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dinner
Mantu
Afghanistan's celebrated steamed dumplings — delicate pasta parcels filled with spiced minced beef and onion, served on a bed of yogurt and topped with a rich tomato-chickpea sauce.
⏱ 120 min🔥 520 kcalHard
★4.9(780)
6 recipes using beef — Kabuli pulao, mantu, bolani — fragrant, spiced dishes from the crossroads of Asia.
These 6 afghan beef recipes are ready in about 106 minutes on average, with 420–720 kcal per serving, and 0% are rated easy enough for a weeknight. Every recipe includes exact ingredient quantities, step-by-step instructions and full nutrition per serving.
Afghan cuisine — Kabuli pulao, mantu, bolani — fragrant, spiced dishes from the crossroads of Asia — brings its own distinctive techniques and seasonings to every ingredient it touches. When Afghan cooks work with beef, they reach for its own regional aromatics, fats and signature spice blends, and the techniques that come up most across these recipes are simmering, boiling, frying and steaming.
A rich, deeply savoury red meat that rewards both fast, hot searing and long, slow braising depending on the cut. In this collection it's most often cooked with ground coriander, dried mint, turmeric, garlic, ground cumin and onion. The dishes here span afghan classics ready in as little as 80 minutes to slower, more involved cooking that rewards a relaxed afternoon.
Reader favourite: Mantu is the highest-rated dish in this collection at 4.9★ from 780 ratings.
Afghanistan's celebrated steamed dumplings — delicate pasta parcels filled with spiced minced beef and onion, served on a bed of yogurt and topped with a rich tomato-chickpea sauce.
Delicate Afghan dumplings filled with scallions and leeks, topped with meat sauce and yogurt.
Afghanistan's most celebrated dish for guests — delicate steamed dumplings filled with spiced beef and onion, draped in a yogurt and tomato sauce, topped with split peas and dried mint. A labour of love.
Afghan leek and scallion dumplings topped with spiced ground beef and yoghurt sauce — a national treasure.
Afghan baked sweet pumpkin in a spiced tomato meat sauce, topped with garlicky yoghurt — a beautiful autumn dish.
Afghanistan's celebration dumpling: paper-thin pasta filled with sautéed leeks, topped with garlic yoghurt and spiced lamb sauce.
Tender cuts (sirloin, ribeye) suit quick cooking; tougher, collagen-rich cuts (chuck, brisket, shin) are built for stews and braises. Look for bright-red colour and fine marbling.
Season generously and let steaks come to room temperature before searing. Rest cooked beef 5–10 minutes so the juices redistribute; slice against the grain to keep it tender.
Steaks: 52°C / 125°F for rare up to 71°C / 160°F for well done. Ground beef should always reach 71°C / 160°F.
An excellent source of complete protein, iron, zinc and vitamin B12; leaner cuts keep saturated fat in check.
Most of these 6 Afghan beef recipes are ready in around 106 minutes from start to finish. The quickest, Kaddo Bourani, takes about 80 minutes, while the slower-cooked dishes run up to 130 minutes.
Across this collection they range from about 420 to 720 kcal per serving, averaging 523 kcal — Afghan Aushak (Leek Dumplings) is the lightest option at 420 kcal.
Kaddo Bourani is a great place to start — it's rated medium and comes together in about 80 minutes. 0% of the recipes here are beginner-friendly.
In these recipes, beef is most often paired with ground coriander, dried mint, turmeric, garlic, ground cumin and onion. Afghan kitchens also lean on its own regional aromatics, fats and signature spice blends.
Steaks: 52°C / 125°F for rare up to 71°C / 160°F for well done. Ground beef should always reach 71°C / 160°F.