Since its appearance in several regions of Georgia (Pshav-Khevsureti and Mtiuleti), the dish has quickly spread throughout the Caucasus and far beyond. Hence the variety of all kinds of options and recipes for cooking. In addition to lamb without herbs, which khinkali is stuffed today in the mountains, beef, pork or a meat mix with herbs, cheese, potatoes, mushrooms and even crayfish meat are used as the filling. The dough kneading and molding form remain unchanged. Today - the recipe for the most common khinkali, the so-called "kalakuri", or urban, - with meat, cilantro and spices from dough without eggs. I'll give you the recipe for the egg dough too.

"Arithmetic" of ideal khinkali

1. Khinkali dough is prepared with or without eggs - the same way. To prevent khinkali from tearing, a ratio of 1: 2 should be observed, that is, two parts of flour are added to one part of water (250 ml of water - 500 g of flour)
2. The ideal thickness for rolling the dough, so that it turns out to be elastic and holds the broth, is 2 mm. In general, thin, as thin as possible. Too thick dough cakes will not cook well, and excessively thin ones can break.
3. For the filling to be juicy, the ratio of meat to onions should be 1: 3, that is, 330 g of onions are needed for 1 kg of meat. If you take too little, the filling will turn out to be rather dry, and if you overdo it, the onion will overpower the taste of the meat.
4. The amount of dough and filling should be approximately equal, the ratio is 1: 1, that is, 40 g of dough will need 40 g of meat (1 tablespoon). Then the products will be cooked evenly, the taste will be harmonious.
5. Work on the form takes a significant place in the preparation. The more folds a khinkali has “tail”, the more experienced the molder is considered. Some mehinkle (the so-called chefs who prepare khinkali) can collect 28 or even 32 folds. The tradition goes back to pagan times. The tail of the khinkali symbolizes the sun, and the folds represent its rays.

Total time: 50 minutes / Cooking time: 25 minutes / Exit: 20 pcs.

Ingredients

for dough without eggs:

• wheat flour - 500 g
• salt - 1 tsp
• ice water - 250 ml
• sunflower oil - 2 tbsp. l.

For filling:

• beef - 450 g
• pork - 450 g
• onions - 300 g
• garlic - 3 teeth.
• ground thyme - 1 chips.
• dried cumin - 1 chips.
• hops-suneli - 0.5 tsp.
• salt - 1 tsp with a slide
• ground black pepper - 0.5 tsp.
• cilantro - 1 bunch.
• warm water - 150 ml

Preparation

Khinkali dough

* If the kneaded dough continues to stick to your hands, add a little flour to the listed ingredients.

The first thing I do is knead the dough. Sift 500 g of flour into a bowl, make a hole in the center. I take ice water - it will prevent the gluten from swelling, so the dough will turn out to be pliable, non-sticky, it will be easy to knead. I add salt to a glass of water and stir until the crystals are completely dissolved. Pour cold salted water into a funnel, in portions, gradually stirring with a spoon.



Then I pour refined dough into the dough vegetable oil- it will facilitate the kneading of the dough, make it more elastic, it will not tear even with very thin rolling.



I knead for a long time - at least 15 minutes, with my hands, with love and special perseverance. The dough will become firm, elastic, completely non-sticky either to hands or to the work surface. Ideally, it should rest 2-3 times for 10-15 minutes in the process. But this time I did it for 1 kneading, wrapped the bun in cling film and sent it to the refrigerator for 30 minutes to rest the dough.



Filling

In the meantime, I am preparing the filling. Beef, pork, lamb are suitable for meat khinkali. It is advisable to take meat without veins, preferably beef entrecote and pork neck. If there are streaks, then they must be cleaned, otherwise they will fall into the filling and it will be inconvenient to chew it.

Traditionally, meat is chopped by hand with a knife. To make slicing easier, I recommend pre-freezing the pieces (not to be confused with freezing them completely!). To do this, I cut the pork and beef into large layers and send them to the freezer for literally 20 minutes. I chop the frozen meat with a wide knife - cutting into small cubes.

If you do decide to use a meat grinder, choose the largest grid.



Peel and chop the onion. You can chop it finely and finely with a knife, but I prefer the option of chopping with a blender - the process is performed in just a couple of button presses, and most importantly, the onion gives a lot of juice, and you don't have to cry.



Add chopped onion, salt, pepper, thyme and cumin into the meat filling. I squeeze out the garlic. Be sure to add finely chopped cilantro, which gives the dish a special taste and amazing aroma (if you can't stand cilantro at all, you can replace it with parsley).



To make the filling very juicy and form a lot of broth inside the dough, it is necessary to add water to it - about 150 ml, warm or at room temperature, so that the fat in the minced meat does not come in lumps. I add water gradually, stirring the minced meat with my hands. The consistency should be like sour cream - the finished minced meat should be easily mixed with a spoon.

I leave it for 30 minutes at room temperature so that the meat is marinated, absorbed water, the aroma of spices and herbs. I cover the top with a plate so that it does not get windy.



How to sculpt khinkali

1. 

   Then I roll each circle with a rolling pin into thin cakes - they should be large and thin, about 12 cm in diameter, 2 mm thick, weight 40-42 g. But this is very strict. In total, I get 20 blanks. I put 1 spoonful of filling on each cake in the center.

   

   I lift the edges of the dough up and collect with an accordion - so that a bag with minced meat is formed inside. You don't have to try to release all the air from the inside. On the contrary, the more air space the filling has, the more broth will eventually form. Take the khinkali by the tail and let the filling fall down, it's good if it squishes a little.

   

   

   From the editorial board... At this stage, the tails can be carefully trimmed to give the khinkali a more aesthetic look.

   

   

   How to cook khinkali

   It remains to boil the products. A large and wide saucepan is best suited for this, where the khinkali will feel free. In boiling, well-salted water, I put one thing at a time, holding by the tail. To avoid sticking to the bottom of the pot, you can make a funnel in boiling water by stirring it with a spoon. You don't need to lay too much, they should be cooked in one layer, otherwise they will stick together, the dough will break.

   Willingness is very easy to determine: as soon as the bags turn over strictly vertically, tail down, it's time to time the time and cook for another 8-10 minutes.

   

   Innings. How to eat khinkali correctly

   Before serving, be sure to sprinkle with freshly ground pepper. It is customary to eat Georgian dumplings with your hands (in no case with a fork and a knife!). You need to take it by the tail, turn it over and bite off the edge, drink the fragrant broth until it flows out onto the plate (the broth that has leaked onto the plate is unacceptable), and then be taken as a basis. The ponytails themselves are not eaten, but left on the plate. After a meal, they often arrange comic calculations by tails, who could eat how many khinkali. They eat dozens of them, despite their impressive size.

   It is not accepted to eat khinkali with bread or ketchup.

   Pickles and fresh herbs are good with Georgian dumplings, and from alcohol they go well with beer and vodka (Georgian "chacha"), but not wine.

The dimensions of the khinkali are impressive, large - it is believed that one khinkali should fit exactly into a man's palm. For one serving, 3-5 pieces are enough (however, in Georgia they will laugh at you, there they eat dozens of them). The rest can be frozen.

To freeze, place the semi-finished product on a board generously sprinkled with flour, always at some distance from each other so that they do not stick together. Place in the freezer for 3 hours, then transfer to a bag for more compact storage.

Boil like dumplings, but longer, 15-20 minutes, until the filling is fully cooked. The semi-finished product normally tolerates freezing, but it is still better to cook khinkali in small portions, at a time, then they will be especially fragrant and juicy.

If the khinkali get cold, don't worry, the fried ones are no less tasty. Fry in a frying pan in a little vegetable oil.

Khinkali on dough with egg

The preparation is the same as above, so I only give the calculation of the ingredients.

Dough:

flour - 3 cups
chicken egg - 1 piece
water - 1.5 cups
salt - 1 teaspoon
vegetable oil 2-3 tbsp. l.
extra flour (if necessary)

Filling:

beef - 0.7 kg
lamb - 0.3 kg
onions - 1-2 large onions
water or broth - as needed
greens to taste - a lot is suitable (cilantro, parsley, mint, a pinch of dried cumin)
salt, red and black pepper to taste

How they cook in Tbilisi Khinkalnaya

Khinkali is one of the most famous and popular dishes of Georgian cuisine. This dish is prepared by housewives for lunch or dinner, and is most often ordered in restaurants and cafes.

They say that in no other institution on the territory of Georgia one "khinkalin" can cost more than 1 lari - about 25 rubles. And to fill up, five pieces are enough.

Despite the exotic name, there is nothing particularly complicated in the preparation of this dish. With a little patience and skill, your loved ones will be delighted with your lunch.

How to make dough for khinkali

1. On a workbench, make a heap of flour and add 1 teaspoon of salt.
2. Make a hole in the middle and, adding water, knead the hard dough. Place the kneaded piece of dough in a container with a lid and let sit for about half an hour.
3. The dough should be soft and elastic.

For the amount of ingredients, see the recipes.

Khinkali - a classic recipe

For cooking, it is important to observe the proportions and all stages of preparation. A step-by-step recipe does not require the purchase of any exotic products and will take about 1.5 hours.

Ingredients:

• wheat flour - 500 gr.;
• water 150 - gr.;
• beef - 300 gr.;
• pork - 200 gr.;
• onions - 1-2 pcs.;
• greens - 1 bunch.
• salt;
• pepper.

Preparation:

1. To prepare minced meat, beef should be lean, and pork with fat. Rotate the meat and onion in a meat grinder.
2. Parsley or cilantro is best chopped finely with a knife. You can take half and cilantro and parsley, or use dried herbs.
3. The minced meat needs to be mixed well, salt, add black ground pepper, herbs and about a glass cold water... Minced meat should not spread, but without water, broth inside the khinkali will not work.
4. Roll out a sausage about 5 centimeters in diameter on a dough work surface. Cut it into 1-1.5 cm circles.
5. Roll out each circle, making sure you get a well-shaped round pancake.
6. Place a tablespoon of minced meat in the center and try to make about 15-18 folds.
7. Connect all the folds and squeeze tightly with your fingers to create a brush at the top.
8. Boil water and salt in a suitable saucepan. Gently dip khinkali into boiling water, try not to damage the thin dough. They should not stick together.
9. A few minutes later, when they rose to the surface and cooked a little more, the khinkali should be laid out on a large dish and served.

Ingredients:

• flour - 500 gr.;
• water 150 - gr.;
• beef - 300 gr.;
• pork - 200 gr.;
• onions - 1-2 pcs.;
• salt, pepper, seasonings of your choice;

Preparation:

1. Prepare the dough as in the previous recipe.
2. But you have to tinker with minced meat. Cut the meat into thin strips, then make cubes out of them. Then chop the meat with a large and heavy knife until the minced meat is smooth.
3. Add finely chopped onion, salt, water and spices to the minced meat. You can add those that you like best: cumin, pepper, dried herbs. Or you can take a ready-made mixture of hops-suneli.
4. The principle of sculpting remains the same, but they should be cooked for 1-2 minutes longer.

This recipe came to us from the mountainous regions of Georgia. They are characterized by the use of a large amount of spices. But you can add a little - to taste.

There are other types of fillings for this dish. Try to make such khinkali according to the Georgian recipe.

Ingredients:

• flour - 500 gr.;
• water 150 - gr.;
• egg 1 pc .;
• potatoes - 5-6 pcs.;
• suluguni - 200 gr.;
• onions - 1-2 pcs.;

Preparation:

1. When kneading dough, you can use egg or just protein for more elasticity.
2. For the filling, boil the potatoes in salted water and rub them through a fine sieve.
3. Dice the onion and fry in vegetable oil. Grate the cheese on a coarse grater.
4. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and start sculpting khinkali.
5. Since we have ready-made filling, they should be cooked much less time.
6. Your khinkali are ready when they come to the surface and the water in the pot is boiling again.

Ingredients:

• flour - 500 gr.;
• water 150 - gr.;
• potatoes - 5-6 pcs.;
• champignons - 200 gr.;
• onions - 1-2 pcs.;
• salt, pepper, seasonings to taste;

Preparation:

1. Knead the dough and boil the peeled potatoes in salted water.
2. Cut the slightly cooled potatoes into small cubes.
3. Chop and fry the mushrooms and onions in a skillet. Better to use unscented vegetable oil.
4. Combine the filling in a bowl. You can add a clove of garlic or any greens.
5. Sculpt khinkali as usual, and then dip them in boiling water.
6. They should be cooked, like the previous ones, a little less than khinkali with minced meat.
7. When serving, you can not be limited to freshly ground black pepper, but make a sauce of sour cream or yogurt with cilantro and garlic.

Khinkali with cheese and herbs

There is also such a variety for those who do not want or cannot eat meat.

Ingredients:

• flour - 500 gr.;
• water 150 - gr.;
• greens - 1 bunch.;
• suluguni - 400 gr.;
• garlic - 2-3 cloves;
• salt, pepper, seasonings to taste;

Preparation:

1. Dough preparation remains the same.
2. For the filling, grate the cheese on a coarse grater.
3. Depending on what kind of greens you want to use, you need to chop it finely and add it to the cheese. Or, if you want to add spinach, scald it with boiling water and then mix with cheese and garlic in a bowl.
4. It is better to cook them in unsalted water, since suluguni is usually sold with us already very salty.

Sauce based on fermented milk products is suitable for this recipe.

It should be borne in mind that from the amount of products that are given in the recipes, you get lunch for a fairly large company. At home, for a small family, you do not need to cook so much. It is not worth freezing ready-made khinkali like dumplings. Better reduce the amount of ingredients and bon appetit!

Arctic Circle

The night haze still lies on the hills of Georgia, and embracing like two sisters, the streams of Aragva and Kura merge and make noise as if nothing had happened.

Georgia is a gastronomic empire south of the Caucasus Mountains. She, of course, sends her emissaries around the world with smoked suluguni, Isabella wine and off-season churchkhels. Agents Lobio and Satsivi are legalized by opening restaurants in chilled Russian cities that vaguely resemble Starotbilis courtyards smelling of wine and lamb barbecue.

But we understand that all this is an ersatz, a surrogate and the erosion of taste generated by them. Food should be tasted where it grew up and ran yesterday, and today it is served on the table.

Take, for example, khinkali, the basic model of the Georgian table, a stronghold of national gluttony. The origin and taste of this dish in Georgia is explained something like this: "Do you know dumplings? So, nothing in common."

In order not to get confused when getting acquainted with "non-dumplings", it is useful to know a few rules of safe communication with this local dish.

Khinkali is mountain food. Highlanders make them very laconically - no herbs and spices in minced meat, no such tricks that the inhabitants of the valleys indulge in. Flour, onions, meat. Even so: meat, onions, flour.

First, Khankals are a special world. Of course, khinkali can be served in a regular restaurant and even a snack bar, mixed with other food, but this is eclecticism and a mixture of genres. Khinkalnye stand apart. And their names are laconic or full of pathos: "The most delicious khinkali", "Khinkali Palace". But there is no doubt that it is there, inside. The accompaniment of the khinkali is also decidedly simple: pepper shaker (it is customary to sprinkle khinkali with a thick layer of hot pepper until black) and a 1.5-liter jug ​​of Kakhetian (there are practically no smaller dishes here).

The most fatal mistake- pick up the khinkal with a fork. You can't even poke a khinkal with a fork! Firstly, it is bad manners, like "a fish with a knife." Secondly, you can damage the skin in this way, and a delicious broth will flow onto the plate through the hole.

Million Menu

Spices are not found in the mountains, but lambs are found, this is the basis of such asceticism.

There were no meat grinders in the mountains either, so the minced meat should be made from minced meat. The meat is chopped with a knife. Not a dagger, a dagger is the very last argument in the dispute about who makes the real khinkali. But only the highlanders roll out the dough so thinly but resiliently that it can be collected at the "navel" in the 18 folds that are supposed to be.

How to eat khinkal correctly? Only with your hands! You need to take it by the "navel", bring it to your mouth, gnaw a small hole from the side, blow it carefully so as not to scald with the broth bubbling inside, and suck it elegantly.

Then you should eat the rest of the khinkal - except for the "navel". The navels do not eat; they are actually cutlery. The navels are measured. Khinkali eaters usually put them on a plate - who is more gluttonous. Even a very hungry person is rarely able to eat more than five khinkali in a row, washing down each with a glass of young homemade wine.

True, I know a man who, without hiding his eyes, assured me that he had eaten sixty. But he himself admitted that it was still, as they say here, "under communism," when the khinkali were noticeably smaller and the eaters were hungrier.

for the test: flour - 3 cups; water - 1 glass; egg - 1 pc.; salt to taste; for minced meat: fatty lamb - 300g; pork - 200g; meat broth; onion - 3 onions; ground black and red hot peppers, salt, parsley, dill - to taste Description If desired, you can cook minced meat for khinkali from 3/4 mutton and 1/4 beef. So, cut the meat into pretty steep pieces and pass them 2 times through a meat grinder along with onions. However, you can simply chop the meat finely with a knife. Add to the minced meat as much broth as the meat will absorb so that the filling is juicy, add black and red pepper, salt, very finely chopped dill and parsley to taste, mix everything thoroughly. For the dough, sift the flour onto a large flat dish, collect it with a mound, in the center of which make a depression, pour warm water, one egg, salt into it and knead a very steep dough, then leave it for 20-30 minutes, covering with a napkin. Then divide the dough into pieces, roll out very thin cakes, in the center of which put about as much meat filling as the dough circle weighs. Gather the dough in small folds into knots, fastening them tightly. Cook khinkali in salted water. When the khinkali float up, they are ready. Remove with a wooden spoon, taking care not to damage the shell so that the juice does not leak out. Serve khinkali sprinkled with black pepper. Serve parsley, cilantro, tarragon separately. And yet, they usually eat khinkali with their hands, taking by the bundle. Another recipe For the test: 1 glass wheat flour; 1 glass of water; salt to taste. For minced meat: 300 g of beef; 200 g pork (or a mixture of lamb and beef); 3 onions; ground black pepper and salt to taste. Description Preparation: Sift flour on a wooden board, collect it with a mound, make a depression in it, pour 1 glass of water into it, add a pinch of salt and knead the dough. Roll out the resulting dough on a board in a thin layer, cut out circles the size of a dessert plate. Put on each circle a spoonful of pre-prepared minced meat and, collecting the edges, give the required shape. The khinkali prepared in this way should be dipped in slightly salted boiling water and cooked at low boil for about 10-15 minutes, until they float. Take out the finished khinkali with a slotted spoon and serve hot. Cooking minced meat. Cut the beef and pork pulp into pieces and mince together with the onions. Then pour black pepper into the meat, salt and mix thoroughly, adding about 0.5 cups of warm water, that is, as much as the minced meat will take in. Calorie content of 1 portion (200 g) 450 kcal.

Automatic extrusion molding machine for the production of cheburek, dumplings, dumplings, manti, khinkali, samsa, ravioli, etc. Products: pasties 150 mm long, dumplings, dumplings, manti, khinkali, rolls, samsa, ravio-li. Chebureks 150 mm long Khinkali Types of products: Dumplings "shell" Chebureks Dumplings with imitation of traditional pint The machine is completely made of stainless steel. This machine has four independent drives, which makes it possible to produce a wide range of dough products with various fillings. There is no need to roll out the dough. Place the well-mixed dough in the machine, load the filling and turn on the machine. Dumplings, fried dumplings, dumplings, spring rolls, egg tarts, apple filling, samsa, noodles, or ravioli will form immediately. Patents in Taiwan: 138136,139367 Dimensions 1150 (L) X 570 (W) X1700 (H) mm Power supply 220/380 / 415V, 50/60 Hz, Single / 3 Phase, 3.5 kW Max. oil content 30% (MARGARINE) Product weight MIN. 6g / pc Max. 100g / pc High productivity Products Productivity (pcs / hour) Products Productivity (pcs / hour) Pelmeni 12,000-20,000 Spring rolls 7000 - 8400 Curry Puff / Empanadas 6300 Samsa 7000 - 12000 Noodles 420 kg / hour Ravioli 9000 - 16000 Ravioli 9000 - 16,000 2 augers for dough intake Gear pump 4 variable frequency drives (1 for dough, 1 for a forming module, 2 for filling, i.e. 1 for auger and 1 for a gear pump) Electrical cabinet (including refrigerator with water temperature control for core cooling) Whole chunks of filling: HLT-700 - up to 8 mm HLT-700 XL - up to 10 mm, gear pump allows use of loose filling Advantages of HLT-700 and HLT-700XL Can be used with softer, wetter dough. On analogs, a tough dough. Smooth adjustment of the speeds of all knots (up to tenths): Adjustment of the dough / filling ratio, the ability to select the required dough thickness. The presence of a reversible auger in the place of dough sampling, which eliminates difficulties with dough feeding. The dough can be thrown in pieces, does not require pushing with your hands. The presence of an autonomous cooling system for the liner instead of the cooling system with running water, used on other types of equipment: Independence from the temperature of running water, does not require the obligatory drainage of water in the room. The presence of a blower screw at the filling station, adjustable in speed, which allows you to use a wider range of fillings (denser stuffing, other fillings with a lower water content, which eliminates cracking of the product shell during shock freezing, Gear pump HLT-700XL allows you to use unbound filling in pieces up to 10 mm). The high-quality special Teflon coating of the forming drum minimizes dusting with flour, which is a great advantage for further automatic beveling. The contours of the product are ideally outlined, as well as 100% adhesion of the edges of the product due to the use of softer dough, which significantly increases the consumer qualities of the product. The size of the whole filling can be up to 10 mm. The minimum weight of the dumplings is 3 grams, the maximum weight of the product is 100 grams. Software that allows you to create programs for different kinds products, which eliminates the presence of rejects when switching from one type of product to another, as well as during the initial start-up of the machine. Additional Benefits HLT-700XL The HLT-700XL can take any fillings, such as mashed potatoes (regular without added water), curd with raisins, chopped cabbage, minced meat with pieces of bacon up to 10 mm. An increase in the filling feed rate allows to proportionally increase the rotation speed of the forming drum and the dough feeding screw, which increases the Productivity by about 1.3 - 1.5 times compared to the HLT-700. The gear pump completely eliminates the airing of minced meat and other fillings.

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 or 50 tetri! You take 7 pieces for "sotochku" and overeat.

If you are an ardent admirer of Georgian cuisine, then khinkali are worth trying to cook. The sculpting of this dish is considered a real art that requires creativity and originality.

Cooking this delicious dish doesn't like rush, so it's best to cook khinkali on weekends. 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.

- Do not wash down khinkali with wine, Georgians believe that beer will do much better

Few landscapes. I filmed in November.

View of the powerful Caucasus Mountains

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

I cook khinkali in Georgia, Mtskheta

I cook khinkali in Georgia, Mtskheta. Khinkali are ready!

Read more on read my full review

The main ingredients in the khinkali recipe are flour, water and meat. However, before you start cooking, it is worth learning the secrets of Georgian chefs that will facilitate the process of home cooking.

Preparing dough and minced meat for khinkali

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

Without properly cooked minced meat, khinkali will not work. According to Georgian traditions, previously exclusively 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, both individually and in combination with lamb meat.

When preparing traditional and unusually appetizing khinkali, shown in the photo, the meat must be finely chopped into small pieces. It is recommended to add chopped onion to enhance the taste. Water is added to the almost finished minced meat, which makes it possible to add juiciness to the finished dish. If you still prefer curled meat, use the large grind grate for this.

For 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 cooking and serving Georgian khinkali

Having dealt with the intricacies of making dough and minced meat for khinkali, you can start sculpting them. To do this, roll out the dough into a sausage with a diameter of 3 cm, cut it into finger-thick "pennies" and cut them to a thickness of 3 mm, and the diameter so that it is 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. Famous Georgian chefs manage to create khinkali with about thirty-six folds. A novice cook manages to create literally twenty folds.

- Khinkali is not eaten with sauces, as there is a lot of broth inside

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 during cooking the delicious broth will simply flow out of the khinkali. It should also be borne in mind that broth is formed in khinkali, so you should not be zealous with the amount of minced meat, otherwise the dough will simply burst - and all efforts will be in vain.

Khinkali sculpting machine and many khinkali

How to cook khinkali? - The secret of cooking khinkali is quite simple: just arm yourself with a large container of water and cook in several stages. Khinkali should never be crowded. It is recommended to stir very carefully during cooking so as not to damage the practically finished dish in any way. 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 precious broth. The average cooking time for khinkali is six to seven minutes.

Chef Niko with 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. Next, I give a recipe for making khinkali at home.

- If the khinkali are cold on a plate, ask them to fry. Fried khinkali is a separate story.

1. In the center of Tbilisi, on the menu of almost every khinkali cafe there is the most different types: with meat, potatoes, mushrooms, with everything in the world. How to choose? Just try and search for your format. But the most "correct" in Tbilisi are khinkali kalakuri - this is an urban recipe with meat and herbs.
2. The perfect khinkali is sculpted by hand and has 28 folds. It’s not just that. 28 is a sacred number, because the sun passes over a large circle of the celestial sphere in 28 days. The tail of the khinkali was considered the sun, and the folds were considered rays. This is ideal, but khinkali can be fine and there are fewer folds.
3. Do not wash down khinkali with wine. Beer will do much better.
4. Khinkali is not eaten with sauces, as there is already broth inside. Just sprinkle the khinkali with ground black pepper.
5. Khinkali is eaten with hands. Smack, squish, chomp - there is no time for decency. We must manage to eat khinkali so that not a single drop of aromatic juice ends up on the plate.
6. The homeland of khinkali is Pasanauri. This is a village on the way to Kazbegi. If you managed to find yourself in those parts, take the time and taste the local khinkali. They are completely different - small, fatter and very, well, very tasty.
7. If you haven't calculated your strength, ordered too many, and the khinkali on the plate have cooled down, ask them to fry. Fried khinkali is a separate story. Believe me, you will have a second wind!
8. In Tbilisi, khinkali are quite good almost everywhere. But for our taste, they are especially successful in the Maspindzelo restaurant, the Pasanauri cafe on the top of Rustaveli and in the Alani dukhan near the sulfur baths.
9. According to one version, khinkali was prepared in honor of the Georgian sun goddess Barbara. Therefore, on December 21 - on Varvara's day - khinkali were always on the table.
10. Well, and for a snack - either a parable, or a fable, or an anecdote: Somehow Comrade Khrushchev came to Georgia on a visit. Was fed and watered, including khinkali. Of course, he, like any guest, was taught that they eat khinkali with their hands and throw away their tails. The great innovator found out that Georgia at that time consumed 250 million khinkali per year. Based on the mass, it turned out that in the form of tails, Georgians throw out more than a ton of premium flour per year. And the comrade rationalizer ordered to stop the supply of premium flour to Georgia. Greedy.