Mantu
Steamed Afghan dumplings filled with spiced mince and onion, topped with garlic yoghurt, a tomato and split pea sauce, and dried mint.
- Serves4
- Prep1 hr
- Soak1 hr
- Cook40 min
- HeatWarm
Mantu takes time, so it's a weekend or Eid dish, and a good one to make together. Shop-bought wonton wrappers save the dough and work very well. The mix of cool garlic yoghurt and warm sauce on top is what makes it.
Ingredients
- For the dumplings
- For the sauce
- To serve
Ask at the counter for500g beef or lamb mince
Cut: Beef mince, Mince (lamb)
Method
Mix the mince, onions, coriander, pepper, salt and chilli in a bowl.
Put a heaped teaspoon of filling in the middle of a wrapper. Wet the edges, bring two opposite corners up over the filling, then the other two, and pinch the sides closed into a little parcel. Repeat with the rest.
Oil a steamer basket and add the dumplings in one layer, with a little space between them. Steam over boiling water for 25 to 30 minutes until the filling is cooked through. Steam in batches if you need to.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. Drain the split peas. Fry the onion in the oil for 8 minutes until soft, add the garlic for 1 minute, then the tomato purée, tomatoes, salt and chilli. Add the split peas and water, cover and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes until the peas are soft and the sauce is thick.
Mix the yoghurt with the garlic and a pinch of salt.
Spread half the yoghurt on a platter and arrange the mantu on top. Spoon over the rest of the yoghurt, then the split pea sauce, and finish with the dried mint.
Tips
- If the chopped onion is very wet, squeeze it in a clean cloth first, or the wrappers go soggy.
- Most families make mantu in a big batch and freeze half.
Good to know
- Make ahead and freezing
- Freeze uncooked mantu on a tray, then bag them. Steam from frozen for 35 to 40 minutes.
- Heat
- Warm. Add green chillies at the table if you like it hotter.