Make the dough first (as it can rest while you make your fillings) by pouring the flour onto your kitchen workspace into a mound. Poke a hole in the centre and add the salt, then pour one-third of the water into the hole, and using your hands, start to combine.

Add a little more water and knead, but don’t over-knead. Once it’s combined, form the dough into a ball and set it aside to rest. (If you prefer, you could combine it in a big mixing bowl instead of on the bench, bring it out of the bowl for a knead, then return it to the bowl to let it rest.)

Make your filling by frying the onion and garlic in a pan in cooking oil until the onion is translucent. Combine the onion and garlic in a mixing bowl with the raw pork mince and beef mince, salt, pepper, and paprika. Pop the bowl in the fridge while you’re preparing your pelmeni casings.

Holding one filled casing in your left hand, fold half over with your right hand, then starting at one end, pinch the sides together, working your way down to the other side until it’s completely sealed. If your dough rested and is nice and soft and smooth, it should seal easily. If it isn’t, pour some water in a small dish, dip your pointer finger into the dish, and rub a little water (not too much) along the interior edge and that should do the trick. Then bring the two ends together, press them together, and pop them on a tray lightly dusted with flour.

Bring a big pot of water to a boil, throw in a pinch of salt, turn the heat down a little to a gentle boil (so it doesn’t tear the casings apart), then carefully slide the dumplings into the water and turn up the heat a little.

After the dumplings rise to the surface, give them a couple of minutes, then scoop them out and pop them into a casserole dish with a tablespoon of quality butter. When they’re all in the dish, gently move it from side to side to ensure the pelmeni are all covered in butter.

Take another ball of dough and repeat that process to make another batch. Any leftovers can be fried the next day. Alternatively, you can keep balls of dough wrapped in cling wrap in the fridge overnight and make more batches the next day. You can also freeze finished batches by freezing them on their tray first, then when frozen put them into ziplock bags.

Serve pelmeni in a casserole dish at the centre of the table with a big bowl of sour cream sprinkled with fresh dill and a selection of other Russian dishes to be shared family-style, or portion out on individual plates, plopping a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle of dill on each plate.