Georgia is country sitting between Europe & Asia with breathtaking natural scenic beauty, amazing food, friendly local & warm hospitality. Talking about food I feel their cuisine is so much underrated, dishes featuring flavors from Greece and the Mediterranean, as well as influences from Turkey and Persia.
There are innumerous dishes I came across on my visit, to name a few kachapuri (bread boat with sulguni cheese & egg), elarji(corn meal with sulguni cheese),lobio (beans),khinkali( dumplings),nigvziani badrijani (eggplant with walnuts),ojakhuri (meat with potato),mchadi (bread),adjika (spicy sauce),tkemali (plum sauce ) & so on…
My favorite or you can say national food of Georgia without a doubt will be Khinkali.
Beautifully twisted knobs of dough, typically stuffed with meat and spices, and then served boiled. The trick with khinkali is to eat them without making a mess or spilling the hot broth inside all over you.
How to eat khinkali correctly: sprinkle with black pepper, grab the dumpling by the handle and turn upside down. Take small bites from the side, slurping some broth as you go. If you sip in all the broth without dripping it means you are great kisser….told by a lovely local… JJJ
My interpretation of the classic kinkali is “Mushroom Kinkhali”
Mushroom inside & outside too, giving it a visible character…
Let’s get started with the recipe…
Ingredients
Mushroom- 400gms
Refined flour -300gms
Warm water – For kneading
Egg white – 1 (optional but recommended if not vegan)
Fresh Coriander- 50gms
Onion- 100gms
Salt- to taste
Crushed black pepper – to taste
Method
For Dough
- Cut the mushroom in small dices & sauté it with little drizzle of oil.
- Take a bowl with flour, add sautéed mushroom, salt & egg white (optional), & warm water to make firm dough. (Not soft else while boiling it might burst)
For Stuffing
- Cut the mushroom roughly & sauté it with little drizzle of oil.
- Cool down mushroom & add chopped onion, coriander, seasoning.
Final steps…
- Roll out small balls of the dough & start stuffing the mixture.
- Once all done, boil enough water to submerge the dumpling.
- Add salt & little oil in the boiling water just like you do for pasta.
- Drop in the dumpling & boil them for around 7-8 minutes.
- Remove & serve with sprinkle of fresh crushed pepper.
The Above Recipe is Shared by Sous Chef Pradeep Kumar
Working For a Renowned Luxury Hotel Property in Qatar
