Khinkali - Georgian Soup dumplings

The Story

Khinkali are delicious, meat filled soup dumplings which originated in the mountain region of magical country Georgia, which has a special place in my heart. Georgia is one of the most hospitable places in the world, full of beautiful traditions and loving people. Of course, the food there is absolutely delicious, which is why I couldn’t wait to share this recipe with you. When you take a bite of Khinkali (using your hands of course) you will the immediately taste the flavors of juicy meat and the warm broth. The spices are not overpowering and are balanced together perfectly.

If you are pressed for time, you can make the meat filling a day ahead and place it in the fridge (covered) overnight and then continue from there the next day. I hope you enjoy Khinkali as much as I do!

Ingredients

For meat filling:

1 medium onion, either finely chopped or grated (about 100-130 grams)
Chopped cilantro (about 25-30 grams)
1/2 teaspoons of cumin seeds
1 teaspoon of coarsely ground black pepper
Pinch of red chili powder (optional )
1 teaspoon of sea salt
500 grams of good quality ground beef, preferably at least 20 percent fat (you have an option to mince it yourself)
250-270 ml of water

For the dough

750 grams of all purpose flour
300-325 ml of water
1 teaspoon of sea salt

Instructions

Start with the dough - add salt to water. Now add flour to the bowl and slowly add water evenly through the flour and start mixing it with hands.
Keep mixing it until the dough is able to form into a solid ball. If you can’t form a ball after few minutes and if your dough is too dry, add extra water, one drop at a time until the dough is formed.
Now its time to kneed the dough for about 15 minutes, I know this is a very hard dough to kneed because it is not very wet, but keep pressing it with your fist and your hands and keep working it. After 15 minutes, wrap the dough and let it rest for an hour.
For the filling - mix onions, salt, black pepper, cilantro, cumin, chili powder with meat. Slowly add the water and keep mixing it. The meat will absorb some of the water and will become very wet. This will make the filling very juicy and flavorful.
After an hour passes, take the dough roll it into a long stick that looks like French baguette. You can either form one long stick or several shorter ones.
Then cut the dough into smaller balls, which are about 45-50 grams.
Roll out small dough balls into about 6 inch circle, which should be about 2 mm of thickness. Remember the measurements here are just estimates.
Now take the dough that you rolled out and place 1 to 1/2 tablespoon of filling in the center of the circle and begin to fold the dough very tightly until you form a pouch, as illustrated in pictures below. Place the Khinkali on top of floured surface so that it does not stick. Cut off the tip with scissors. Continue following same instructions until you have all the Khinkali ready.
Time to cook! Fill the bit pot with water and add a pinch of salt. After the water comes to a boil, take your spoon and start swirling it into a circular direction to prevent Khinkali from falling on the bottom and sticking to a pan. Start adding Khinkali one by one and slowly keep stirring water. After about 8-10 minutes Khinkali should start floating, so it’s time to take them out!
Place the Khinkali on a plate, add some black pepper and eat with your hands. As soon as you will take a bite, you will feel the juiciness and tenderness of the meat. I hope you enjoy it very much!