Xinḳali
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Here is a xinḳali (khinkali) recipe that I translated myself when I was in Georgia (with my teacher, who's added some notes).
Ingredients
Filling
- 300 g lamb meat according to my teacher, beef is just as good, and you should add extra fat if it's too lean
- 200 g pork
- 3 onions
- garlic according to my teacher
- 200-400 ml water
- Salt and black pepper
Dough
- 500 g wheat flour
- 200 ml water
- Salt
Instructions
- Mince the meat together with the onions (and garlic if you're using that). In Georgia, you couldn't buy pre-minced meat.
- Add black pepper, salt and as much water as it can absorb, and stir the mixture well.
- Sift the flour, shape it into a mound with a well in the centre, and add water and salt.
- Knead the dough.
- Roll the dough out thinly and cut out round holes using a dessert plate.
- Place a tablespoon of the mixture on each cut-out, fold the dough up around it, close it at the top and twist (the Georgian word apparently means "to twist (the neck) on someone/something").
- Any excess dough at the top is removed.
- Boil them in salted, boiling water (adding a bit of potato starch to the water should prevent them from breaking).
- Stir occasionally to prevent them from sticking.
- When they rise to the surface, they are ready.
Notes
Xinḳali are eaten hot with extra black pepper but without utensils, as the point is that they contain a lot of juice which should not be wasted. Therefore, one lifts a xinḳali, bites gently into it, drinks the juice, and then eats the rest. The top dough knot is usually not eaten. Beer is typically drunk with this, as the only Georgian dish. If there are leftovers, they taste excellent fried, and probably also as xinḳali mit Ei.