Avar khinkal

The business card of Dagestani cuisine is the Avar khinkal, which is no less popular than Dargin khinkal. This dish consists of several parts: a very rich beef broth, boiled dough pads (khinkal), pieces of meat, and sauce. There are some important moments in the preparation that should be noted to make the dish correct and tasty.

Yield: 4 servings.

Cooking time: 2 hours.

Calories: 122 kcal per 100 grams of the dish.

Cuisine: Dagestani.

Ingredients

• beef ribs – 400 g;
• purified water – 1.2 l;
• bay leaf – 1 pc;
• allspice – 2-3 peas;
• flour – 300 g;
• kefir of any fat content – 180 g;
• baking soda – 0.75 tsp (level the top so there is no mound);
• salt – a pinch (for the dough) + to taste (for the broth).

Preparation

1. Prepare the ingredients for the Avar khinkal. A pot with a volume of 3 liters will be suitable. Choose beef in such a way that it has both bones and meat with fatty streaks – such meat will give a good stock and will remain juicy, not dry. Kefir can be replaced with sour milk.

2. Pour cold water over the meat so that it is completely covered. If you use hot water, the broth will not be as rich. Put the pot on high heat.

3. Now you need to not miss the moment when the foam begins to form. It should be removed and the heat should be reduced.

4. Salt the broth, add spices, and, covering with a lid, simmer on low heat for one and a half hours.

5. Half an hour before the allotted time for boiling the meat and broth, start preparing the dough (this should not be done in advance – the flour preparations should not sit on the table for long). In a bowl with salted flour, make a well and pour in the kefir. Directly into it (not into the flour) add the baking soda so that the reaction of carbon dioxide release begins immediately.

6. Start kneading the dough first in the bowl, then on the table, after which gather it into a ball and let it rest under plastic wrap for 5 minutes.

7. Then cut the kneaded dough in half for easier rolling. In the cross-section, small air bubbles are visible – a result of the interaction of soda with the acidic environment.

8. Roll out into a sheet 1-1.5 centimeters thick.

9. Cut it first into strips of 2.5 centimeters, then into diamonds and triangles.

10. Transfer the prepared pieces to a board.

11. By this time the meat will be cooked – it needs to be removed to a plate.

12. Divide into serving pieces, removing the bones.

13. The broth must be strained – there may be small bones left in it.

14. Wash the pot and refill it with clean broth. Turn on high heat.

15. When the boiling process begins, send a small batch of dough pieces to cook.

16. Reduce the heat to medium and cover the pot with a lid. Starting from the moment the dumplings float, cook them for 2-3 minutes (the thicker they are, the more time will be needed, but for thickness up to one and a half centimeters, 2 minutes will be sufficient). Stir the khinkal a couple of times during cooking.

17. Next, use a slotted spoon to scoop out the pieces and immediately prick them with a toothpick to allow the soda to escape. If this is not done, the dough will darken and become rubbery.

18. In this way, boil all the khinkal in batches.

19. The dish is ready. Serve the Avar khinkal by placing the meat and boiled dumplings on a common plate or in a separate dish. Pour the broth in which everything was cooked separately (it is used to drink khinkal), and place a sauce made of sour cream, garlic, and herbs alongside. Inside, the dough pads have fluffed up, become porous, and soaked up the broth. This is a very tasty and hearty dish that is prepared in every Dagestani family.

Try it, enjoy your meal!