Recipe byThe ZestyPlate Kitchen
Mantu: Afghan steamed dumplings filled with spiced lamb and onion, topped with garlicky tomato sauce and strained yogurt. A fragrant centrepiece dish.
Mantu are Afghan steamed dumplings, thin pasta parcels packed with spiced lamb and onion, then crowned with garlicky yogurt and a savoury tomato sauce. They take time and care to make, which is rather the point: they're a dish of hospitality, brought out for guests. Tender dumplings, cool yogurt and rich sauce together are a genuinely lovely thing.
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Prep 60 min
Cook 45 min
Total 105 min
Hard
Scale:
- 450g Plain Flour
- 225ml Water
- 450g Lamb
- 1 Green Chilli
- 450g Onions
- 2 tblsp Black Pepper
- 1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
- 1 tablespoon Tomato Puree
- 425ml Strained Yoghurt
- Pinch Coriander
Preparation
- For the dough, sift the flour with 1 tsp salt into a bowl. Mix in the water slowly, using only as much as you need to form a stiff dough, then knead it on a clean surface for 5 to 10 minutes until elastic and shiny. Cover with a damp cloth and rest for about an hour.
- Put the chopped lamb, onions, chilli, 1 tsp salt, pepper and spices in a bowl and mix thoroughly.
- Divide the dough into 4 balls and roll each one out to 1.5mm thick, then cut into 10cm squares. Place 1 heaped teaspoon of the lamb mixture in the centre of each square.
- Bring two opposite corners together in the middle, pinching them firmly between your fingers, then do the same with the other two corners, but don't close the mantu completely, as the steam needs to get in and cook the filling.
- Grease the steamer shelves with fat and arrange the mantu with a little space between each. Steam for 30 to 45 minutes over medium heat.
- While they steam, make the tomato sauce: heat the oil in a pan, add the tomato purée, bring to the boil, then stir and simmer over low heat until the mantu are ready.
- Carefully lift the mantu onto a large warm dish, spoon over the tomato sauce, then the strained yogurt, and finish with a sprinkle of chopped coriander.
Tips from the ZestyPlate Kitchen
- Roll the dough thin so the dumplings stay delicate rather than turning doughy.
- Leave a small opening at the top instead of sealing them shut, so steam can get in and cook the filling.
- Grease the steamer shelves well or the dumplings will stick.
- Spoon the garlicky yogurt and warm tomato sauce over the top only just before you serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
The small gap lets steam reach the filling so the lamb cooks through properly while the dough stays tender.
Yes. Assemble and freeze the uncooked mantu, then steam them from frozen with a little extra time. Handy before a gathering.
A strained, garlicky yogurt, often seasoned with mint or dried herbs, spooned over the dumplings to balance the rich, spiced filling.
Beef stands in well for lamb. There are also vegetarian versions filled with leeks, pumpkin or potato.
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