Khinkali is a dish that came to Russian food lovers from Georgia. It is distinguished by its specific way of consumption and preparation, which should be enjoyable. Such food does not tolerate being prepared in a hurry. If you don't have enough time, it is better to postpone the preparation of khinkali until later. After all, the sculpting process is very interesting and even meditative. An additional plus is that it is very fun and useful to do this together with relatives.

Water, meat, and flour are the fundamental ingredients of the recipe. But, if you do not know how to cook khinkali, it will be useful for you to learn a few basic rules for cooking.

Basic Rules

• In no case should the dough for khinkali break. It must be cooked at intervals and so that it is soft and airy;

• The Georgian traditional recipe implied the use of only lamb, but now, in adapted versions of the recipe, you can find beef, pork, and even their mixture;

• Modeling is the most frightening thing for novice cooks. Although this process is the most enjoyable, it will pull you in and captivate you;
• With the help of a special shape or improvised means, round-shaped layers are cut out of the dough, which are then rolled out. The diameter should be about fifteen centimeters;

• Then the minced meat is applied in portions in the middle of a rounded shape. And you need to sculpt bags with folds from the dough. Their number varies. It is accepted that there should be at least twenty of them. But thirty-six are considered the highest skill and ideal;

• All the edges of the folds are collected at the top and connected to each other. You need to wrap it tightly so that there is not a single small distance from where the aromatic juice could flow. After doing this, you will notice that a "tail" has formed in the upper part. In the classical version, it is customary to pinch and tear it off, but now more and more often you can find that it remains in place;

• The main flavor is the broth saturated with aroma and spices. Therefore, the most important thing is to preserve it before serving. Therefore, it is important to lay out the meat in such a way that there is space and juice. The edges should be "closed" as carefully and tightly as possible;
• The original khinkali recipe says that you need to choose a large pot for cooking. This is due to the fact that they need a lot of space. Otherwise, Georgian dumplings can change shape and become deformed. After all, it is necessary to cook khinkali without stirring, because there is a risk of damaging the dough. If you do not want the dough to tear, and if it does stick to the bottom of the pan, shake it well. Excessive boiling can also be harmful, because the bag can blur;
• Pay special attention to the time of boiling in water, because in no case can they be digested. Estimated time is fifteen minutes;

• Before serving, when the khinkali are still in hot water, you need to cool them a little. This is suitable for those who, after cooking, are going to taste them right away. To do this, pour 200-250 grams of ice water into a saucepan;
• Serving is considered the hallmark of this dish. Khinkali should be hot, they are traditionally sprinkled with pepper. You need to eat without appliances, they will only spoil the taste perception;

• Khinkali in Georgian is used by hand. You should take a bite so that you can immediately drink the juicy broth. The ponytail helps to hold the culinary product. In no case should the juice end up in the container being used.

Many people love dumplings and manti. But, having learned how to cook khinkali properly, this dish will definitely become a favorite. Making it is not so difficult if you follow the recommendations and follow the recipe.

Step by step recipe with photo

This method is very similar to the classic one, therefore, if you follow all the instructions, you can easily prepare very authentic and delicious Georgian "dumplings" at home.

Ingredients:

For the test:

• Flour - 600-750 grams;
• Water - 200-250 grams;
• Salt - 1 tsp.

• Beef (or a piece of lamb) - 350 grams (it is better to take a young one);
• Lard - 120 grams;
• Garlic - 3 wedges;
• Salt - 1 tsp;
• Black and red peppers;
• Greens.

Cooking process:

• For the dough, pour the specified amount of flour into a container, add salt and pour it, stirring thoroughly, with cold water. It is not accepted to lay an egg, the dough should come out bland.

• Knead it out with your hands. It is convenient to do this either in a large bowl or on a kitchen board. If you have a bread baking machine, it is easier to use it.
• You need to knead the dough well. It should not be very soft, rather tight. This is the main difference from Russian dumplings.
• After the dough has been kneaded, transfer it to a container and leave for 30 minutes. This is done to make it more elastic. This is due to the gluten, which disperses during this time.

• While the dough is "resting", you can start filling. The fastest and most popular method of chopping meat at the moment is passing through a meat grinder.

• In order for the meat to come out fragrant and spicy, do not spare the seasoning. Zira, mint, cilantro, red pepper are perfect here. Not to be confused with spicy. Garlic is great and will blend in with the spices you put in.
• Minced meat should not be dense. For this we need water. First you need to mix it well. Then add about 200 grams of cold water.

• If you bought minced meat in a store, then we can assume that there is already water in the composition. But this does not mean that you should not add it. You just need less water. If you cook and grind it at home, you can assume that it will turn out to be drier. And you shouldn't feel sorry for water at all. Therefore, the amount of water added to it depends on the minced meat itself.
• It is necessary to knead the meat for khinkali a second time. The juiciness of the dish comes from a slightly liquid consistency, reminiscent of a thickened soup or stew.

• After the set half an hour, re-knead the future frame for meat. Roll the dough into a sausage and cut into an average of 13 pieces.
• Roll one of the pieces. Use a mold or saucer to make a hole about fifteen centimeters in diameter.

• Put the filling in the resulting layer. It should weigh about 50 grams. The main thing is that the amount of meat is greater than the dough.

• Raising the edge, assemble the khinkali so that folds form between them, but there was no access to the filling. Press down the ponytail very tightly. You should have a kind of bag.

• Traditionally, the tail should be torn off or cut with a knife. But the foundation must remain, because you will have to take it up when using it.
• Sprinkle the khinkali with flour or use vegetable oil to make them less sticky to surfaces.
• Pour water into a large container and put on fire. Salt must be in the water.
• When the temperature reaches 100 degrees, and the water boils, it is necessary to make a whirlpool with a spoon or other device, constantly stirring the water. It is necessary to throw khinkali into it one by one. The main thing is that the dough in the water does not have time to stick to the bottom of the dishes. When they come up, you can stop stirring the water, and the dish of juicy homemade khinkali with meat is ready.
• From this point, cook for about twenty minutes. Depending on the dishes, throw in the Georgian dumplings in one sitting or two.

• Transfer the khinkali to plates. Garnish with freshly ground coarse black pepper and your favorite herbs. Serve hot, chilled a little beforehand.

The output turns out to be about fifteen pieces. If you know how to make khinkali, you will not encounter any difficulties. They are made much easier than the already familiar "dumplings" in the Russian way.

The best Caucasian chefs boast that they can prepare such a culinary masterpiece as a real khinkal made from beef or pork. After all, he is the best representative of meat dishes. But meat can also be replaced with chicken if you want to cook an easy-to-use option in your kitchen. If the technology of cooking on chicken meat is not completely clear, then you can find out the information on the recipe from the video. Be sure that cooking will work and khinkali will become your favorite dish.