Georgian Recipes

Kubdari (Georgian: კუბდარი) is a meat filled pastry that originates from Georgia’s Svaneti region, where it is also called ‘kuptaari’. It can be made with either beef or pork but the most popular version uses both. It should be made with cut meat and not minced meat.

Ingredients (filling): 500 grams of pork, 500 grams of young beef, 1 medium sized onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 third tsp of powdered cumin, 1 quarter tsp of powdered dill, 1 level tsp of dried coriander, 1/2 tsp of blue fenugreek, 1 tsp of red pepper and salt (amount dependent upon individual preference).

Ingredients (dough): 900 grams of flour, 400 ml of warm water, 1 level tbs of yeast, 1 tsp of sugar, 1 tsp of salt, 1 egg (optional) and 200 grams of all-purpose flour for dusting and kneading. Butter for glazing.

Preparation (filling): Cube the beef and pork and add to a mixing bowl.

Finely chop the onion and garlic and add to the mixing bowl, together with 1 third tsp of powdered cumin, 1 quarter tsp of powdered dill, 1 level tsp of dried coriander, 1/2 tsp of blue fenugreek, 1 tsp of red pepper, and salt (amount dependent upon individual preference).

Use your hands to thoroughly mix and squash the ingredients. This helps to ensure that the kubdari is juicy and the spices blend with the meat.

Preparation (dough): Kubdari requires a robust pastry that uses more flour than usual dough. To make it, add 400 ml of water (heated to 35 C) to a bowl and stir in the yeast.

Add 900 grams of flour to a mixing bowl and make a depression in the flour. Add the yeast water and a raw egg (optional). If you want the pastry to have a golden color you can add 1 tsp of sugar.

The dough should be formed into a soft ball.

Cover the bowl with cling film and leave in a warm place for 2 hours for the dough to rise. Once the dough has risen, add 150 grams of flour and firmly knead the dough.

When ready, place the dough on a flour dusted preparation area.

Cut the dough into 4 pieces.

Mold the pieces into balls. Cover the dough balls with cling film and leave for 10 minutes.

Roll out each ball of dough and add the filling.

Wrap the dough around the filling and pinch the top to seal it.

Carefully press the filled dough into a circular shape that is less than 20 cm diameter. Don’t flatten it too much. Some cooks make a little hole in the middle before baking. This can help to prevent the dough bursting during baking but if the dough has been made correctly it should not be necessary.

Bake on a flour dusted baking tray at 200 C until the dough becomes golden brown. The meat will cook in its own juices.

Serving: Glaze the surface of each Kubdari with butter and serve hot.

Enjoy your Kubdari!

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