Manty

Large steamed dumplings of chopped meat and onion, eaten with suzma and chilli oil.

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Manty, homemade

Every family argues about the onion. My aunt in Talas used as much onion as meat; my grandmother tucked a little cube of pumpkin into each one. They argued about it lovingly for forty years, and I’m not going to choose between them. Try both.

Making manty is my favourite Saturday with my friends from church: one rolls, one fills, one pinches, and the steamer fogs up the windows while we talk. You need a tiered steamer, called a kaskan or mantovarka, but a bamboo steamer works too.

What you'll need

The ingredients for Manty, measured out on the counter
Everything for manty, ready to go. You'll find the exact amounts in the recipe card below.
Manty, homemade
manty

Manty

Large steamed dumplings of chopped meat and onion, eaten with suzma and chilli oil.

Total time2 h
Serves6
CourseNoodles & dumplings

Ingredients

6 servings
  • Dough
  • Filling

Instructions

Method

  1. Make a firm, smooth dough from the flour, egg, water and salt. Knead 8 minutes, cover and rest 30 minutes.
  2. Mix the filling with your hands until it holds together. The water keeps it juicy.
  3. Roll the dough into a log, cut into about 30 pieces, and roll each into a thin 10 cm circle.
  4. Put a spoonful of filling in the centre. Bring two opposite edges up and pinch, then the other two, then pinch the four corners together in pairs to make a little closed purse.
  5. Oil the steamer racks and set the manty on them, not touching. Steam over boiling water for 40–45 minutes.
  6. Serve with suzma or sour cream, black pepper, and chilli oil or a tomato-garlic sauce.
From my kitchen: They freeze well uncooked. Steam from frozen for 50 minutes.
Cuisine Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, IradFor Weekend lunches, guests

With love from my kitchen in Talas,Jibek