Khinkali — Georgian Soup Dumplings with Ground Beef And Pork

Ingredients

• 3½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1¼ cups cold water
• 1 tsp salt, plus more for the filling
• 1¼ lb Ground Beef And Pork
• 1 onion, grated
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ⅔ cup cold water or broth, for the filling
• 3 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1 tsp ground caraway
• 2 tsp red pepper flakes
• Coarsely ground black pepper, for serving

Method

1. Work the flour, cold water, and salt into a stiff dough and knead 10 minutes until smooth. Rest covered 40 minutes — khinkali dough must be strong enough to hold soup, and that strength comes from resting.
2. Mix the Ground Beef And Pork with the grated onion, garlic, cilantro, caraway, pepper flakes, 1½ tsp salt, and the cold water. Beat it with a spoon until loose and slurry-like; that liquid becomes the broth inside.
3. Roll the dough thin and cut 4-inch rounds. Roll each round thinner at the edges than the center, leaving a thicker disc in the middle.
4. Put a heaped tablespoon of filling in the center, then pleat the edge upward all the way around — aim for at least 15 folds — and twist the top into a tight knot.
5. Boil in well-salted water, stirring the pot gently at the start so nothing sticks. Cook 8–10 minutes after they float, until the dough is translucent and the filling reads 160°F (71°C).
6. Lift out, dust hard with black pepper, and eat by hand: hold the knot, bite a small hole, sip the broth, then eat the rest. Leave the knots on your plate to be counted.