Khinkal in Avar
4 servings
120 minutes
Khinkal is a traditional dish of Caucasian cuisine, widely spread in Azerbaijan and Dagestan. Its history traces back to mountain settlements where shepherds and farmers prepared simple yet hearty meals from available ingredients. Soft dough made with kefir is cut into small diamonds and boiled in fragrant lamb broth, filling the home with a cozy aroma of home cooking. The unique technique of piercing the dough with a fork makes khinkal special, preventing it from puffing up. It is served with pieces of tender meat, garlic sauce, and fresh herbs, creating a harmony of taste and texture. Khinkal is not just food; it's a way to gather family around one table to enjoy the warmth of communication and the richness of traditions.
1
We start boiling the lamb, seasoning the broth with salt and spices to taste.
- Lamb: 1 kg
- Salt: 0.5 teaspoon
- Garlic: to taste
2
While the meat is boiling, we prepare the dough: we mix flour with baking soda and salt.
- Wheat flour: 3 glasss
- Baking soda: 0.5 teaspoon
- Salt: 0.5 teaspoon
3
Add kefir and knead the dough well; it should not be too stiff.
- Kefir: 1 glass
4
Cover the dough and let it rest for an hour.
5
Then we roll out a layer 1 cm thick and cut diamond shapes slightly smaller than a matchbox.
6
We take the boiled meat out of the broth
7
We also leave about a glass of broth for the sauce
8
Add slices of dough to the boiling broth, stir, and time for 4 minutes.
- Wheat flour: 3 glasss
9
Reduce the gas to medium level
10
After four minutes, you need to quickly take out the dough and pierce each slice with a fork; this is important, otherwise the hinkal will deflate and turn blue. For practice, you can cook the dough in batches instead of all at once.
11
Crush garlic into hot broth, chop herbs finely, and cut meat into pieces.
- Garlic: to taste
- Fresh herbs: to taste
- Lamb: 1 kg
12
We serve everything on a large plate together. Enjoy your meal!
