Thin Lezgin Khinkal
A detailed recipe for fragrant, tasty, and filling khinkal! We Lezgins usually make this khinkal with bone-in beef, though chicken or lamb work too — it comes out delicious however you do it, so pick whatever meat you like. I'll also note that this is an authentic recipe. (Lezgin khinkal is a Dagestani dish of boiled flatbread squares served with broth, meat, and a garlicky tomato sauce — not to be confused with Georgian khinkali dumplings.)
Hannah
Recipe author
Thin Lezgin Khinkal
Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe
By weight of the composition:
Proteins 38 %
6 g
Fats 13 %
2 g
Carbohydrates 50 %
8 g
73 kcal
GI:
0
/
0
/
100
- You have to try this version of khinkal! The whole house fills with the aroma — the meat broth together with the tomato-garlic sauce really gets your appetite going. I'll share tips as we go, plus a couple of tricks and quick-cooking options at the end. Step 1. Set the meat to cook until fully done. It takes about 2 hours, depending on how tough the meat is. Start with 3 quarts of water in the pot, then add 2 more after an hour. Salt the broth 20–25 minutes before the meat is done, while it's still not quite cooked through — this keeps the meat from turning tough. To taste, add a pinch of pepper and 3 bay leaves; that pairs especially well with chicken. Step 2. Make the tomato sauce. Heat a skillet, add 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of vegetable oil, warm it, then add 2 tablespoons (50 g) of tomato paste. Cook it until it smells good and just starts to darken. Add about 1 cup (250 ml) of broth and stir — add the broth gradually so the sauce doesn't get too thin. Cook the sauce 2–3 minutes and pour it into a bowl. Stir in 5 cloves of garlic and a pinch of salt; press the garlic through a press, or grate it finely or mince it with a knife. Step 3. Make the dough 30–40 minutes before the meat is ready. Add 1 egg and 1 level tablespoon of salt to the flour, plus about 400–430 ml of water, and knead until smooth. The dough should be stiff. Cover it with a kitchen towel and let it rest 5–10 minutes — covering keeps a skin from forming, and the rest makes it easier to roll out. Step 4. Divide the dough in two and shape it into 2 balls. Cover and set one aside; put the other on the work surface and let it sit a couple of minutes. Important: flour the board generously so the dough doesn't stick. Roll the dough out thin, about 1 mm thick — mine came out about 27 in. (68 cm) across. Cut it into squares with a knife: run vertical lines down the sheet, then horizontal ones. And there are our khinkal squares! Step 5. Once the meat is cooked, lift it out onto a plate with a slotted spoon. It's best to strain the broth through a fine sieve so the finished khinkal looks cleaner — little bits show up against the pale dough and look messy. If you don't have a sieve, pour the broth into a deep bowl and, after 2–3 minutes, carefully pour it back into the pot, leaving the sediment behind. Step 6. To cook the squares, the pot needs enough water so they don't stick to the bottom; if too much has boiled off, add another quart. Taste the broth and add salt as needed. Cover and bring it to a boil. Add the cut squares and stir right away so they don't clump, then cover and wait for it to return to a boil, stirring again. Cook 3–5 minutes. Personally I cook them 3 minutes, since I don't like them overcooked and soft (some people do prefer that), so I pull out a couple during cooking and taste. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon quickly so they don't get too soft. Step 7. Serve right away with the tomato-garlic sauce, a piece of meat, and broth in a bowl. Add a little butter if you like. Enjoy! Bonus tips: 1. A sauce option for anyone who doesn't like garlic or whose stomach can't handle it: don't add garlic to the tomato sauce — make two sauces instead. One bowl with the sautéed tomato paste, broth, and salt, and a second of broth with a pinch of salt and the garlic. That way the rest of the family can still have it with garlic sauce. 2. Make a couple of extra servings of dough. Leave the cut squares to dry, then store them in a bag in a kitchen cupboard. You can cook them next time if you run short or guests turn up unexpectedly — note that dried squares take a couple of minutes longer to cook. 3. You can also turn them into khinkal with a meat-and-egg filling: cook ground meat in a saucepan with a little water, then fry it with egg and finely chopped onion. Cook the squares in salted water. I'll add the recipe for khinkal with filling soon.
Caloric content of the products possible in the composition of the dish
- Rendered beef fat - 871 kcal/100g
- Fatty beef - 171 kcal/100g
- Lean beef - 158 kcal/100g
- Beef brisket - 217 kcal/100g
- Beef sirloin - 380 kcal/100g
- Beef lean roast - 200 kcal/100g
- Beef chuck - 137 kcal/100g
- Beef ribs - 233 kcal/100g
- Beef leg - 104 kcal/100g
- Oxtail - 184 kcal/100g
- Boiled ham - 269 kcal/100g
- Corned beef - 216 kcal/100g
- Chicken egg - 157 kcal/100g
- Egg white - 45 kcal/100g
- Egg powder - 542 kcal/100g
- Egg yolk - 352 kcal/100g
- Ostrich egg - 118 kcal/100g
- Garlic - 143 kcal/100g
- Vegetable oil - 873 kcal/100g
- Tomato paste - 28 kcal/100g
- Salt - 0 kcal/100g
- Water - 0 kcal/100g
- Wheat flour - 325 kcal/100g
- Meat broth - 34 kcal/100g
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