Khinkali come from the mountains of eastern Georgia, where shepherds and farmers needed something sustaining, and they are now eaten everywhere in the country, often by the dozen. Each is a pouch of thin, firm dough gathered into many pleats at the top and twisted into a knob. Inside is raw minced meat, onion, herbs and a little water; as the dumpling boils, the meat cooks and releases its juices, so each one holds a mouthful of broth.

There is a firm etiquette. You pick one up by the knob, turn it upside down, bite a small hole, sip the broth, then eat the rest, leaving the knob on the plate, where it serves as a scorecard. Forks are frowned upon because they pierce the dough and waste the broth. Pleating takes practice, so make them with friends during a long race: by the final laps everyone's will look professional.

The dough

Ingredients

• 4 cups (500 g) all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 cup (240 ml) warm water

The filling

Ingredients

• 12 oz (340 g) ground beef
• 12 oz (340 g) ground pork
• 1 large yellow onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup (20 g) fresh cilantro
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fine salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
• 3/4 cup (180 ml) ice cold water

Shaping and cooking

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon coarse salt
• to taste freshly ground black pepper

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