Khinkali was first cooked in the mountainous regions of Georgia, but soon they learned about the recipe in other regions of the Caucasus. In fact, the similarity of khinkali with dumplings lies only in the composition of the dough and filling, since the preparation of a Georgian dish requires real skill, because khinkali is molded like a bag with pleats like pleats or corrugation and there should be at least 18 folds. The more skillful the hostess, the more she does. folds, some Georgian craftswomen prepare khinkali with 36 folds, which is considered the pinnacle of culinary art. Another feature of khinkali is a very juicy filling, which is meat in broth, and you need to prepare the dish in such a way that the filling does not leak out. In general, khinkali is a dish that is not made in a hurry, it needs to be prepared "with feeling, sensibly, with an arrangement", choosing a free day, for example a weekend. You can involve the whole family for this activity - it will be fun!

How to make dough on khinkali

The classic dough is kneaded from water and flour, without adding eggs, but modern housewives use eggs and vegetable oil - this dough turns out to be tastier and more elastic. However, many Georgian chefs categorically reject all kinds of additives, especially eggs, claiming that the yolks turn the unique khinkali dough into ordinary pasta. It is advisable to take durum flour and sift it so that it is saturated with oxygen, and the ideal ratio of water to flour is 1: 2.

The dough is kneaded in 3-4 stages, in between it rests - this method makes it possible to get a tight dough.

How to properly prepare the filling for khinkali

Once in Georgia, the filling for khinkali was made only from lamb, but now chefs use more often beef, veal and pork, mixing different types of meat with each other, and sometimes mutton is added to the minced meat for a piquant taste. In classical cooking methods, meat is not ground in a meat grinder, it is finely chopped with a very sharp knife - like onions, and then broth, milk, cream or boiled water are added to this mass. In order for the meat to chop well, it must first be placed in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Minced meat should not float in water, but it should not remain dry, so add enough water so that the filling is juicy, but not liquid - to the consistency of thick sour cream. If you decide to roll the meat through a meat grinder, use a grid with large holes, then the filling will be similar to the traditional filling, which is prepared in the mountainous regions of Georgia. You can add garlic, cumin, suneli hops, pepper and cilantro to the minced meat - it will be much tastier with seasonings. Georgian chefs advise, after adding spices and salt, to leave the minced meat for 20 minutes so that it marinates well.

We sculpt khinkali correctly

Roll out the finished dough into a layer 5 mm thick, cut out the circles with an ordinary glass, then roll each into a cake with a diameter of up to 15 cm and a thickness of 2 mm. Put a tablespoon of minced meat on the cake, raise the edges and fold in a circle. With the fingers of one hand, hold the ready-made folds, and with the other hand continue to make new ones - soon you will have a neat bag where you need to pour a teaspoon of broth or juice released from the minced meat. Further, the folds are connected into a beautiful and dense knot, which is sometimes twisted and cut off. If you don't have time to sculpt the folds, simply join the edges of the cake together in a pouch. By the way, in order for the products to cook well, you need to take 100 g of minced meat per 100 g of dough.

How to cook khinkali

Khinkali are boiled in salt water with bay leaves, taking care not to stick to the bottom. It is important to understand how much khinkali to cook so that the minced meat is ready, but the products are not overcooked. After the khinkali float to the surface, cook them for about 10 minutes, then scoop them out with a slotted spoon and put them on a plate. How long it takes to cook khinkali depends on their size, but it is better to cook no longer than 20 minutes, otherwise they will boil. Khinkali turns out to be no less tasty in a multicooker - for this you need to pour water into the multicooker bowl, add a bay leaf, turn on the Soup mode, and when the water boils, put the khinkali and cook for 15–20 minutes. You can also boil them for steam y by placing the products on an oiled steaming bowl y, in this case, the cooking time will be about half an hour.

Serve hot, drizzled with melted butter, coarsely ground pepper, herbs, sour cream and tkemali sauce - after all, this is a Georgian dish! They eat khinkali with their hands, holding the tail, biting gently so that the juice remains in the mouth. If you use a knife and fork, then you will not get any pleasure from the food, because the juice will remain on the plate.

A few secrets of how to cook khinkali at home

Some chefs advise not to spare the onions for minced meat, recommending taking three onions for a pound of meat so that the filling is juicier and tastier. Knead the minced meat for at least 15 minutes - the longer you do this, the better the liquid will be absorbed, and the filling will turn out to be more uniform, soft and juicy.

Do not put too much filling on the cake, otherwise there will be no room for the broth, and connect the folds of the khinkali in such a way that there is not even a small hole for the juice to flow out.

Sculpt as many khinkali as can be cooked in a pan at the same time, otherwise the dough will get wet from the wet filling. Georgian "dumplings" should not be cramped - let them float freely, otherwise they will stick together and deform. In Georgia, khinkali is not stirred during cooking, but gently shaken so as not to stick together. Before removing the khinkali from the pot, pour a glass of cold water into it so that they are not too hot before serving.

Homemade khinkali: step by step recipe with photo

Ingredients: for the dough: flour - 3 cups, water - 1.5 cups, vegetable oil - 3 tbsp. l., egg - 1 pc., for the filling: beef - 700 g, lamb - 300 g, onion - 2 pcs., cilantro - 1 bunch, Svan salt - 1 tsp.

If you do not have Svan salt, you can make this seasoning yourself, which includes medium or coarsely ground table salt, minced garlic, dried cilantro (can be replaced with coriander), dried dill or its seeds, and ground red pepper. Ground cumin, saffron and chopped fenugreek pods are also added to Svan salt.

Cooking method:

1. Pour half of the flour into a slide, make a depression, pour oil into it and break an egg.

2. Knead the dough, gradually adding slightly salted cold water. You should have a smooth and soft paste.

3. Let the dough rest for half an hour by covering it with a towel.

4. Add the remaining flour and knead the dough well again for 10-15 minutes.

5. Leave the dough under the towel again for half an hour.

6. Knead the dough one last time - if it feels sticky, add a little more flour. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap - this way it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

7. Scroll through a meat grinder or finely chop the meat and onions.

8. Chop the cilantro finely.

9. Add salt to the minced meat and knead it well, gradually adding 0.5 cups of water.

10. Roll out a layer of dough and cut out 2-3 mm thick circles with a glass.

11. Put in the middle 1 tbsp. l. filling, lift the edges and fold the "pouch" as described above.

12. Boil the bay leaf water in a large saucepan.

13. Dip a small amount of khinkali and cook for 15 minutes.

14. Serve the dish on the table hot, hot, dripping with butter, sour cream, any sauces, herbs and pepper.

The traditional khinkali recipe can be varied using different types of dough and meat, unusual spices and additives. Khinkali made from yeast dough are very tasty, and many housewives also add vegetables to meat or prepare vegetable, cheese and mushroom khinkali, and sweet khinkali with dried fruits and nuts are served as a dessert.

Khinkali with pumpkin

These khinkali, reminiscent of manty with pumpkin, are good during fasting. Knead unleavened dough from 300 g of wheat flour, 2 tbsp. l. vegetable oil, a pinch of salt and water, while just enough water is required to make a soft and sufficiently tight dough. Then cover the dough with a towel and start filling.

Cut into pieces 300 g of pumpkin pulp, peeled and peeled, finely chop the onion and 50 g of lard, and then combine all the ingredients. Roll out the dough into a layer, cut out circles with a glass, roll out the cakes and put in the middle of each filling. Lift the edges of the cakes and make beautiful folds in a circle in a circle, connect them and pinch them well. Boil the khinkali in salted water for 10 minutes after floating to the surface. Serve with sour cream and herbs.

Khinkali with chicken and cheese

This is a very tasty and original dish that children love very much. Knead the dough with 500 g flour, 1 egg, a pinch of salt and about 1 glass of water - the dough should not be sticky and elastic. Leave it on for a while and prepare the filling. Grind 400 grams of chicken fillet and 1 onion, although you can grind the meat and onions in a blender or food processor. Add salt and pepper to the minced meat to taste, 50 ml of broth and 100 g of any grated cheese. Mix all the ingredients well into a homogeneous mass, and then cut out circles from the dough, fill them with minced meat and wrap the edges on top like a bag. Boil khinkali for 15 minutes and serve with creamy sauce.

Khinkali with minced lamb

After eating khinkali, my husband said: - Tasty! And you don't need to go to Georgia. He had a bitter experience of eating poor-quality khinkali.

Lenten colored khinkali by March 8

Today you brought me Not a bouquet of lush roses, Not tulips and not lilies, You gave me timidly Very modest flowers, But they are so cute. Bye