Mantu with Yogurt Sauce
Steamed dumplings filled with seasoned ground meat (often lamb or beef) and onions, traditionally served with a cooling garlic-yogurt sauce.
🧂 Ingredients
- 3 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 cup Warm water
- 1 tsp Salt
- 500 g Ground lamb or beef
- 2 large Onions(finely chopped)
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 0.5 tsp Black pepper
- 2 cups Plain yogurt
- 3 cloves Garlic(minced)
- 2 tbsp Fresh dill or mint(chopped, for sauce)
- 1 tbsp Vegetable oil(for greasing steamer)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Make the dough: In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Gradually add warm water, mixing until a firm dough forms. Knead on a floured surface for 5-7 minutes until smooth. Cover and let rest for at least 30 minutes.
- 2
Prepare the filling: In a separate bowl, combine ground meat, finely chopped onions, cumin, and black pepper. Mix well.
- 3
Make the yogurt sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, minced garlic, and chopped dill or mint. Season with a pinch of salt. Set aside.
- 4
Roll out the dough thinly on a floured surface. Cut into squares approximately 4x4 inches.
- 5
Place a spoonful of filling in the center of each dough square. Fold the dough to enclose the filling, creating various traditional shapes (e.g., pleating the edges, bringing opposite corners together).
- 6
Grease the tiers of a steamer with vegetable oil. Arrange the mantu in a single layer, ensuring they don't touch.
- 7
Steam the mantu over boiling water for 25-30 minutes, or until the dough is cooked through and the filling is no longer pink.
- 8
Serve the hot mantu immediately, drizzled generously with the garlic-yogurt sauce.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Ensure the onions are very finely chopped for the filling to prevent them from poking through the dough.
- ✓Don't overfill the dumplings, as they can burst during steaming.
- ✓If you don't have a steamer, you can use a colander set over a pot of boiling water, ensuring the colander doesn't touch the water.
🔄 Variations
- Add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the filling for a spicy kick.
- Serve with a drizzle of melted butter or a sprinkle of sumac.