Khinkali are dough products with meat filling, created many years ago by Georgian chefs. In terms of cooking technology, they partly resemble the famous Russian dumplings, although they look different. To prepare such a dish, one must not only be able to make a delicious filling, but also knead the dough for khinkali correctly. We offer to make a semi-finished product in different ways.

The simplest khinkali dough can be made with only three main components available:

• 250 milliliters of drinking water;
• 750 grams of premium flour;
• 10 grams of table salt.

Semi-finished product preparation technology:

1. Sift the measured amount of flour, pour into a deep container. It could be a large bowl.
2. Add salt.
3. Introducing flour in portions, mix the products with your hands. First, this is done directly in the bowl, and a little later, the process must be transferred to a cutting board.
4. As a result, you should get a lump of tight dough that will not stick to your hands.
5. Next, the almost finished dough must be wrapped in a thin plastic wrap and left on the table for ripening.

In just half an hour, the semi-finished product will be suitable for further work.

Georgian style with egg

The Georgian classic recipe is slightly different from the one described above. Local chefs usually add an egg to such a dough.

It will make the semi-finished product more elastic, which facilitates the final stage of sculpting products in the future.

For this option you will need:

• 1.2 kilograms of wheat flour;
• some fine salt;
• 2 raw chicken eggs;
• 450 milliliters of warm water.

You need to prepare the dough in stages:

1. Pour all the flour into any wide dish. Make a small indentation in the center.
2. Pour salt into this hole and drive eggs.
3. Start mixing the ingredients with your hands. For about 5 minutes this can be done in a bowl. Then, when the mass is slightly compacted, transfer to the board and continue kneading. It will take another 5 minutes.
4. Roll out the finished dough with a rolling pin into a thin layer. Further, you can cut blanks from it.

This option is convenient because the dough practically does not need to ripen. After a short mixing, it is completely ready for use. In addition, the presence of eggs in the recipe makes the mass more elastic, while maintaining the desired density.

How to make on kefir

The Georgian khinkali dough is sometimes made not on water, but on kefir. Such a semi-finished product remains soft, tender and does not shrink for a long time.

This is especially important when large quantities of products are planned.

For such a test, you need to take:

• 1 kilogram of bread flour;
• 24 grams of baking soda;
• salt;
• 2 full glasses of kefir.

How to cook this semi-finished product:

1. First, sift the flour into a bowl. You can even do this several times.
2. Add slaked soda to it. The role of vinegar in this case will be played by kefir. Add salt at the same time and mix it all slightly.
3. Pour kefir. This should be done slowly with constant stirring. Gradually the dough will turn into a plastic tight ball.
4. After that, it should rest a little (about 2-3 hours).

Before the work itself, the ripe semi-finished product will only have to be rolled out with a rolling pin on the table, sprinkled with flour.

Dough for khinkali on mineral water

If you wish, you can make a dough for khinkali even with mineral water. It is slightly different from the usual lean convenience food.

Due to the gas present in the mineral water, dry components dissolve faster. This shortens the mixing time.

We select the following composition:

• 640 grams of flour;
• 10 grams of salt;
• 1 glass of mineral water (carbonated);
• 50 grams of sugar;
• egg of category C1.

The test execution technology will be completely different:

1. Break an egg into a wide bowl.
2. Add loose components, then beat everything with a mixer.
3. Pour mineral water into a bowl.
4. Pouring flour in portions, carry out the final batch.
5. Cover the finished dough and set aside for 20-25 minutes.

The mass turns out to be moderately dense, and due to the eggs it is also quite strong. Unlike the usual lean semi-finished product, it does not break.

Cooking in a bread maker

To prevent the products from falling apart during cooking, the dough for khinkali should be sufficiently steep and uniform. This cannot always be achieved by hand. Easily and reliably prepare dough in a bread maker.

There is one original recipe for which you will need:

• 450 grams of flour;
• a pinch of salt;
• 200 milliliters of water;
• 1 egg;
• 40 grams of vodka.

How can you make dough in a bread maker:

1. Sift the flour first. This will make the dough softer.
2. All components are immediately loaded into the form.
3. Place it in the body of the bread machine, close the lid and select the "dough" program on the panel. The device itself will signal the end of the process.

The dough prepared according to this recipe does not need rest. It can be immediately laid out on the table and rolled out.

Layered base for a dish

When using juicy fillings, it is best to choose puff pastry for khinkali. The process of its preparation is rather long and laborious. If the hostess has limited time, she can use a simplified version.

Let's take:

• 320 grams of wheat flour;
• 25 grams of sugar;
• 200 grams (1 pack) butter;
• half a glass of cold drinking water.
• 2-3 grams of salt.

You need to prepare a quick dough as follows:

1. Pour flour onto a cutting board.
2. Put butter, cut into small cubes, and chop the food well with a knife.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until the mass turns into a dense bun. In this case, flour should be added in portions.
4. Wrap the gingerbread man in plastic and put it in the refrigerator for several hours.

Before work, the ripened dough will only have to be rolled out 5-7 times, while folding it in several layers.

Choux dough for khinkali

Choux pastry is ideal for a dish like khinkali. Due to its original consistency and plasticity, it rolls quite thinly. In addition, this semi-finished product never breaks when molded or cooked.

To prepare it, only four components are needed:

• 3 cups flour;
• 20 grams of oil;
• 2 grams of edible salt;
• 400 milliliters of water.

To make khinkali choux pastry:

1. Pour water into a saucepan.
2. Add salt and oil to it, and then stir and bring to a boil.
3. Pour 2 cups of flour into hot water one by one. Stir very quickly, as the mass will immediately begin to cool.
4. Add the rest of the flour and make the final batch. The dough will be pretty steep.
5. Put the dough in a bag and leave alone for literally 30-35 minutes. During this time, it will mature and level out.

After that, the dough can be rolled out and the molding process can begin.

Traditional filling for khinkali

Khinkali is known to be a Georgian cuisine dish. Therefore, traditionally, the filling for it is prepared from lamb meat. The Georgian classic recipe requires minced meat to be juicy and aromatic.

Therefore, you can use the following set of products:

• 0.4 kilograms of lamb fillet;
• a few cloves of garlic (to taste);
• 200 milliliters of broth;
• a little salt;
• 2 medium onions;
• pepper;
• 1 bunch of dill and parsley.

To prepare the filling:

1. Cut the meat into small pieces with a sharp knife. It is not recommended to use a meat grinder in this case.
2. Chop onion and garlic at random. Try to make the blanks as small as possible.
3. Chop the greens.
4. Collect the chopped food in one container.
5. Add a little salt, a little pepper, mix.
6. Add broth. Stir everything again.

The mass should stand for a while so that the meat partially absorbs the liquid. The filling should not crumble or stratify into fractions.