Delicious fried tortillas with different fillings can often be found on the Caucasian table. However, Russian women can easily cook hitschiny. To do this, just use the suggested recipes.
What are hychins?
These are cakes from unleavened dough with a juicy filling inside. Traditionally cooked quiches with cheese and herbs, meat or potatoes. Suluguni is ideal for the filling, but the cakes stuffed with cheese are equally tasty. Russian housewives have adapted to cook hitchin even with pumpkin and bean puree.
Finished cakes are stacked and cut into 4 parts. Translated from the Balkar language, "heach" and means the cross. Khichiny is a national dish among the Balkarian and Karachai peoples. In the Caucasus, a friendly hostess must necessarily meet guests with such cakes. Not a single feast is complete without this dish, be it a wedding, a birthday, or a funeral party.
Despite the fact that in Karachay-Cherkessia, and in Kabardino-Balkaria, hitchies are a traditional dish, they are prepared in different ways. The Balkars have very thin cakes, they are fried in a hot pan and greased with butter. In the huts of Kabardins, there is much more dough, and they are cooked in a cauldron with boiling oil, like pasties. Despite the difference in cooking, delicious cakes are obtained from both peoples.
How to knead the dough for hitchin
The classic dough for khychi is prepared on ayran. In addition to this sour-milk drink, you will need two more ingredients: salt and water. Kneading the dough is very easy. To do this, simply combine in one bowl 500 grams of flour, 250 ml of Ayran and 1 teaspoon of salt. Knead the dough for about 20 minutes, until it stops sticking to your hands. You may have to make a effort. As a result, the dough should turn out pretty steep, but at the same time maintain its softness and elasticity. Now you need to leave it on the table to "rest" for half an hour, and only after that proceed to the formation of cakes.
Since Ayran is not found in all stores, you can try to replace it with kefir or yogurt. In the first case, to 200 ml of kefir you need to add 50 ml of mineral water and mix. As a result, a fermented milk drink with a volume of 250 ml suitable for density will be obtained. If homemade yogurt is used for cooking, then the amount of mineral water should be increased to 125-150 ml.
How to form and roll a cake
So that the juicy filling does not leak out of the dish, it is important to form a cake correctly. Khichin, the preparation of which is not difficult, is done as follows:
- From the dough to form balls, about 100 grams each, and roll into small round cakes (like dumplings).
- Put the filling in the center of each circle. Previously, from it, too, to form balls. The fillings should be 50 grams more than the dough, that is, about 150 grams.
- Now carefully stretch the edges of the dough until it completely covers the filling. You should get a dough ball with a filling inside. Properly kneaded dough is elastic, so it will be easy to do.
- Close the ball from above by pinching the edges of the dough. Thus, form the remaining pieces of dough.
- Now you need to slightly press it down with your palm and roll out with a rolling pin until you get a thin cake. If the dough breaks, in this place it should be moistened with water and gently sprinkled with flour.
In this way, it is good to form cakes if the dough is supple and elastic. In the case when it is kneaded too cool, it will be difficult to stretch, because it will tear. To get out of this situation, the ball with the dough needs to be rolled out into a thin cake immediately, and only then put the filling on it.
Khichin with cheese and herbs: a classic Balkarian recipe
While the kneaded dough “rests”, it's time to make the filling. According to the classic recipe, hichin with cheese and herbs is prepared. For such a filling, you need 300 grams of suluguni, as well as sprigs of dill, parsley, cilantro and other herbs to taste.
Cheese must be grated, finely chopped greens. Due to the specific taste of suluguni, the additional filling is not necessary. All ingredients are mixed, and you can begin to form balls. If the filling turned out to be too friable, then they simply spread it on the rolled dough with a spoon, observing the proportions by weight.
The prepared cake is laid out on a dry preheated pan. After that, it is fried over medium heat on two sides. When flipped to the other side, the cake swells. So that it does not burst and the filling does not leak into the pan, in the center it must be pierced with a fork. Ready-made huts with cheese and herbs, the photo of which is presented above, are necessarily lubricated with butter.
How to cook haykin with hard cheese, herbs and potatoes
In the Caucasus, they use different filling options for their traditional dishes. How to cook hichina with cheese, herbs and mashed potatoes?
For the filling you will need 1 kg of potatoes, 300 grams of Russian cheese and a bunch of any greens. First you need to make mashed potatoes and let it cool slightly. Then grate the cheese on a coarse grater and finely chop the greens. Mix all ingredients, salt if necessary. Form balls from the filling. Then put them on the dough and wrap them with the filling. Then roll a thin cake. You can fry.
Balkar hitchines, the recipe of which is presented above, are in no way inferior to the traditional ones with cheese and herbs. They are tasty both hot and cold.
Khichin with cheese, herbs and beet tops
This is the Russian version of the filling of the popular dishes of Kabardino-Balkarian cuisine. How to cook hichina according to this recipe?
For this dish you will need dry granular cheese (cottage cheese) - 500 grams, green beet tops - 1 bunch, as well as dill or parsley. It is necessary to salt the cottage cheese and knead it well with a fork, add other ingredients, after finely chopping them. Further, a ball is formed from the filling, and a cake is formed from the dough, as in the previous two versions.
Balkar hitchines, the recipe of which is presented above, are not only tasty, but also healthy. Cottage cheese, beet tops and greens make a real vitamin smoothie from a simple filling.
How to eat hitch?
It is customary to eat hitschin hot. The butter, which greens greens abundantly with cheese and herbs, should melt. They are eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner instead of bread or as an independent dish.
Each oiled hychin is placed on the previous one, forming a stack. And only after all of them are fried, it must be cut into four parts, repeating the cross with movements. They eat the huts with their hands, dipping the edge of the tortillas in a specially prepared sauce.
Some people prefer to eat this dish cold. In this form, it can be used as one of the options for a working snack. Khychins perfectly satisfy hunger and do not lead to overeating.
Sauce for Balkar huts
In the Caucasus, Balkar hitchines are served with ayran. In the European version, it is customary to cook garlic sauce for this dish . The following recipe is suitable for its preparation. Khichin with cheese and herbs in combination with a delicate sauce are perfect for a daily dinner, and for special occasions.
Mix a glass of sour cream with salt and herbs. Add a clove of garlic and send to a cold place for at least an hour. At the heart of the sauce can be not only sour cream, but also mayonnaise or yogurt.
Garlic sauce can be replaced with tomato. Its taste also harmonizes well with hychins. With sauces, these cakes are even tastier.
Features cooking
To make a truly delicious hitch, you need to consider some of the features of this dish:
- the dough for huts should not be too steep, otherwise it will not be possible to stretch it well;
- the Balkarian huts are tastier, the thinner the flat cake is rolled out;
- the dough should be about fifty grams less than the toppings;
- you need to fry the cakes in a dry frying pan over medium heat so that they can bake well;
- so that the bloated hychin does not burst in the pan, after turning on the other side, it must be pierced in the center;
- the finished cake is greased with butter and stacked on top of one another, then the hichina becomes soft;
- in the Caucasus, a dish is traditionally served with ayran or various sauces are prepared: garlic, tomato.
If you follow these simple recommendations, cooking hychina at home is not difficult. Enjoy your meal!