Khychiny: Step By Step Recipes With Cheese And Potatoes, Herbs, Meat, Photos And Videos

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

Real khychins: learning to cook according to all the rules

In the Karachai-Circassian and Balkarian cuisines there is a dish with an interesting name khychin. Its popularity has long gone far beyond the boundaries of the regions for which it has been traditional for centuries. Khychin is a flatbread stuffed with cottage cheese, pickled cheese, meat, and always with herbs. It must be on the table of hospitable hosts; without it, the meal is considered poor. Let's get to know the khychin together and learn how to cook it.

Khichiny with cheese and potatoes

When you eat such delicious pastries, it seems as if preparing them requires not only special ingredients, but also remarkable culinary skills. But now you will see that the products are the simplest, and the process is not at all complicated. Probably, you need to put your soul and love into cooking.

For khychins you will need:

For the test:

• 500 g flour;
• 1 glass of water;
• 1 teaspoon of salt.

For filling:

• 500 g potatoes;
• 500 g of Adyghe cheese or feta cheese;
• salt to taste.

For lubrication:

50–70 g butter

Let's start with the test.

1. Pour water into a bowl, dissolve salt in it. add flour and stir until a smooth dough is obtained. Leave it on for about 40 minutes.

   

   Knead to a homogeneous dough

2. In the meantime, let's prepare the filling. Grate the Adyghe cheese on a coarse grater. Boil the potatoes (let them boil until soft) and cool at room temperature. Mix both ingredients into a homogeneous mass and salt a little.

   

   Grate cheese and mix with mashed potatoes

3. Roll the cheese and potato mixture into small balls about the size of a chicken egg. Divide the dough into equal pieces and roll each of them into a cake. Place a ball of filling in the middle of it.

   

   Place the filling strictly in the center of the cake.

4. Gather the edges of the dough together, pinch slightly. Flatten the ball that you have and gently roll it out. You should make a thin cake about the size of the bottom of a frying pan.

   

   Roll the blank into a thin cake

5. Fry the cakes in a dry frying pan. Turn on medium heat and fry until golden brown, then turn over - and again until the same state. Do not worry if the khychin swells almost to the point of a balloon - this is normal.

   

   Hychin can swell when frying

6. Grease each flat cake with butter. Lay them on top of each other and cut lengthwise and crosswise to make 4 pieces.

   

   Khychin is ready, treat your guests!

Video recipe for khychin with potatoes and cheese

Khychiny with greens on kefir

Cuisines of all regions of the Caucasus are famous for the abundance of fresh herbs in their dishes. Of course, the khychins were no exception.

For this version of the cakes, take:

• 1 glass of kefir;
• 1 tsp baking soda;
• 400 g wheat flour;
• 1 tsp salt;
• 400 g of hard cheese;
• 80 g of greens;
• 100 g butter;
• 200 ml of yogurt;
• 2 cloves of garlic.

Cooking process.

1. Pour kefir into a bowl and add baking soda. Leave it on for a couple of minutes until the reaction passes. In another bowl, deep, sift the flour and pour in kefir, salt. Knead the dough until it is soft and pliable. Cover with a napkin and let sit for 10-15 minutes.
2. Now prepare the filling. To do this, grate the cheese, add chopped herbs to it. Taste and add salt if you see fit.
3. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. Form cakes from them, lightly pressing down on the table with your hand. Put 2 tbsp on each of them. l. filling, pinch the edges. Roll into thin layers. Be careful not to damage the dough while doing this.
4. Fry the khichiny for 3 minutes on each side. When they are ready, brush them with butter.

5. Prepare the sauce by mixing yogurt, pressed garlic and finely chopped herbs. Serve it to the khychins.

   

   Yogurt-garlic sauce is perfect for such khychins.

Video recipe for khychin with herbs

Khichiny with meat

Meat is a traditional filling for flat cakes and pies in Caucasian cuisine. And I must say that khychins with meat filling are served on the table much more often than others.

You will need:

• 500 g minced meat;
• 2 onions;
• 400 g ayran;
• 2-3 glasses of wheat flour;
• 0.5 tsp soda;
• 50 g cilantro;
• 50 g mint;
• salt and allspice to taste.

Traditionally in the Caucasus, lamb is used as minced meat, but you can take any other meat, even chicken. Moreover, in my experience, the taste of khychin does not suffer at all from the type of meat. But you can try it in different ways and choose the one that you like more than others. For example, I fell in love with khychin with pork. Chicken is also good, only a little dry, but it is lighter than other types of meat. I even tried khychin with beef liver.

1. Ayran can be replaced with kefir or yogurt. Season with salt, add baking soda and knead until a soft dough is obtained. It should not tear or stick to your hands. Divide the dough into 6 pieces and roll them into tortillas.

2. Prepare minced meat, salt and pepper it, add chopped onions and herbs.

   

   You can take minced meat from any meat as a filling.

3. Then, as usual: mince in the center of the cake, connect the edges, ivy and roll it into a thin cake. Fry, smear with oil, lay on top of each other. Done!

   

   Khichiny with meat can be a snack or an independent dish

Video recipe for khychins with meat

Filling options for khychins

We already know how to prepare dough for khychins, and we know how to make them correctly. Now let's think about what other fillings you can think of for them. The ones mentioned above are traditional for the Caucasus, but the khychins are known far beyond its borders, and the hostesses are happy to add something of their own.

Cheese and beet tops

Why not? It is often used in soups, salads and fillings. You will need:

• 400 g of hard cheese, for example, "Adygei";
• 200 g of leaf beets;
• 1 bunch of greens (a mixture of onions, parsley and dill);
• 150 g low-fat cottage cheese.

And here's how such a filling is done:

1. Wash the tops thoroughly, cut off the stems so that only leaves remain. Dry them. The greens also need to be washed.

   

   Rinse thoroughly and prepare herbs

2. Chop everything together finely. Mix with cheese and cottage cheese turned in a meat grinder. Add salt if necessary.

   

   Mix herbs, cheese and cottage cheese

3. It remains only to roll the balls and place them on the dough.

   

   Such a cute ball will be a filling

With potatoes and mushrooms

Perhaps this is already the filling from Russian hostesses. Who else can have such a love for the tandem of mushrooms and potatoes?

Ingredients:

• 700 g potatoes;
• 250 g frozen mushrooms;
• 1 onion;
• vegetable and butter;
• 1 bunch of dill;
• garlic to taste;
• salt to taste.

Cooking process.

1. Boil the potatoes and puree with a little butter. Let it cool down. Meanwhile, sauté the onion until transparent. Throw the washed mushrooms on a sieve, let the excess water drain. It is advisable to cut the mushrooms as small as possible, otherwise they will tear the dough. Add them to the onion and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring all the time, until all the liquid has evaporated.
2. Mix potatoes, mushrooms, herbs, add garlic.

That's it, now you can wrap the filling in the dough.

Now you know how to cook the national dish of khychiny. It's simple and fun. Treat them to your guests and place them on the table for relatives more often. Enjoy your meal!