Georgian Khinkali (Twisted Soup Dumplings)

About This Recipe

Georgian Khinkali is a real, traditional Georgian dish, known as Twisted Soup Dumplings. Hand-twisted dumplings filled with spiced, juicy ground meat and broth, meant to be picked up by the topknot and slurped carefully.\n\nKhinkali originated in the mountainous regions of Georgia, particularly Khevsureti and Pshavi, historically designed with a thick topknot handle so shepherds could eat them without utensils, holding the twisted top and discarding it after eating.\n\nThe result is a dish worth making on its own merits: it rewards patience with the technique and delivers real, specific flavor rooted in Georgian home cooking, not a generic stand-in for a search term.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 500 gall-purpose flour
• 1 tspfine sea salt
• 250 mlwarm water
• 400 gground beef and pork mix
• 1yellow onion(very finely diced)
• 4garlic cloves(minced)
• 100 mlcold water or beef broth(for filling)
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tspfine sea salt(for filling)
• 0.5 tspblack pepper
• 2 tbspchopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tbspblack pepper, coarsely ground(to serve)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Mix flour, salt and warm water into a firm, smooth dough. Rest covered for 30 minutes.

2. 2

   Make the filling

   Combine ground meat, onion, garlic, cold water or broth, cumin, salt, pepper and cilantro, mixing thoroughly until the liquid is fully incorporated into a loose, juicy filling.

3. 3

   Roll and cut

   Roll the dough thin and cut into circles about 10 cm across.

4. 4

   Fill and twist

   Place a generous spoonful of filling in the center of each circle, then gather the edges up and pleat them into tight folds, twisting to seal into a topknot, leaving a small handle at the top.

5. 5

   Boil

   Cook the khinkali in batches in a large pot of gently boiling salted water for 10 to 12 minutes, until they float and the dough is fully cooked.

6. 6

   Serve

   Serve hot with plenty of coarsely ground black pepper, holding each dumpling by its topknot handle to eat, being careful of the hot broth inside.

Variations

• •

  A mushroom and cheese filling makes a vegetarian khinkali.

• •

  Some regions add a bit of khmeli suneli (a Georgian spice blend) to the filling for extra complexity.

• •

  Count the number of pleats as a matter of skill and pride — traditional khinkali makers aim for at least 18 to 20 precise folds.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of water or stock to loosen the texture.

Frequently Asked Questions