I have been to Georgia many times and the first thing I always eat is khinkali. They cost in Tbilisi, if translated into ours, 15 rubles a piece or 50 tetri! You take 7 pieces for a “hundred” and overeat.

If you are an ardent fan of Georgian cuisine, then khinkali is worth trying to cook. The modeling of this dish is classified as a real art that requires a creative approach and originality.

The preparation of this delicious dish does not like to be rushed, so it is best to cook khinkali on the weekend. You will learn more about how to sculpt and cook khinkali by reading this article, in which I will explain in detail and step by step.

Few landscapes. I filmed in November.

View of the powerful Caucasus Mountains

I cook khinkali in Georgia, Mtskheta, a local cafe.

Cooking khinkali in Georgia, Mtskheta

Cooking khinkali in Georgia, Mtskheta. Khinkali are ready!

The main ingredients in the khinkali recipe are flour, water and meat. However, before you start cooking, you should learn the secrets of Georgian chefs, which will facilitate the process of home cooking.

We prepare the dough and minced meat for khinkali

The secret of preparing the dough is very simple - it is enough to adhere to the required consistency during kneading. The ideal dough for khinkali, a step-by-step recipe with a photo of which is presented below, should have sufficient elasticity and softness, but not tear during modeling. The process of preparing the test takes place in several stages with short breaks. To save time during these breaks, you can start cooking minced meat.

Khinkali will not succeed without properly cooked minced meat. According to Georgian traditions, previously only lamb was used for this dish. After some time, various variations of khinkali appeared, where several types of meat are combined. In modern khinkali, you can find beef or pork, either alone or in combination with lamb meat.

When preparing traditional and extremely appetizing khinkali, shown in the photo, the meat must be finely chopped into small pieces. To improve the taste, it is recommended to add chopped onions. Water is added to the almost ready minced meat, which allows you to add juiciness to the finished dish. If you still prefer rolled meat, then use a large grate for grinding.

To give the dish a unique flavor, add cilantro, parsley or mint to the minced meat to taste. You can use a mixture of Georgian herbs - and then your dish will be indistinguishable from the traditional one made in Georgia.

Features of the preparation and serving of Georgian khinkali

Having dealt with the intricacies of preparing dough and minced meat for khinkali, you can begin to sculpt them. To do this, it is necessary to roll out the dough into a sausage with a diameter of 3 cm, cut it into “pyataks” with a thickness of a finger and roll them to a thickness of 3 mm, and a diameter of 12-15 cm. Then a tablespoon of minced meat is placed in each circle. And here you will find the most exciting stage in the preparation of khinkali - the creation of a bag with folds. Eminent Georgian chefs manage to create khinkali with about thirty-six folds. A novice cook manages to create literally twenty folds.

When creating bags of minced meat, you should pay attention to how tightly you pinch the resulting tail. If you hurry and do not fix the edges of the twisted tail, then when cooking, the delicious broth will simply flow out of the khinkali. It is also worth considering that when cooking in khinkali, a broth is formed, so you should not be zealous with the amount of minced meat, otherwise the dough will simply break - and all efforts will be in vain.

Khinkali sculpting machine and a lot of khinkali

The secret of cooking khinkali is quite simple: it is enough to arm yourself with a large container of water and cook in several steps. Khinkali should in no case be crowded. It is recommended to stir very carefully during cooking, so as not to damage the almost finished dish in any case. This should be done not with a metal, but with a wooden spatula. Make sure that the water does not boil too much - otherwise the bags may open, losing the precious broth. The average cooking time for khinkali is fifteen to twenty minutes.

Chef Niko, from whom I studied in Telavi

Gourmets advise serving khinkali hot, after sprinkling them with large black pepper. It is customary to eat khinkali with your hands - this is the only way you can feel all the facets of the taste of this unusual dish with a truly Georgian flavor.