Good evening, guys!
Today we are going to Georgia. This is a country I would definitely like to visit someday soon.
Khinkali, the dish I have picked out for Georgia, are a traditional type of dumpling.
This dumpling has the size of a fist, sometimes even bigger, and is filled with lamb meat and a juicy, brothy sauce. The combination is amazing.
As for the recipe, I have halved the amount of this recipe that wonderfully guides you through the procedure step-by-step.
Ingredients:
1.1 kg flour + enough flour for working the Khinkali
2 eggs
450 ml warm water
700 g minced beef
salt
chili powder
caraway seeds
1 onion, thinly chopped
500 ml water
Pour the flour into a bowl, make a hole in the middle and add the eggs. Add the 450 ml water and mix the dough well. Once you can for it into a ball, it is ready.
Divide it into two. On a floured working surface, fold the dough repeatedly until very firm. Roll it out until it is approximately 8 mm thick.
Take a glass and cut out circles. With a rolling pin, roll the circles out, until they are like 20 cm in diametre. Repeat the process with all the remaining dough.
Now make the filling. In a bowl, mix the meat, spices, onions and salt. Mix it well and add some 25 ml and work it and repeat, until all the 500 ml of water have been used up. The meat has to look wet and squishy.
Now take one circle of dough and fill it with a tablespoon of meat. To close it use your thumbs and index fingers and fold the Khinkali round the outside. I personally am very bad at folding any type of dumpling, so you’ll probably make it better than me!
Bring a big pot with salted water to a boil and place your Khinkali into the water, being careful not to break them. Probably not all the dumplings will fit into your pot and you’ll have to repeat a couple of times. Boil for about 12 minutes.
Serve the Khinkali with pepper.
I must say that in the beginning I was a bit nervous about making these dumplings. I feared the dough would not turn out to be that easy to work and that the shaping the dumpling would be very difficult. Much to my surprise, this wasn’t the case and the lovely scent that embraced the kitchen while boiling them proved me that this would be a great experience.
The Khinkali were amazing. Steaming hot, juicy and flavourful. Lovely!
Have you ever tried them? Let me know in the comments below.
Love,
Raffi
