Thanks for posting it on the internet.
My grandmother makes this in a very similar way but she would boil ham hocks all day first then remove the bone and add the potato dumplings, thanks for the recipe!
what a great idea. i bet the ham hock broth would make it so flavorful. thanks!
This is GREAT! Thanks for posting!!! Our family calls them rasperballers, and we make them with bacon on the side rather than stuffing them with pork. If you fry them the next day with the left over grease from the bacon, add some salt and ketchup, they are deeelicious! I like them both as big fluffy potatoe balls, and as leftovers fried! Yummy! Its neat to know that we are not the only family that eats these big Norwegian potatoe balls :D
thank you so much.. my mom has been making this for yrs.. but instead of salt pork we use pork chop pieces.. my mom boils the pork in a big pot of water and then cuts it up and puts it in the dumpling. It has always been my favorite meal. she could never put a list of ingrediants down because she just did it from touch. this will work for when i want to make it for myself.
I love your blog. I enjoyed reading about a family favorite. My family, like a couple of other commenters, have called it crub forever. I have heard it called koomla, but I am happy to hear what else it is called. We have never written our recipe down, we just pass it on from generation to generation. Also, the men in our family are the ones who make this, unless you are the daughter and your spouse does not want to learn. I just taught my son in October.
Our Klubb recipe is so similar to yours, we don't put salt pork in, we boil a ham shank in water all day, then remove the boiled ham from the water when finished cooking. We skim the fat and some broth to serve on the klubb, then boil up the balls (prepared just like you do without meat inside) in the ham broth. I usually don't add salt, but the broth is very salty after boiling ham alll day, My grandma taught me to make it like her mother taught her etc... It's so wonderful to have a family tradition to pass on through the generations. I think I'll slip a cube of ham into the dumplings this year and give it a try...
My family has been making these for generations... although we called them "Poute Kruma" at least that's how we pronounced it. It is a staple at our holiday meals...
Yes, it is great fried the next morning. I have a huge pot of them going right now.
My grandmother and aunt have been making these for years. We grate the potatoes by hand because my grandmother says it's the only way. I'll have to try it your way though, seems a whole lot simpler than grating 15 lbs. of potato by hand. The only other things we really do differently is put a large yellow onion in a chopper with some milk. Then we add that to the potato mixture. We also add about 3-5 mashed potatoes to help bind it together. It's great that you put this recipe up though! I like them fried too :P
Great stuff ! Never actually had a receipe, but have had and made this as long as I can remember. My family (of Norway decent ) calls this stowdaball (check spelling).
This was exactly how my Grandmother used to make it! She also called it Krub, and I couldn't find a recipes for it because of that for a long time-At least not one as close to hers as this. There are so many names and variations on the recipe. It was always a big event in our family, and no one has made it since she died. I can't wait to try to make it myself.
Thank you so much for posting this recipe. Ever since grandma passed away (1987) mom has not made it. Since 1992 I have married and I want to pass this on to my kids
I haven't had had these since my Grandpa flew back to Norway to meet his first love... I remember my mom and aunt's making them... I haven't had them since 1985... I am almost 30... I am so stoked to make them!!! I have been looking for this recipe for years! Thank you!!!
Thanks for this ~ this is the closest recipie I have been able to find to our family recipie! We also use salt pork...Klub any way is super yummy!
My aia sent this to me. We were raised in Wisconsin and the dumplings were called krub. What a delight to the whole family. Mom put bacon in the center. I'll be trying your recipe very soon. All the grandchildren remember this awesome treat, especially fried the next day. We often put syrup on the fried krub. Thanks
We use a lamb broth. We save and freeze the broth from Christmas lamb and use it. The best part for me is the fried salt pork on top of the ball.
My family replaces the salt pork with cheese and was served with the left over BooYa frozen since October,
YUM
My Mom has made this for years. We cal it "krub". Mom fries up small pieces of ham with diced onions. This is what gets put in the middle. Whatever is left over, goes in the milk gravy which gets poured over the krub. We also have it fried up the next morning. Aunts, Uncles, and cousins on my Norwegian side of the family all make this. Love it!
Mom would make something very similar to these when I was a kid since she is gone it is my job to carry on the tradition. Just made a batch up for my Dad and I this weekend. We don't put anything inside instead we have had side pork earlier in the month and saved the grease. Then what we do is cut up dumplings add milk to cover warm slowely to make white gravy and add salt and pepper. When they are almost warmed thru and gravy made we heat up side pork grease to smoking and put some dumplings and gravy on plate and put grease on top. When you hear the sizzle you know you have it right. Usually have for supper one night and breakfast the next day. It is still a treat to have. Enjoy..
Kumla, as we call it, is the favorite meal in my family too. We boil the ham bone all day, add carrots and the dumplings (just potatoes and flour) then add cabbage at the end. We've been making it that way for 5 generations that I know of. Family is from Stavanger. And you're all absolutely right - fried the next day is so good!
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