If I were asked about the 2 main dishes in Georgian cuisine, they would undoubtedly be the amazingly delicious cheese bread – Khachapuri and these juicy ground beef dumplings. These are rarely made at home nowadays, as there are lots of restaurants in Georgia specializing in Khinkali as a main dish, but homemade ones taste so delicious. Ground Caraway seed is one of the unique ingredients that goes in the ground beef filling. If it is not available, I replace with ground cumin. Additionally, there should be a good amount of juice in the filling. Making the dough requires a fair amount of muscle strength! The trick is to eat Khinkali with all that delicious beef bouillon.
Ingredients: Makes 25-30 medium Khinkalis
Filling:
1 pound lean ground beef
2 cups lukewarm water
3 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp cumin
Dough:
3 cups lukewarm water
2 tsp salt
About 8 cups flour
Step 1 – Combine all the filling ingredients in a bowl and whisk with a fork until evenly mixed.
Step 2 – The dough needs to be kneaded well, almost like pasta dough. Knead all the ingredients, let the dough rest, then knead again. Repeat this process 3 times, then start to roll it out.
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Step 3 – Roll the dough out to a thickness of 1/3 inch. Use a cup to cut out circles.
Step 4 – Roll out each circle individually even more, similar to soft taco shells or tortillas. Place a tablespoon of filling in the center and start creating wrinkles. The more wrinkles you make, the better!
Step 5 - Boil a large pot of water, add salt, and place the khinkalis in. Gently stir them to prevent sticking. Boil until they all float up, and then continue boiling for another 4-5 minutes. Sprinkle with some ground black pepper and enjoy.
Pro tip: take a small first bite, as there will be broth inside the dumplings, and that’s the most delicious part. Here's the link to Instagram post with the step-by-step video guide
