Khinkali is not a large dumpling native to Georgia at all. It is a simple rustic but extremely tasty presentation that is worth knowing and respecting. It is enough to see once how reverently Georgians treat the preparation of khinkali - and everything will become clear. Elastic dough, perfect minced meat and hot fragrant broth inside. On the trip, we tried to cook them, eat them properly, counted tails and even argued about who ate the most.

History

‍There are several legends and variations of origin. The most common is about the war in the mountains with the Persians. The wounded warriors found it difficult to eat, and the hostesses made khinkali out of flour, onion, garlic and lamb. The meat of mountain rams was finely chopped with a knife, onions and garlic were added, boiled in a saucepan. It was nourishing and warming with broth. The greens in the recipe appeared later when the dish came down from the mountains to the city.

Schema:
1 — Ponytail
2 — Black pepper
3 — Minced onion (greens — optional)
4 — Broth
5 — Dough

Experienced cooks and housewives still ignore the meat grinder, because the minced meat here is the main thing. Meat should be fresh and chopped with a knife. The dough in good khinkali is smooth, elastic, light. After cooking - also light. When wrapping, we counted 22 folds, although anything over 15 is considered the norm.

Rules

• Khinkali should be eaten immediately after cooking, hot, generously sprinkled with black pepper.
• Traditionally, they are eaten with their hands: turn over, bite off a piece and sip the broth. Masters can eat the whole khinkali, leaving only the tails.
• The urban version involves the use of a fork: it can be picked up by the tail, turned over and then eaten according to the same instructions. In this case, you should wait a minute or two, because the hot dough can immediately tear and the broth will pour into the plate.
• Cold khinkali have a second life — they can be fried.

Categorically refuse:

• forks with a knife
• sauces, bread and any accompaniments are an independent dish
• Eating tails
• cold khinkali