Khinkali: Georgian Soup Dumplings
Khinkali
If Georgia had a national dumpling — and it basically does — khinkali would be it. These large, doughy dumplings are filled with spiced meat and broth, made to be picked up by hand and slurped before you bite in. Khinkali have been a centerpiece of the Georgian supra — the traditional feast where food is shared in abundance and every dish carries meaning — for centuries. They're messy, deeply satisfying, and absolutely worth making from scratch.
Cooking Khinkali
Get your water boiling right as you're finishing up the last batch of dumplings — not before, not after. And don't skip the bay leaves or the salt. (Both are easy to forget, apparently.)
Cook 6–9 at a time depending on your pot, so plan for 2–3 batches. Once they're in the water, a few will sink — give them a gentle nudge with a wooden spoon so they don't stick to the bottom and meet a sad end. Keep the boil active but not aggressive; a violent bubble can tear them open before they're done. Eight minutes is your cook time.
Lift them out with a spider, set them on a plate, and hit them with fresh cracked black pepper immediately — no negotiating on this one. Red pepper flake if you want heat, crème fraîche or sour cream if you want something richer alongside.
Eating Khinkali
As tempting as it is to go straight in, give them a minute or two to cool slightly. There's hot broth inside and it will find your chin.
Hold the dumpling fat-side up by the handle, bite a small hole, and slurp the broth out first. Then eat the rest quickly before anything escapes. The handle (called the kudi, კუდი) is traditionally left on the plate — people use them to keep count of how many they've eaten, which is either a fun tradition or a form of competitive bragging depending on who you're with. At home, though, nobody's watching.
Leftover filling? Freeze it for next time, or mix in some breadcrumbs, shape into patties, and fry them up.
Recipe
Khinkali — Georgian Soup Dumplings
Georgian dumplings made with Svenatian Salt in place of individual spices. Adapted from Travel Cook Repeat.
INGREDIENTS
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading and rolling
• 0.5 teaspoons salt
• 0.5 cups water
• 1 egg, beaten
• 0.5 teaspoons olive oil
• 7 ounces ground lamb (or beef, pork, or beef/pork mix)
• 0.3 cups onion, finely minced
• 1 garlic clove, crushed or minced into a paste with salt
• 1 tablespoons fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoons fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• 2 teaspoons Svenatian Salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 0.8 cups beef broth
• 4 dried bay leaves
• 1 salt for the pot, a generous shake
STEPS
1. Make the dough: Whisk together 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading and rolling and 0.5 teaspoons salt in a bowl. Add 0.5 cups water and 1 egg, beaten and bring the dough together into a ball.
2. Knead the dough: Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes until smooth.
3. Rest the dough: Coat the bowl with 0.5 teaspoons olive oil and return the dough ball to it. Cover and set aside for at least 15 minutes.
4. Make the filling: Combine 7 ounces ground lamb (or beef, pork, or beef/pork mix), 0.3 cups onion, finely minced, 1 garlic clove, crushed or minced into a paste with salt, 1 tablespoons fresh cilantro, roughly chopped, 1 tablespoons fresh parsley, roughly chopped, 2 teaspoons Svenatian Salt, and 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted in a bowl. Add 0.8 cups beef broth a little at a time, mixing with a fork after each addition to help it absorb.
5. Divide and roll the dough: Cut the dough ball into 3 smaller portions. Keep 2 covered in the bowl as you work. Roll one portion out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4-inch thick. Cut into six 2½-inch circles using a round cutter or drinking glass. Reroll scraps as needed.
6. Shape the circles: Roll each circle out into a larger disc, about 4 inches across. Roll the edges a bit thinner than the center. Dust with flour as needed.
7. Fill and pleat: Place a tablespoon of filling in the center of each circle. Crimp or pleat the edges and twist to form a stem. Set on a floured sheet pan, covered with a towel, making sure dumplings don't touch. Repeat with remaining dough portions.
8. Boil the water: When you're starting your last batch of dumplings, bring a large pot of water to a boil with 4 dried bay leaves. When ready to cook, add 1 salt for the pot, a generous shake.
9. Cook the khinkali: Gently lower each khinkali into the boiling water by their bottoms (not the handles). Cook in batches of 6–9. Nudge them with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking. Maintain a rolling but not violent boil for 8 minutes.
10. Serve: Remove with a spider and set on a plate. Crack fresh black pepper over them immediately. Serve with crushed red pepper flake, crème fraîche, or sour cream alongside.
NOTES
**Svenatian Salt:** Use about 2 tsp as a starting point — it replaces the coriander, fenugreek, thyme, caraway, black pepper, cumin, and salt from the original recipe. Adjust to taste.
**Sealing:** Avoid getting raw filling on your fingers while pleating — it makes the dough nearly impossible to seal.
**Lifting:** Always lift khinkali by their bottoms when placing in the water, not by the handles, to keep their shape.
**Pleating:** Traditionally 19 pleats — 16 is perfectly respectable.
**Eating:** Let them rest a minute or two before eating — there's hot broth inside. Hold fat-side up by the handle, bite a small hole, slurp the broth, then eat the rest quickly. The handle (kudi/კუდი) is traditionally left on the plate.
**Leftover filling:** Freeze it for a future batch, or mix with breadcrumbs, shape into patties, and pan-fry.
*Adapted from [Travel Cook Repeat]
Recipe by Travel Cook Repeat: https://www.travelcookrepeat.com/khinkali-georgian-dumplings/