Small Galash

Chechen dish, small galash, is known in every family from this region. Locals prefer this hearty and simple food over all European cuisine. In translation, "жижиг" means "meat", and "галнаш" – "empty dumplings" or "gnocchi". Indeed, the dish consists of boiled pieces of beef or lamb mixed with galash, which has been cooked in a strong broth. It is worth noting that the homemade galash has a cavity inside that holds the meat broth, making these dough dumplings very juicy.

Yield: 5 servings.

Cooking time: 3 hours.

Caloric content: 169 kcal per 100 grams of the dish.

Cuisine: Chechen.

Ingredients

• beef with bones (rib part) – 400 g;
• water – 300 ml for boiling meat and an additional 200 ml for boiling galash;
• flour w/s – 450 g;
• salt – to taste;
• garlic – 0.5 heads;
• black freshly ground pepper – 1 tsp.

Preparation

1. Prepare the ingredients for making small galash. Beef can be replaced with lamb on the bones. The amount of flour is indicated approximately, so it should be gradually added, guided by the consistency of the dough during kneading.

2. Clean the meat and rinse off small splinters, then cover with water.

3. Place the pot on the fire. Before boiling, foam will start to form. At this point, reduce the heat and skim off the foam.

4. Boil the broth on low heat for about 2-2.5 hours, so that the meat is well cooked and easily separates from the bone.

5. Next, skim off the top of the broth (the fattiest layer) with a ladle, leaving about half of the broth. The collected rich broth will be served at the table later – it can be used to drink with the galash.

6. For the sauce, press the garlic through a press into a small bowl.

7. Add freshly ground pepper to it.

8. Dilute everything with two ladles of broth (taken from the reserved broth for drinking). The sauce is ready. Set it aside for now. Before serving, the drinking broth and sauce will need to be heated.

9. For the dough, measure 200 milliliters of hot broth remaining in the pot into a bowl and add almost all the flour. Stir it with a spoon and add more as needed until the mixture forms flakes, absorbing the flour.

10. When the dough is no longer so hot, transfer it to the table and knead it with your hands. The dough should not be too stiff; otherwise, the dumplings will be tough, but it shouldn’t stick to your hands either.

11. Divide the resulting volume in half for convenience. Sprinkle the table with flour and roll out the dough into a layer about 0.5 centimeters thick.

12. Cut it into strips 4 centimeters wide.

13. Take one strip and cut off a small piece (1.5-2 centimeters) with a culinary scraper.

14. Then, moving towards yourself, press the scraper against this piece and roll it.

15. The piece will thin out and curl into a tube.

16. Roll the remaining galash in this manner.

17. Place the prepared dumplings on a baking sheet or large towel. They are not dusted with flour, so during boiling, the broth will remain clear.

18. In the pot with the remaining broth, add purified water – about 200 milliliters. Bring the mixture to a boil and salt it. When boiling starts, drop the galash in. With a slotted spoon, gently lift it from the bottom and stir to prevent sticking.

19. From the moment it starts boiling, cook the galash for about 7 minutes and then fish it out with a slotted spoon.

20. Arrange it on a large plate.

When serving, small galash (meat and dumplings) is arranged on a large plate around a bowl with spicy sauce. Separately, portioned bowls of drinking broth are served. The galash is dipped in the sauce, and because broth remains in the cavity, the taste is juicy, making the dish very hearty.