How long should you cook frozen khinkali after boiling so that they do not disintegrate?

Khinkali needs to be cooked a little longer than dumplings. The dough becomes soft and the filling cooks in 10-15 minutes. How long does it take to cook frozen khinkali after boiling water? The exact cooking time depends on the cooking method, the size of the products and some other nuances.

How long does it take to cook khinkali?

Proper khinkali are filled with delicious broth after cooking. They definitely eat them with their hands: they take them by the tail, turn them over, bite them and drink the aromatic liquid, trying not to spill a drop. Then they eat the rest, leaving only the tail on the plate.

You need to cook the dish so that the dough becomes soft, but the “bag” does not disintegrate and the precious broth does not spill into the water.

The cooking time in a saucepan on the stove, in the microwave, in a slow cooker and in a double boiler is slightly different. The filling of the dough products and the size matter.

Often the readiness of khinkali is determined not by time, but by appearance. How to determine that test products are welded:

• The products surfaced. After this, they need to be cooked for another 5 minutes.
• A strong khinkal aroma appeared.
• The dough has lightened and swelled.

Advice. To prevent the dough from boiling, frozen products must be boiled in a large amount of water.

Big and small

According to one of the legends of the mountaineers, a long time ago a “bag” of broth, meat and herbs saved the life of a brave warrior. The size of traditional khinkali is rather large. It is believed that one copy should fit into a man’s palm (no more, no less). In Russia, small mini-khinkali are much more common, a little larger than dumplings.

Cooking time depending on size is:

• large size – 15-25 minutes;
• small size – 8-15 minutes.

A frequently asked question is whether it is necessary to defrost frozen khinkali before cooking? Doing this is strictly prohibited. Any semi-finished products are prepared immediately, without defrosting.

Store

If the test products were purchased in branded packaging, it is better not to guess how long to cook them. Information should be found on the packaging. Cooking times vary slightly among different manufacturers.

The average cooking time is 10-12 minutes.

Advice. The water should be salted before boiling, and the products should be lowered after it begins to boil. For every 1 liter of water add approximately 1 teaspoon of coarse table salt.

Homemade

There is nothing tastier than homemade khinkali, made in the best traditions from minced meat, spices, herbs and water. The dough requires special attention. It should be very strong, but soft, elastic and tasty.

Homemade frozen khinkali, made according to a traditional recipe from minced meat, take a little longer to cook than store-bought ones - from 12 to 20 minutes after the water boils.

Advice. When cooking khinkali, stir strictly once - immediately after adding it to the water, when the liquid boils again.Frequent stirring may damage the dough shell, and if left undisturbed, the products may stick to the bottom of the pan while cooking.

With different fillings

Khinkali with beef, pork and lamb are considered classics. But varieties with unusual fillings: mushrooms and suluguni, poultry are no less popular in Georgia. Less often the dish is prepared with fish.

Note. The table shows the minimum cooking time for preparing mini-khinkali in a saucepan in water.

In a saucepan on the stove

Most often, khinkali is cooked in the usual way in a pan on the stove. Necessary:

1. Boil 2 liters of water (for preparing 500 g of frozen products).
2. Salt the water.
3. After boiling, stir the water to create a funnel.
4. Place the khinkali into boiling water one at a time.
5. Wait for the water to boil again.
6. Gently stir the product.
7. Cook the dish over high heat for 10-15 minutes. There is no need to cover the pan with a lid.
8. Drain the boiling water.
9. Serve khinkali hot.

In the microwave

In the microwave you can cook 1-2 servings of khinkali, no more. It is believed that one person can get enough of 3 large “bags”.

How to cook products in the microwave:

1. Pour boiling water into a special deep bowl. Using boiling water will significantly speed up the cooking process.
2. Add salt.
3. If you use cold water, you need to select the highest power and set the timer for 3 minutes.
4. Carefully place frozen items into salted boiling water.
5. Cook at 800 W for 10-12 minutes.

In a slow cooker

You can also use a slow cooker to cook khinkali.You need to pour water into the bowl and select the “Soup” mode. Wait for the water to boil. Place the products in the bubbling liquid. Cook from the moment the water boils for 15 minutes.

In a double boiler (steamed)

Steamed khinkali are especially tender and juicy. In a double boiler they cook longer than usual - 30 minutes for small ones and up to 40 minutes for large ones.

Necessary:

1. Pour water into the device.
2. Grease a special container with holes with vegetable oil.
3. Place the frozen products in a container so that there is a gap of 3-5 mm between them.
4. Close the steamer with a lid.
5. Select cooking time – 30 or 40 minutes.

You can cook steamed khinkali in a slow cooker. To do this, use the “Steam” mode. The cooking time and instructions are the same as for the double boiler.

Unconventional cooking methods

Few people know that khinkali can not only be boiled, but also fried in a pan or baked in the oven. Cooking using non-traditional methods takes about the same time - from 10 to 15 minutes. The crispy, golden brown dough shell looks very appetizing, and inside there is a filling dripping with juice.

Fried khinkali: do you need to cook it before frying?

Fans of fried dumplings will appreciate fried khinkali. They are prepared in a similar way, they turn out very juicy, crispy, melting in your mouth.

• Freshly prepared homemade khinkali, not frozen, do not need to be boiled before frying. Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan or deep fryer. You will need quite a lot of oil - 100 ml or more. When a uniform golden crust appears on the dough, remove the products with a slotted spoon and place on a plate with a paper napkin. The napkin helps remove excess fat.
• Frozen “bags” need to be boiled briefly before frying. Otherwise, the dough shell will be too hard and tasteless. They are immersed in boiling salted water for 5 minutes. After this, place in a colander, dry with a paper towel, and begin frying in vegetable oil. If the moisture is not removed, the oil will shoot out violently and leave burns.

Interesting fact. In the East, large quantities of khinkali are molded and cooked at once. It's not always possible to eat them in one sitting. Then the boiled “bags” are fried in a frying pan in oil. It turns out even tastier than the first day.

Khinkali in the oven: how to cook?

A very unusual way to prepare khinkali is to bake it in the oven. The dish is not for everybody, but some people like it. The products are baked under a cheese cap, on a bed of fresh tomatoes or with sour cream filling and fried onions.

An important nuance: you need to bake pre-cooked khinkali in the oven.

The dish is placed in an oven preheated to 180 degrees. Cooking time – 20-25 minutes.

Questions and answers

What sauce should I use for serving?

Traditionally, the dish is consumed without sauce, simply sprinkled with freshly ground black pepper. But if the classic version doesn’t suit you, khinkali is served with sauce. If the filling is meat, you should use tomato sauce, cheese - garlic and sour cream, fish - tartar.

Which khinkali are the most delicious?

The most delicious are homemade, freshly prepared khinkali. It is important to prepare them from quality products and according to proven recipes. It is better to finely chop the filling with a knife. Add a little ice water for juiciness. And don’t forget about the “heart” of any Georgian dish – spices.

Cooking frozen khinkali is as easy as cooking dumplings.The shell rarely falls apart or becomes soft due to the special composition of the dough. The time must be noted after the water boils. On average, the dish takes 12 minutes to prepare.