Mantu (Afghan Steamed Beef Dumplings)

About This Recipe

Mantu are the centerpiece of Afghan hospitality — they are never made casually, always as an expression of honour for guests, at weddings, and at Eid celebrations. Each dumpling is a small work of craft: thin wheat dough rolled by hand, filled with a mixture of spiced minced beef and raw onion, folded into a crescent, then steamed over boiling water in a multi-tiered manto-paz (steamer). The presentation layer is equally important: a pool of qorma (tomato and split pea sauce) beneath, the dumplings arranged over it, then a generous draping of chakah (strained yogurt with dried mint and garlic) over everything. The combination of tender dumpling, rich meaty sauce and cool, tangy yogurt is extraordinary.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 2.5 cupsplain flour
• 0.5 tspsalt
• 150 mlwarm water(approximately)
• 400 gbeef mince
• 2onions(very finely diced)
• 1 tspground coriander
• 1 tspground cumin
• 0.5 tspblack pepper
• 1 tspsalt(for filling)
• 400 gstrained yogurt or labneh
• 3garlic cloves(minced)
• 1 tbspdried mint
• 1 tin (400g)chopped tomatoes
• 100 gyellow split peas(soaked 30 min)
• 1onion(diced, for qorma sauce)
• 2 tbspvegetable oil
• 1 tspturmeric

Instructions

1. 1

   Make dough

   Combine flour and salt. Add warm water gradually and knead 8 min until smooth and elastic. Wrap and rest 30 min.

2. 2

   Make filling

   Combine raw beef mince, finely diced onion, coriander, cumin, pepper and salt. Mix well. The raw onion is essential — it steams inside the dumpling and keeps the filling juicy.

3. 3

   Shape mantu

   Roll dough very thin (2mm). Cut 6–7cm circles. Place a teaspoon of filling in each centre. Fold into a half-moon and pinch the edges firmly. Then bring the two corners of the straight edge together and press — forming a classic tortellini-like shape.

   Seal every dumpling very firmly — any gap will allow steam to penetrate and the filling will burst out.

4. 4

   Steam

   Oil the steamer trays generously. Arrange mantu in a single layer with small gaps between them. Steam over boiling water 35–40 min until the dough is cooked through and slightly translucent.

5. 5

   Make qorma sauce

   Fry diced onion in oil until golden, 10 min. Add turmeric, then tomatoes. Simmer 15 min until thick. Add soaked split peas and 150ml water. Cook 20 min until peas are soft.

6. 6

   Make chakah

   Mix strained yogurt with minced garlic, dried mint and a pinch of salt.

7. 7

   Serve

   Spread qorma sauce on a large platter. Arrange steamed mantu over the sauce. Drape chakah generously over the top. Dust with extra dried mint and a pinch of chilli powder.

Variations

• •

  Aushak: boiled leek-filled dumplings with the same sauce — another Afghan classic

• •

  Vegetarian filling: spinach and cheese instead of beef

• •

  Lamb mince instead of beef for a richer, more traditional flavour

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Steamed mantu keep 2 days refrigerated — reheat by steaming 10 min. Uncooked shaped mantu freeze well on a tray.

Frequently Asked Questions