Khinkali

Method

1. Mix the flour and salt in a bowl and add the water little by little until it comes together. Knead firmly on the work surface for 10 min into a smooth dough slightly firmer than an earlobe; if it is sticky, add a tiny bit more flour. Wrap it and rest it for 30 min. Resting relaxes the dough so it rolls thin without tearing.

   Add in this stepAll-purpose flour (dough) 250 gSalt (dough) ½ tspWater (dough) 120 ml

2. In another bowl, put the beef, pork, finely chopped onion, cilantro, pepper flakes, pepper and filling salt. Add the cold water in 3 additions, mixing with your hand in one direction for 4 min, until it has absorbed all the water and turned into a sticky paste. That water becomes the broth inside as it cooks. Keep the filling in the fridge while the dough rests.

   Add in this stepGround beef 120 gGround pork 120 gOnion, very finely chopped ½Cilantro, finely chopped 2 tbspRed pepper flakes ½ tspCoarsely ground black pepper ½ tspSalt (filling) ¾ tspCold water (filling) 80 ml

3. Dust the work surface with flour, roll the dough into a thick log and cut it into 10 equal pieces (about 35 g each). Roll each one into a 12–13 cm circle, making the edges thinner than the centre. Keep the pieces you are not working with covered so they do not dry out.

   Add in this stepFlour, for dusting 25 g

4. Put a heaped tablespoon of filling (about 30 g) in the middle of a wrapper. Pinch the edge between the thumb and forefinger of one hand and make small pleats, turning the dumpling with the other hand and gathering the pleats upwards. 15 to 19 pleats is the ideal, but around 10 is fine at first. Twist the gathered top into a knob to seal it firmly. Shaping all of them takes about 15 min. Set them on a floured tray, not touching.

5. Bring the water and coarse salt to a rolling boil on high heat in a pot of at least 3 L. Stir the water into a whirlpool, drop the khinkali in one by one and nudge them gently with a ladle so they do not stick to the bottom. When the water comes back to the boil, turn down to medium heat and cook at a lively bubble for 12 min; a violent boil makes them burst. Cook in two rounds if the pot is crowded. Cut one open: they are done when the meat shows no pink.

   Add in this stepWater, for boiling 3 LCoarse salt (for the pot) 1 tbsp

   high heat→medium heat

6. Lift them out with a slotted spoon onto a large platter and grind plenty of black pepper over them. To eat the Georgian way, hold one upside down by the knob, bite a small hole in the side, sip the hot broth, eat the rest and leave the doughy knob.

   Add in this stepBlack pepper, to finish to taste