A wide Georgian kitchen table with a steaming bowl of Tskaldaskhmula, mchadi and a bowl of fresh cottage cheese beside it.

Yield4 bowls

Serving size1 bowl

DifficultyEasy

DietVegetarian; contains milk. Use uncontaminated cornmeal for a gluten-free meal.

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The dish

About Tskaldaskhmula

Freshly cooked mchadi, mild curds and clarified butter soften together under a pour of boiling water in this simple Racha-inspired bowl.

Tskaldaskhmula is described as a Racha dish of mchadi, erbo and specially pressed khacho finished with boiling water. This practical home version uses pasteurized cottage cheese in place of the winter-pressed cheese, whose traditional storage method cannot be safely reconstructed from the available short descriptions. It is an immediate meal, not a method for preserving cheese.

The finished bowl is lightly savory and spoonable, with soft corn-bread pieces rather than a smooth porridge. Fresh cheese and a little clarified butter melt into the hot water.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

Racha Cornbread and Cheese Bowl (წყალდასხმულა)

Mchadi

200 gyellow cornmeal
About 150–190 ml warm water, added gradually
2 gfine salt

To serve

240 gpasteurized full-fat cottage cheese, chilled until needed
20 gclarified butter
800 mlfreshly boiled water
A little extra salt only if needed

Method

Stir the cornmeal and 2 g salt together. Add warm water gradually, mixing until a soft dough holds together when pressed; stop when it is cohesive rather than wet.
Divide into four equal portions and shape into flat rounds about 1 cm thick. Heat a covered skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the mchadi in the dry skillet, covered, for 6–8 minutes per side, until cooked through with golden spots. Lower the heat if they brown too quickly.
Divide the warm mchadi among four heatproof bowls and crumble each into bite-size pieces. Add 60 g cottage cheese and 5 g clarified butter to each bowl.
Bring 800 ml water to a full boil. Carefully pour 200 ml into each bowl. Stir gently and leave for 1–2 minutes, until the bread softens and the cheese loosens into the liquid.
Taste after the mixture cools slightly and add a small pinch of salt only if needed. Serve hot immediately.

Practical guidance

Tips for success

Add warm water to the cornmeal gradually; different grinds absorb different amounts.
Cook the mchadi over moderate-low heat with a lid so the centers cook before the crust gets too dark.
Use heatproof bowls and pour carefully. Cottage cheese saltiness varies, so taste before adding extra salt.

Practical notes

The traditional account describes firm, pressed khacho kept for winter. Pasteurized cottage cheese is a safer, more accessible fresh substitute, but its texture and flavor are different. Clarified butter stands in for erbo. This adaptation does not claim to reproduce the exact village preparation.

Nutrition per serving

Estimated nutrition per serving

Serving size: 1 bowl
Energy: About 290 kcal
Carbohydrates: About 43 g
Protein: About 11 g
Fat: About 8 g
Fibre: About 2 g
Sodium: About 410 mg

Approximate ingredient-based values for one quarter of the recipe. Brands, cornmeal grind and especially cottage-cheese sodium change the result; added salt is estimated.

Allergens and food safety

Contains milk. Keep cottage cheese refrigerated until use and choose pasteurized cheese. Serve the bowl hot immediately. Do not try to age or press cheese for winter storage from this brief description. Use heatproof bowls and handle boiling water carefully. Refrigerate leftovers promptly at or below 4°C; use within 3–4 days and reheat to 74°C.

The result

Four bowls combine soft mchadi, warm curds and clarified butter in a light, savory broth.
The boiling-water pour is made just before serving, so the corn bread softens but remains in tender pieces.