Georgian Khinkali

KHINKALI

Khinkali is a Georgian type of dumplings, originated in mountainous regions of Mtiuleti, Pshavi and Khevsureti. Later other varieties spread across the Caucasus region. They are made of mixed pork and beef. So, when visiting Georgia, eating Khinkali is a must, but why to warn you – you will eat it anyways. 

Ingredients:

For the dough:
1kg of flour
500mg of water
Salt

For the stuffing:
1kg of minced meat (mixed beef and pork)
3 onions
Salt
Ground red pepper
Water
Cumin (optional)

Preparation:

Add 1.1 kilo of flour to a mixing bowl. Make a depression in the middle of the flour and add the eggs.

                                                                                  

 Add 450 ml of warm water.

Mix the ingredients from the middle of the bowl until all of the flour is mixed.

The dough should be formed into a ball.

Sprinkle a work surface and one of the balls of dough with flour and knead (very firmly) and fold the dough.

Roll out the dough until it is about 1/3 of an inch thick.

Cut out circles of about 2.5 inches in diameter with a drinking glass.

Carefully remove the excess dough.

Use a rolling pin to roll each circle into a thin eight inch round. These rounds will be filled with a meat and spice mixture to make khinkali. Repeat the whole process of kneading, folding and cutting and rolling of rounds with the remaining ball of dough. You will then have enough rounds to make about 30 khinkali.

(Khinkali filling): Add the meat, spices, 2 finely chopped onions (optional – we didn’t use onions) and salt to a mixing bowl. Mix the ingredients by hand and then add 25 ml of water and squash and squash the mixture. Repeat this process 20 times until you have mixed at least 500 ml of water with the meat. This will ensure that your khinkali have lots of ‘juice’. The meat should look like this at the end of the 

process.

Take one round of dough from your pile of rounds. Add 1 heaped tbs of the meat mixture to the center of the round. Use your thumbs and index fingers to make an accordion type fold all around the outside. It will become easier with practice! 19 folds are considered to be ideal.

Roll the nubbin of the dumpling between your fingers and thumb and pinch off extra dough. khinkali should look like this.

Carefully place the dumplings into a deep pan of boiling salty water. Boil for 12 to 14 minutes. If the dough has been made properly the dumplings will not burst.

AAAAANDDDD Voila, they are ready:

NOTE: They have to be eaten BY HAND, not BY FORK