Mantu

"Arguably the most popular dish among the people of Afghanistan. Making this dish is a little more cumbersome so it is usually saved for special occasions. I've grown up filling these dumplings for hours while my mum steamed them."

Mantu Credit: Kitti Gould

• serves

  6

• prep

  40 minutes

• cook

  45 minutes

• difficulty

  Ace

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Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 500 g beef mince
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp dried mint
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 300 g packet square gow gee wrappers

Sauce

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small brown onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 tomatoes, coarsely grated or finely chopped
• 400 g canned lentils, drained and rinsed

To serve

• plain Greek yoghurt, seasoned to taste with salt
• coriander, chopped

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft. Add the mince, spices, salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes or until browned. Break up the mince with a spoon as it cooks. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
2. To assemble, place a small spoonful of mince mixture in a gow gee wrapper. Dab each corner with water and draw 2 opposite corners together to meet in the middle and seal. Repeat to join the remaining opposite corners. Finally, join the 2 adjacent sides and seal, leaving a small opening in the top. You should have a square pouch. Repeat for the remaining mantu.
3. When ready to cook, place the mantu in a steamer and cook in batches for 10–15 minutes or until soft and translucent.
4. Meanwhile, for the sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan over low–medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft. Stir in the tomato paste, tomatoes and 60 ml (¼ cup) water and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the lentils and cook for another 2 minutes.
5. To serve, spread a generous amount of yoghurt on the bottom of a serving plate. Top with the mantu, then spoon over the sauce, top with a little more yoghurt and scatter with coriander.

 

Photography by Kitti Gould.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Stream free On Demand

Hand Me Down Recipe

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Watch The Full Episode Here

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