Hungarian csipetke is a cross between a noodle and a dumpling. They can be cooked directly in soup or stew broth, or in plain water, and are a great accompaniment for beef goulash or any dish rich with pan juices or gravy.

Csipetke is one of the fastest styles of homemade noodles to prepare, and their name comes from the way they are formed. Pinches of dough, about the size of a dime, are rolled into a ball, flattened, and dropped into rapidly boiling water, cooked until tender.

While csipetke might look like nokedli, the Hungarian equivalent of German spaetzle, nokedli begin with a batter which is forced through a colander, sieve, or noodle grater. Csipetke, on the other hand, is made with a dough that can be rolled between the fingers.

A csipetke variation calls for rolling the dough to a 1/4 inch thickness and cutting into 1 to 2 inch pieces and curling them into a cylinder in the palm of the hand or on a csiga board. The cooking time may need to be increased.