# Desperately seeking Kumla



## kcekwk (Jun 16, 2004)

I am looking for a recipe for kumla- a Norwegian potato dish. Any kumla experts out there?


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## keeperofthegood (Oct 5, 2001)

Hey oh

Well! I am not scandanavian at all, that I know of any way. I tried to look it up on google cause, wel just cause. That was a painful google!

BUT, I found one recipie for you:

http://www.humboldtnews.com/News/2003/1225/Society/

The long and short of this seems to be, it is potaoe latkas, cooked as dumplings in the broth of a boiled ham.

I am guessing here, but I do think the important part is that they are cooked dumpling style rather than like muffens. Any dish with broth will work.

Is this what you had in mind?


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## mezzaluna (Aug 29, 2000)

This little article has a photo, if anyone is interested.

Scroll down to find another recipe with ham.

Here's another one. Just scroll down. Apparently they are also called klub among other names.

Let us know how yours turn out!


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## hele (Nov 15, 2004)

Hi!,  :chef: 

I hope you will enjoi this odd Viging-recipe.

NORSKE (Norwaygian) POTATO DUMPLINGS (Kumla or Raspeball) 

4 to 6 lb. of picnic ham. 
Cover with water about 1/2 the depth of ham. 
Boil from 2 - 3 hrs., or until tender and done. 
Cook the ham in a large kettle with a lid. 
When the ham is done, take out of the broth to be served later with the potato dumplings. 

How you make the Dumplings: 
Start preparing the dumplings about an hour before the ham is done. 
5 cups grated and peeled raw potatoes 
About 6 cups unsifted flour 
9 tsp. baking powder, should be level 

Taste the broth to see if it is salty- if not salty add 1 tsp. or a little more salt. 
Mix flour, baking powder and salt together. Add to the grated raw potatoes. 
Stir together, should be like biscuit dough. 
Take some of the dough, about the size of a tennis ball, roll in flour to absorb some of the 
stickiness, shape into round dumplings with your hands- drop into boiling ham broth. 

Boil very gently for 1 hour, turning dumplings for more even cooking. 
Do not put too many in kettle, allow some room to raise. 
Use the cover when boiling dumplings. 
Serve with ham broth poured over the dumplings on plate along with the ham. 
Use butter also or whatever you wish! 
Some like cream with the dumplings!


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## kcekwk (Jun 16, 2004)

The Kumla I remember was served at a cousins house. I was pretty young, but I figured it involved boiling potato dumplings until they were almost done and then crisping them up by frying them in the reserve of whatever pork product accompanies it. Even if thats not kuimla per se, I think it sounds really good. I may be wrong and I am sure I just insulted millions of pround Norwegians. Thanks for the links and recipes.


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## skudenas (May 21, 2009)

Have you found a recipe yet? I am Scandanavian and have eaten this all my life. As far as a recipe, to tell you the truth, I would definely have to measure all ingredients. My mother did it by eye and feel and this is how I do it and only learned, by helping her when I was growing up. If you like, I can measure ingredients and send a recipe to you.


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## bearded norske (Jul 23, 2009)

The notion that Kumla was never fried is wrong, in my experience as my parents almost always fried up leftover Kumla in a bit of butter (ok..they were Norwegian it was FLOATING in butter LOL) til it was browned..Mom usually cut the dumplings up into smaller pieces to help them warm more quickly but that was all she did. 
With the advent of the microwave a perfect method of reheating was born and fried Kumla sort of became a thing of the past after my Dad died. 
I believe that trying to re-warm kumla in the broth on a stove just made a mess of the whole thing!


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## mnmchica (Mar 31, 2011)

My family is big on kumla, it is usually reserved for birthdays and holidays. We are actually having it tonight for my birthday..

1 package ham hawks 

1 5-10 potatoes (we normally use Russets)

Equal amount of flour as you have potatoes.

salt and pepper to taste. 

Boil Ham Hawks. When they are finished cooking, take the meat off of the bones and put the meat back in the broth. Wash and peel the potatoes. use a meat grinder to grind the potatoes. mix ground potatoes with flour. add salt and pepper to taste. it should be a really thick dough. use a large plastic spoon to scoop up the mixture, form it in a ball or loaf. add to boiling broth and cook for about half an hour. they should float when done. serve with butter and enjoy!


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## norske (May 8, 2011)

The microwave isn't even close to fried leftover kumla...it's the only way! (This is a tribute to my Mom...kumla on Mother's Day)


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## vickykae (Oct 7, 2012)

As a child, we had kumla once in a while throughout the year, but we ALWAYS had kumla, oyster stew and lefsa (along with other items) for Christmas, at either the Norwegian or my German sides of the family, so I'm thinking there are areas in Minnesota that have adopted this as a "Minnesota thing." We also had the kumla and lefsa at Thanksgiving, but the oyster stew was an option for that particular holiday. I am not a great cook, but I have started to collect family recipes, and I have two for kumla that I will share. One is good for a small or large batch, and the other is for a larger batch.Mom's Kumla recipe (Darlene Olson) --may adjust for the number of people being served:In large pan, big enough to boil ham (ham hock may be used for a smaller group), place 1 picnic ham and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then simmer until ham is done (about 25 minutes per pound.) While ham is cooking:Grate or grind raw potatoes (about 1/2 lb per person). Add to potatotes enough flour to make a very stiff dough. The dough should not be sticky and it should be stiffer than bread dough. Let stand about 1/2 hour and add more flour unti dough is not sticky and will form a 3-inch ball. After ham is cooked, remove from pan and add dumplings to broth and simmer about an hour or so.If balls fall apart in the broth, it is because you didn't add enough flour. Either soup (if the dumplings fall apart) or dumplings are served with butter (or margerine) and, if you used the picnic ham, ham slices.ERNA'S RECIPE FOR KUMLA (Erna Thorson)Description: Potato Dumplings in Ham Broth Ingredients: Potatoes Salt Flour Bone in Smoked Ham Directions: In a stock pot, bring the ham to a boil. Allow to boil while you prepare the dumplings. Peel 5 lbs of potatoes. Grind the raw potatoes. Salt them - like you would if they were mashed. Add flour to the ground potatos and mix by hand until you can form the dough into balls and they hold their shape. May still be sticky. Make whatever size you like. The smaller they are the quicker they cook through! Take the ham out of the broth. Remove the meat from the bone and put the meat into the pot. Bring to a boil. Drop dumplings into the boiling broth. I usually drop one in, let it boil a while, make sure it hangs together - if it doesn't, you need to mix in more flour. If it does, drop in the rest. Continue to boil - not rapidly, but steadily. I check one in about an hour. Cut it in half, look at the middle, check to see if the potatoes are cooked and that it's not still pasty. If it's not done, just drop it back in. Check again in a half hour. When it's done, get out the BUTTER! Prep Time: 60 minutes Cook Time: 120 minutes Servings: 8 I provided both recipes to demonstrate the importance of the flour and making sure you have enough flour. If not, then you will be serving soup instead of kumla. Kumla is always served with butter, which, to be truly appreciated (and truly a heart attack inthe making) should smother the dumpling. While I've never heard of frying the kummla with the original preparation, once there are leftovers, frying them up by slicing them is often a preferred serving option (similar to frying potato potatoe cakes or the prepared hash brown patties that you can buy in the freezer section of your grocer's).


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## pat charleston (Apr 25, 2014)

Knowing you probably have many recipes by now but the ones I read were nothing like my mothers.  May I tell you why?

My mom was a great cook and she learned everything she could from her in-laws and yet all the women loved her cooking.

The first thing that I did not see in any of the recipes was the use of Suet fat being put in the middle of the Kumla before it was cooked.

This totally changes the flavor and it is so good when left-overs are served.

Find yourself a good butcher and ask him for suet fat (in case you don't know this is fat which comes from around the kidneys). So don't let them give you a piece of steak fat because it is not the same.


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## guliguten (Oct 29, 2014)

For all of my life of sixty yrs, we have enjoyed kumla, kumla, or raspeboller on a regular basis. All grandparents were born in Norway so I am second generation and taught by my bestamor. I loved it so much I pleaded for my grandmother to make it. This is different from what has been listed here, but it's how my family has made it for the last 90 years.

5 lbs russet potatoes peeled and rasped (grated ) by hand after peeling. Squeeze out the liquid.

Add equal part old fashioned oatmeal and mix with enough water to make it sticky. 

Add rubbed thyme , maybe a tblespoon. To taste 

Add enough flour maybe a cup to make balls (baseball sized) 

Once you form a ball, press your finger in to the center,, add diced salt pork a couple of pcs

Boil in salted water for about 45 min. If they feel apart, you needed more flour. 

Serve with lots of butter, and slice cold and fry in lots of butter.

Ver so got


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## skudenas (May 21, 2009)

I have searched for recipes also.  My mom also used suet in the middle of the dumpling, thyme for flavor, a mixture of old fashioned oats and potato flour.  As far as measuring, it was strictly by eye.  She also used a grinder to grind the potatoes and squeezed out excess liquid.  Other than your post, and my Mom,  I have never seen a recipe with suet.  It's the BEST!!


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## mamaviv (Jan 3, 2016)

The secret to making good Kumla is in the flour you use. I was born in Stavanger and learned how to make these at my grandmothers knee. She would simply grate the potatoes, half on the fine side and the rest on the coarse side of the grinder. You really can't go by recipe alone, as different potatoes will have different moisture content. The flour used in Norway is traditionally byggmel, which is barley flour. Use this as half to three quarters of the flour content and regular all purpose flour for the rest. You want to use enough flour so that it makes a ball that holds together while cooking. She always did a test ball by making a small one first and if it fell apart, added a small amount of flour. If you add too much flour, they'll sink like lead balloons, especially when eaten. The next day they were sliced and fried in butter until they were slightly crispy on the outside. Yum! Kumla is also served with boiled rutabagas, carrots, and bacon pieces along with the fat it was fried in. NOT for those with cholesterol issues, lol. I hope this helps everyone in making one of the tastiest Norwegian dishes ever!


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