Since its appearance in several regions of Georgia (Pshav-Khevsureti and Mtiuleti), the dish very quickly spread throughout the Caucasus and far beyond its borders. Hence the variety of various cooking options and recipes. In addition to lamb without greens, with which khinkali are filled today in the mountains, beef, pork or a meat mix with herbs, cheese, potatoes, mushrooms and even crayfish meat are used as fillings. The dough kneading and the molding shape remain unchanged. Today is a recipe for the most common khinkali, the so-called “kalakuri”, or urban ones, with meat, cilantro and spices from dough without eggs. I will also give you the recipe for the dough with eggs.
“Arithmetic” of ideal khinkali
- Khinkali dough is prepared both with and without eggs - the same way. To prevent khinkali from tearing, the ratio should be 1:2, that is, two parts of flour are added to one part of water (250 ml of water - 500 g of flour)
- The ideal thickness for rolling out the dough so that it becomes elastic and holds the broth is 2 mm. In general, thin, as thin as possible. Too thick dough cakes will not cook well, and too thin ones may tear.
- To make the filling juicy, the ratio of meat and onions should be 1:3, that is, for 1 kg of meat you will need 330 g of onions. If you use too little, the filling will turn out to be dry, and if you use too much, the onion will overwhelm the taste of the meat.
- The amount of dough and filling should be approximately equal, the ratio is 1:1, that is, for 40 g of dough you will need 40 g of meat (1 tablespoon). Then the products will cook evenly, the taste will be harmonious.
- Working on the form occupies a significant place in cooking. The more folds the “tail” of the khinkali has, the more experienced the sculptor is considered. Some mekhinkle (the so-called chefs who prepare khinkali) can collect 28 and even 32 folds. The tradition goes back to pagan times. The tail of the khinkali symbolizes the sun, and the folds symbolize its rays.
Total time: 50 minutes / Cooking time: 25 minutes / Yield: 20 pcs.
Ingredients
for dough without eggs:
- wheat flour - 500 g
- salt - 1 tsp.
- ice water - 250 ml
- sunflower oil - 2 tbsp. l.
For filling:
- beef – 450 g
- pork - 450 g
- onions - 300 g
- garlic - 3 teeth. (optional)
- ground thyme - 1 chip.
- dried cumin - 1 chip.
- hops-suneli - 0.5 tsp.
- salt - 1 tsp.
- ground black pepper - 0.5 tsp.
- cilantro - 1 bunch.
- warm water - 150 ml
Preparation
Then I roll out each circle with a rolling pin into thin cakes - they should be large and thin, diameter approximately 12 cm, thickness 2 mm, weight 40-42 g. But this is very strict. In total I get 20 blanks. Place 1 spoonful of filling in the center of each flatbread.
I lift the edges of the dough up and collect it with an accordion - so that a bag with minced meat inside is formed. There is no need to try to release all the air from inside. On the contrary, the more air space there is in the filling, the more broth will eventually be formed. Take the khinkali by the tail and let the filling pull down, it’s good if it squishes a little.
From the editor. At this stage, the tails can be carefully trimmed to give the khinkali a more aesthetic appearance.
How to cook khinkali
All that remains is to boil the products. A large and wide pan is best suited for this, where the khinkali will feel free. I put one thing at a time into boiling, well-salted water, holding it by the tail. To prevent the pan from sticking to the bottom, you can make a funnel in the boiling water by stirring it with a spoon. There is no need to add too much, they should be cooked in one layer, otherwise they will stick together and the dough will tear.
It’s very easy to determine readiness: as soon as the bags turn over strictly vertically, tail down, it’s time to note the time and cook for another 10-15 minutes.
Innings. How to eat khinkali correctly
Before serving, be sure to sprinkle with freshly ground pepper. It is customary to eat Georgian dumplings with your hands (in no case with a fork and knife!). You need to take it by the tail, turn it over and bite off the edge, drink the aromatic broth before it leaks onto the plate (broth leaked onto the plate is unacceptable), and then start as a base. The tails themselves are not eaten, but left on the plate. After a meal, they often organize comic countings of how many khinkali they were able to eat. They eat them in dozens, despite their impressive size.
It is not customary to eat khinkali with bread or ketchup.
Pickles and fresh herbs go well with Georgian dumplings, but beer and vodka (Georgian “chacha”) go well with them, but not wine.
Dough for khinkali
*If the kneaded dough continues to stick to your hands, add a little flour to the indicated ingredients.
First of all, I knead the dough. Sift 500 g of flour into a bowl and make a hole in the center. I take ice water - it will prevent the gluten from swelling, so the dough will be pliable, non-sticky, and easy to knead. Add salt to a glass of water and stir until the crystals are completely dissolved. I pour cold salted water into the funnel, in portions, gradually stirring with a spoon.
Then I pour refined vegetable oil into the dough - it will make kneading the dough easier, make it more elastic, and it will not tear even when rolled out very thin.
I knead for a long time - at least 15 minutes, with my hands, with love and special tenacity. The dough will become elastic, elastic, and will not stick at all to your hands or to the work surface. Ideally, it should rest during the process 2-3 times for 10-15 minutes. But this time I finished it in 1 kneading, wrapped the bun in cling film and put it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to let the dough rest.
Filling
In the meantime, I'm preparing the filling. Beef, pork, and lamb are suitable for meat khinkali. It is advisable to take meat without veins, preferably beef entrecote and pork neck. If there are veins, then they must be cleaned out, otherwise they will get caught in the filling and it will be inconvenient to chew it.
Traditionally, the meat is chopped by hand with a knife. To make slicing easier, I recommend freezing the pieces first (not to be confused with completely freezing them!). To do this, I cut the pork and beef into large slices and put them in the freezer for literally 20 minutes. I chop the frozen meat with a wide knife - cutting it into small cubes.
If you still decide to use a meat grinder, choose the largest grate.
I peel and chop the onion. You can chop it finely and finely with a knife, but I prefer the option of chopping it with a blender - the process is completed in just a couple of button presses, and most importantly, the onion gives a lot of juice, and you don’t have to cry.
I add chopped onion, salt, pepper, thyme and cumin to the meat filling. I squeeze out the garlic. I definitely add finely chopped cilantro, which gives the dish a special taste and amazing aroma (if you can’t stand cilantro at all, you can replace it with parsley).
To make the filling very juicy and form a lot of broth inside the dough, you must add water to it - about 150 ml, warm or at room temperature, so that the fat in the minced meat does not form clumps. I add water gradually, mixing the minced meat with my hands. The consistency should be like sour cream - the finished minced meat should be easily mixed with a spoon.
I leave it for 30 minutes at room temperature so that the meat marinates and absorbs the water and the aroma of spices and herbs. I cover the top with a plate to prevent it from getting too dry.
How to make khinkali
The size of the khinkali is impressive, large - it is believed that one khinkali should fit exactly in a man’s palm. 3-5 pieces are enough for one serving (however, in Georgia they will laugh at you, they eat dozens of them there). The rest can be frozen.
To freeze, place the semi-finished product on a board generously sprinkled with flour, always at some distance from each other so as not to stick together. Place in the freezer for 3 hours, then transfer to a bag for more compact storage.
Boil like dumplings, but longer, 15-20 minutes, until the filling is completely cooked. The semi-finished product tolerates freezing well, but it is still better to cook khinkali in small portions, at a time, then they will be especially aromatic and juicy.
If the khinkali gets cold, don’t worry, fried ones are no less tasty. Fry in a frying pan in a small amount of vegetable oil.
Khinkali on dough with egg
The preparation is the same as above, so I only give the calculation of the ingredients.
Dough:
flour - 3 cups
chicken egg - 1 piece
water - 1.5 cups
salt - 1 teaspoon
vegetable oil 2-3 tbsp. l.
a little extra flour (as needed)
Filling:
beef - 0.7 kg
lamb - 0.3 kg
onion - 1-2 large onions
water or broth - as needed
greens to taste - a lot will do (cilantro, parsley, mint, a pinch of dried cumin)
salt, red and black pepper - to taste
How they cook in Tbilisi khinkal
Oriental dishes, which have already become traditional on our table, help diversify the daily menu both on weekdays and on holidays. Many housewives know the recipes for the same manti or khinkali and can confirm that these meat dishes are similar. But you shouldn’t confuse them; after all, manti and khinkali have much more differences than similarities.
Definition
Manti- a national dish of the peoples inhabiting Central Asia, Turkey, Crimea. They are round or three-quadrangular envelopes made of dough with meat filling, closed at the top.
Manti
Khinkali- the national dish of the peoples of the Caucasus. The homeland of khinkali is Georgia. They are hermetically sealed dough bags filled with meat.
Khinkali Comparison
The dough for khinkali is always made unleavened; for it you only need flour, water and salt. The dough for manti is also often unleavened, but there are housewives who add an egg to it. Some peoples (for example, Uyghurs) make manti from yeast dough in the cold season.
There are some differences in the filling. In khinkali it is always meat (beef and pork, less often lamb), usually in the form of minced meat, but it can also be chopped. It is generously seasoned with spices and a lot of herbs are added. In manti, the filling is more varied: it is minced meat (maybe minced meat), meat and potatoes, potatoes with lard, meat with pumpkin or carrots, pumpkin. Definitely onions. For juiciness, fat tail fat can be added to manti. Preference is given to lamb, beef, you can take pork, goat meat and even horse meat. There are peoples who add poultry meat to manti.
Manti differ from khinkali in shape. They look like envelopes, which can be round, triangular or square. In this case, the mantas are either completely closed at the top or have small holes. Khinkali are small bags that are always hermetically sealed.
Manti are cooked in a special pan - a manto cooker. Cooking method: steamed. Khinkali are prepared like regular dumplings: put them in boiling water, salted to taste, and wait until they float.
Before serving, Khinkali is generously sprinkled with black pepper, preferably coarsely ground. Manti are greased with oil and eaten with sour cream or vinegar dressing.
Khinkali should be eaten with your hands. They are taken by the tail, carefully bitten and the spicy meat broth accumulated inside is drunk. The “tail” itself is rarely eaten, put aside on the edge of the plate. Manti can be eaten with your hands or with a fork and knife; they are eaten completely.
Conclusions website
- The dough for khinkali must be unleavened; manti is prepared from unleavened or yeast dough.
- The filling in manti can be not only meat, but also vegetable and mixed. Khinkali is always prepared with meat filling.
- Manti are shaped like envelopes, and khinkali are like bags.
- Manti is steamed in a pressure cooker, khinkali is cooked in boiled salted water in an ordinary saucepan.
- Khinkali is eaten only with your hands, sprinkled with plenty of black pepper. Manta rays are eaten with hands or with a fork and knife.
Buuz, manti, khinkali - how are they different? This question was repeatedly asked at the tasting of Buuzy brand “Buuzy-Sokol”, held in the press center of the newspaper “Arguments and Facts - St. Petersburg”. The editorial staff responded to it brand owner Elena Sokolovich. “Having opened my workshop for the production and delivery of Buryat cuisine, I was surprised how many buuz lovers there are in St. Petersburg! - says Elena. “I learned how to sculpt buuzes even before I first sat down at a school desk.”
Elena spent her childhood in Buryatia and, of course, knows the history of the appearance of the main dish of the national cuisine. Four hundred years ago, during the spread of Buddhism on Mongolian soil, the head of the Tibetan lamas invited the Mongols to visit, and for their arrival he ordered to prepare buuz - “meat wrapped in dough.” Balls the size of a child's fist made from minced meat and lard were wrapped in dough, leaving a small hole on top, around which exactly 33 tucks were made. According to legend, this is how many folds there were in the clothes of Tibetan clergy.
A vibrant tasting of buuz was held at the AiF-Petersburg press center. Photo: AiF / Veronica Takmovtseva
“According to the cunning idea of the chapter, this dish was supposed to symbolize the obedience and worship of Buddhism by the Mongolian tribes,” Elena clarifies. “That’s why there were 33 tucks, and the hole at the top meant “no head.” The Mongolian guests accepted the treat, although they unraveled its secret, insidious meaning. But no one began to protest. On the contrary, after a visit to the lamas in the land of nomads, an order was given to prepare buuzes exactly in the same form in which the Tibetan monks prepared them.”
The waitresses dressed in national costumes. Photo: AiF / Veronica Takmovtseva
To prepare minced meat in those distant times, they used the meat of five animals: camel, ram, goat, horse and cow. Lard, wild onions and garlic were also added to the minced meat. As for the difference from khinkali and manti, first of all, buzas differ in shape. Outwardly, they are very reminiscent of a Buryat dwelling - a yurt. The hole at the top, according to Elena Sokolovich, was made for the steam effect. And the number of tucks in modern Buryatia determines the experience of the housewife. It is believed that the more tucks, the better the woman's culinary skills. There is also a difference from khinkali in the filling. “We only put in minced meat or minced meat, onions and salt,” the owner of the buuzna reveals the secret. “And they put spices and spices in khinkali and manti.”
The dough recipe turned out to be quite simple and familiar to many housewives, but kneading it requires special attention. “We only have manual dough mixers. My mother's hands do the best job with this task. Thanks to her years of experience, she can make good dough in minutes. At the same time, it will not tear or burst during cooking,” says Elena.
The delicious buuzas did not leave any of the AIF residents indifferent. Journalist, twice winner of the Golden Pen Elena Danilevich admitted that she can never resist the offer to try buuz: “The aroma is simply amazing and the taste is delicious!”
Deputy General Director Olga Khryakova noted not only the incomparable taste of the Buuzy-Sokol brand products, but also the organization of the tasting. Elena’s partner and simply good friend Svetlana Magnitskaya made magnificent flower arrangements that became table decorations. And the waitresses in national Buryat costumes from fashion designer Zhamso Ochirov created an atmosphere in which every guest at the Buryat holidays plunges.
There were treats on the table for every taste. Photo: AiF / Veronica Takmovtseva
Buuzas, dumplings with various fillings, manti, dumplings, cutlets, salads - this is only a small part of what you can order from this company. Bird cherry cake deserves special attention. This, perhaps, will not be found in St. Petersburg confectionery shops. And in the Buuzy-Sokol company he is the leader among the ordered dishes.
LLC "Baikal - Expert", Legal address: 670013, Republic of Buryatia, Ulan-Ude, Klyuchevskaya str. 70 A, apartment 102 OGRN 1110327004040
Stucco classics of Georgia, the first in a series of associations after dumplings
Restaurant “Kazbek”, khinkali with lamb, 100 rub. per piece
They are also found in Armenian and Azerbaijani cuisine, but do not confuse them with the Dagestan khinkal - not at all other 
dish.
How to cook
Wheat dough is rolled out into circles with a diameter of 10 cm; lamb or beef and pork are used as filling. Finely chopped (or minced) meat is seasoned with onions, garlic, salt, black and red pepper, cilantro, cumin and chopped herbs. To make the filling more juicy, a little broth or water is sometimes added to the minced meat.
The edges are folded and give the khinkali a pear-shaped shape. Despite the fact that the folds do not affect the taste of the dish, it is believed that there should be at least 19 of them. You need to eat khinkali with your hands so as not to lose the precious juice inside, but you yourself have known this for a long time.
Varieties
There are versions of khinkali without meat: just with cheese or with cheese and herbs. Most often they are boiled, but sometimes they are fried.
Where to try it in Moscow
In hundreds of khinkal shops scattered throughout the city, as well. In 99% of them this dish will definitely be on the menu.
Manti
Central Asian version - between pilaf and skullcap
Homemade manta rays
One of the most popular dishes among the peoples of Central Asia, Pakistan and Turkey was invented by the Uighurs, the indigenous people of East Turkestan, which is now part of China. The Uyghurs themselves are one of the largest national Turkic communities living in the PRC.
How to cook
The dough is kneaded fresh and rolled out very thin. Fat tail and even interior fat are added to the filling - in the classic version it is lamb. Steam manti.
Varieties
One of the national varieties of manta rays is poses. In Buryatia, the same dish is called buuzy.
Where to try it in Moscow
In numerous restaurants serving Central Asian cuisine - in “Uzbekistan” or “White Sun of the Desert”. In restaurants of Buryat and Mongolian cuisine; in, recently opened at a religious center; There are three types of buuz on the menu here.
Vareniki
Filled dough that came to Ukraine from Turkey
Restaurant "Shinok", dumplings with potatoes and mushrooms, 490 rub.
Ukrainians began to prepare the oriental dish dush-vara under the name varanniki, and later - vareniki.
How to cook
The dough should be very thin, no more than 2 mm thick, and its edges should be pinched before cooking. For steamed dumplings, the dough is kneaded with kefir.
Varieties
The main Ukrainian dumplings are with potatoes and cracklings. In addition to them, there are options with mushrooms, cabbage, liver and even herring. Sweet filling is also often used - for example, the favorite version with cherries.
Where to try it in Moscow
In what is still the main Ukrainian restaurant in the city, “Shinok”, in one of the many points of the “Taras Bulba” chain, or in the favorite restaurant of TV presenter Elena Letuchaya.
Ravioli
Italian pasta in the shape of a crescent, ellipse or square
Restaurant “Probka”, ravioloni with robiola cheese and porcini mushrooms, 850 rub.
According to one version, the Sicilians were the first to wrap various fillings in pieces of dough; according to another, this culinary tradition was brought to Italy from China. In any case, “ravioli” is an Italian word, derived from the verb avvolgere - “to wrap.”
How to cook
Olive oil must be added to the unleavened dough, after which it is formed into envelopes and wrapped with dozens of various filling options. Serve boiled or fried - as an independent dish. Can also be served with soups.
Varieties
There are many fillings: meat, cheese, spinach, mashed potatoes and even nettles. For dessert, Italians prepare ravioli with chocolate.
Where to try it in Moscow
Where to try it in Moscow
Kurze
Dagestan dumplings - spicy, with incredible variety inside
Restaurant “Zhi eat”, kurze with meat, 350 rub.
A national dish similar to Russian dumplings, but the filling is spicier and a different way of modeling is “pigtail”.
How to cook
A lot of onions are added to the filling, the edges of the kurze are pinched before cooking, and greased with butter before serving.
Varieties
In one place you can find kurze with a variety of fillings - potatoes, cottage cheese, meat and even nettles.
Where to try it in Moscow
Establishments with Dagestan cuisine are not a widespread phenomenon, but you can find out what kurze tastes like, for example, in the Danilovsky market or in the cafe “Zhi is” from the same owners. In the menu of the latter, in addition to the understandable kurze with fillings of cottage cheese, meat, potatoes and herbs, there is a dish “Kurze kkunukral khhunk” (raw omelet with herbs is poured into dough bags, and then they are placed in boiling water and cooked until cooked).
Gedza
Japanese version of Chinese dumplings jiaozi
How to cook
The dough is thin, the filling is minced pork, to which garlic, ginger, and Chinese cabbage are added. Gyoza is first fried and then boiled.
Varieties
Sometimes a variety of seafood are used as filling.
Where to try it in Moscow
In places offering Japanese and Pan-Asian cuisine, such as Buba by Sumosan, in addition to meat or shrimp options, there is also an offer for vegetarians: gyoza with ginger, tofu, shiitake mushrooms and bok choy.
Mandu
Korean relative of the Uyghur manta rays
Wang & Kim Restaurant, lamb mandu (not on the main menu, included in Sunday brunch)
Korean dumplings, historically more closely related to manta rays from Central Asia than to their Chinese or Japanese relatives.
How to cook
The meat filling (usually half pork, half ground beef) includes onions, ginger, as well as tofu and sometimes spicy kimchi cabbage (both products must be squeezed out to get rid of excess moisture). For a vegetarian version, the meat can be replaced with mushrooms - preferably shiitake.
Varieties
Boiled mandu are usually round in shape; Mandu for frying are molded in the form of boats. There are also square-shaped varieties, and there is an option without a dough shell at all - the filling is simply rolled in wheat flour.
Where to try it in Moscow
Korean restaurants, such as White Crane
Where to try it in Moscow
In almost any establishment with Pan-Asian and especially Chinese cuisine, for example in Mr. Lee or "Chinatown".
Maultaschen
The regional specialty of Swabian cuisine has been prepared since the 18th century.
Allegedly, German monks came up with this dish to circumvent the ban on eating meat during Lent: they began adding a small amount of pork to the spinach filling.
How to cook
Many German families have their own recipe for this dish. But, as a rule, the main thing here is the method of preparation: maultaschen are fried dumplings; and classic fillings - spinach, pork, smoked ham, onions and breadcrumbs.
Varieties
They can be served as a separate dish, or with broth and Sauerkraut - traditional German sauerkraut.
Where to try it in Moscow
Ask in restaurants for German cuisine, but most often they will be listed on the menu simply as “fried dumplings.”
Manti, khinkali and dumplings are a traditional meat dish of the peoples of Central Asia, Turkey, Mongolia, and Korea. The taste of the dish cannot be expressed in words: a combination of thin dough with meat filling, steamed. They just melt in your mouth.
Khinkali is a food vaguely reminiscent of dumplings or manti. Clearly came from China, perhaps along with the Mongols. Now khinkali is made all over Georgia, although it is an “oriental” food, its homeland is Kakheti and Mtskheta-Mtianeti. For real khinkali you need to go to Pasanauri. Samegrelo is the most non-khinkal region. In Adjara and Guria you don’t come across them very often and here you don’t have to know how to cook them properly. Khinkali is sometimes sold in markets - frozen, like dumplings. It's cheap, but the quality is usually poor.
The correct khinkali looks like a knot or a pyramid. Inside there is meat and broth. The lack of broth is a defect inherent in khinkali ice cream. Khinkali is eaten as follows. The pyramid is taken by the tip-tail, turned over, and bitten off at the edge. The broth is carefully drunk. Then everything else is gradually eaten, except for the tail itself, where the dough is not very edible. Some people, out of inexperience, start eating from the tail, which is tasteless and wrong.
Now about the variations. There are seven types of Khinkali.
- “Kalakuri” is what is sold everywhere: inside is minced meat from two types of meat mixed with grass.
- “Mtialuri” is the same, but without the grass.
- “Pasanauruli” - with minced meat instead of minced meat.
- “Kakheti” - with pure pork.
- Made from pure beef - they don’t have their own name.
- With crab meat - a strange combination for Georgia, but it happens in some places.
- With cheese (sometimes they differ with cheese and with sulugni).
It is best to drink beer or vodka with them. It doesn’t go well with wine, except perhaps the roughest rustic wine.
What are dumplings
Pelmeni is a famous dish of Russian cuisine, which has ancient Chinese, Finno-Ugric, Turkic and Slavic roots. The modern name comes from the Udmurt “pelnyan” - “bread ear”. Analogues of dumplings exist in many cuisines around the world. Taste, satiety and ease of storage have made dumplings extremely popular; ready-made dumplings can be bought at any grocery store. But, of course, the most delicious dumplings are homemade. In order to make delicious dumplings, you first need a good dumpling dough recipe, a dumpling mince recipe and a little skill.
Good recipes for homemade dumplings, dough recipes for dumplings, minced meat recipes for dumplings, as well as answers to questions: how to make dumplings, how to cook dumplings, how long to cook dumplings, how to fry dumplings in a frying pan, how to bake dumplings in the oven, how to cook dumplings in a pot , lazy dumplings, you will find on our website.
What are manti
Manta rays are a prominent representative of the cuisine of the peoples of Central Asia, Pakistan and Turkey. These products are very similar to Russian dumplings, but are prepared exclusively by steaming. In most cases, meat and fat tail fat of various animals, as well as pumpkin, are used as filling.
In the classic version, manti is prepared with lamb and served with hot or spicy sauce. This dish is used not only on the everyday menu, but is also served as a ceremonial dish on family and national holidays. Manti are more often used as a separate main dish, but in some regions they are served with a vegetable side dish.
Dumplings, khinkali and manti - what's the difference?
What is the difference between manti and dumplings?
Many people think that manti are just big dumplings. On the one hand, it seems so, on the other – not at all! Manti is a dish unique in its content and method of preparation.
- Steamed manti is prepared in a special vessel - a caskan (manti cooker), or you can cook it in a double boiler. If you have neither one nor the other, then use a saucepan and a colander.
- The filling can be varied. First of all - meat (lamb, beef, chicken, pork). Vegetable manti, manti with herbs and cottage cheese are also prepared. Nowadays you can find manti stuffed with seafood, for example, shrimp.
- Spices play an important role in the preparation of manti. They give the dish an extraordinary taste and aroma.
- The dough for making manti is unleavened and consists of water, salt and flour. Sometimes they are prepared with milk, sour milk, with the addition of eggs and yeast. Dough for manti is similar in preparation to dough for dumplings, but it is steeper, denser and needs to be rolled out very thinly.
What is the difference between khinkali and manti
Khinkali differs from manti primarily in its origin - the birthplace of this dish is the mountainous regions of Georgia. Over the course of their history, they have undergone many changes in the recipe and today they are a juicy dish of meat filling mixed with a lot of herbs. Khinkali are shaped like pouches with tails. Each bag must be filled with broth, which is not provided for in any of the dishes discussed in the article. The ways of serving the dish to the table and its consumption have their own characteristics: it is customary to eat with your hands, first seasoning the bags with black pepper.
The position of consumption itself is also not without its specifics: the tail that closes the bag is not eaten, but is held by it, which is why sometimes the hands are in an awkward position, because cutlery is not provided according to the culture of use. “The main thing is not to ask for a fork for khinkali at a Georgian table, but to politely put the tails of the bags aside, otherwise you can offend the owner with your ignorance.” - common advice for tourists.
Historically, according to legend, this food was positioned as a meal with which wives greeted their husbands who returned from battles with broken jaws or knocked out teeth. They are quite similar in preparation methods; the forms of heat treatment of semi-finished products differ. The main difference is how the meat is processed.
Manti
- Take half a kilogram of wheat flour, one chicken egg, a teaspoon of salt and 0.5 cups of water - the dough is kneaded from these ingredients, which then must be left for thirty minutes. It must be covered with a towel.
- For the filling, minced meat and onions are mixed, and part of a glass of water with diluted salt is added. Pepper is used as a spice. The recipe also includes lard cut into small pieces. The present dough is cut into squares with sides of 10 centimeters. Place a spoonful of filling and a piece of lard in the middle. The dough is then folded into an envelope shape. On a steam bath, cooking time takes approximately twenty minutes, on a mantrovka grill - more than half an hour.
Khinkali
- A glass of sifted flour is mixed with half a glass of chilled water, then salt is added and a spoonful of table oil is poured in. Next, the dough should infuse for half an hour. Then add another glass of flour and leave for another 30 minutes.
- The present dough is divided into a couple of parts, each of which is rolled out to a thickness acceptable for further wrapping. From the resulting semi-finished product, circles with a diameter of 15 centimeters are cut out. Minced meat is mixed from three hundred grams of meat, you can take half pork, the other half beef. Add chopped onion, water and salt. A few spoons of filling are placed in the center of the cut out circle, then bags are formed and pinched at the top. The resulting preparations should be boiled in boiling water, adding salt and pepper to taste.
“It’s simple: manti is minced lamb meat, steamed; Khinkali is also lamb, but the meat must be ground and then boiled.” - this is how masters teach inexperienced chefs to correctly determine the differences.
What is the difference between dumplings and khinkali?
The filling of dumplings and khinkali is meat. For dumplings, it is rolled into minced meat, to which salt and ground black pepper are added to taste. There are recipes for dumplings with meat and mushrooms, with fish, with minced poultry (chicken, duck, turkey). The filling for khinkali is made from beef or pork, less often lamb, other types of meat are not used. The filling can be chopped or in the form of minced meat. Many different spices and herbs are necessarily added to it.
Khinkali and dumplings have different shapes. The first ones are molded in the form of small, hermetically sealed bags. Due to the fact that they are closed as tightly as possible, a large amount of tasty spicy broth accumulates in the khinkali during the cooking process. The dumplings are made in the shape of a crescent, the ends of which are very tightly fastened together. Some housewives make “written” dumplings - products in which one side is “written out” in the form of a braid.
Khinkali is served generously sprinkled with coarse black pepper. The traditional sauce for dumplings is sour cream. They are also good with vinegar dressing or ketchup.
Eating khinkali is a real ritual. You need to take them by the “tail” (khinkali is usually eaten with your hands) and, having carefully bitten off, drink the broth. The “tail” itself is almost never eaten. Dumplings can be eaten with a fork or spoon, whichever is more convenient for you. The dumpling is eaten whole.
A little about the history of dumplings in Russia
Dumplings became most popular in Russia at the beginning of the 19th century. At least, it was at the dawn of this century that historians and culinary specialists first began to mention this dish in their works as a traditional treat for the townspeople.
It is believed that residents of neighboring countries shared the recipe for dumplings with us, and the “infusion” of gastronomic culture was gradual and chaotic. In the northern regions, dumplings appeared thanks to the Finno-Ugric tribes. Asian peoples conducting active trade with Russia at the turn of the 12th-14th centuries. Ekov, brought their traditions. In the European and southern parts of Russia, the prototype of dumplings was “ears”, which the Don Cossacks loved to treat themselves to.
The most common version says that the Russian word “pelmen” comes from the word “pelnyan” (“bread ear”), later it was transformed into “pelmen”, and then into “pelmen”. Sources differ in indicating the specific language from which this word came into Russian. Komi, Udmurt, Mansi and Finnish languages are mentioned as possible options.
Small pies or, as they were once called, ears, became so popular in Siberia because of their practicality. When going on a hike or hunting, men took with them meat wrapped in dough and could store it in travel bags for many months - the dish did not lose its taste at all when frozen for a long time.
“Usually pelnyani are boiled in water and then laid out directly on a dirty table; and they simply take them with their hands, very rarely with wooden forks,” this is how V.V. Grigoriev, a member of the Russian Geographical Society, described the process of preparing and eating dumplings in 1848.
Now almost every country has its own version of this hot dish: in Italian cuisine it is ravioli, in Jewish cuisine it is krepl, in Caucasian cuisine it is manti and khinkali, in Asia it is jiaozi and baozi or, as they are most often called in Europe, dim sum. In Russia, to this day, home-made Siberian dumplings are considered a model - perhaps only in Siberia is the hundred-year-old tradition of their preparation still preserved.
