A Dumpling from Afghanistan!

Mantoo Recipe below:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 large onion
• 1 cup plain unsweetened yogurt (Greek yogurt works best)
• ½ teaspoon of minced garlic
• 4 teaspoons water
• 1 teaspoon dried mint
• Olive oil
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• Fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon salt
• A pinch of black pepper
• Cayenne pepper for garnish
• Wonton wrappers

(HINT: These were a little hard for me to find, so I’m letting you all know where I found them in the store. They were in the fresh produce section by the tofu.)

Mantoo Sauce:

Let’s start with the sauce. Put 1 cup of plain unsweetened yogurt into a medium mixing bowl. Add ½ teaspoon of mixed garlic, 4 teaspoons of water, and 1 teaspoon dried mint (you might like to use a little less mint, but that’s a personal preference). Lightly whisk, cover, and put back in the fridge until ready to eat.

Mantoo Dumplings:

1. Start by finely chopping the onions.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, until the oil begins to shimmer.
3. Add beef, onions, salt, turmeric, coriander, garlic, and pepper to the skillet. Cook, stirring frequently and breaking up any large chunks of beef until cooked through.
4. Remove from heat and drain excess oil from the pan.
5. Stir in the fresh cilantro and allow the mixture to cool slightly.
6. Lightly oil parchment paper liner for steamer.
7. Begin heating just a little more than an inch of water in a pot. Be sure the water stays at a steady, steamy simmer–gently bubbling and steaming–not a heavy boil.
8. Lay out wonton wrapper and place a small spoonful of the stuffing into the center of the wrapper.
9. With your finger (or a pastry brush), brush a small amount of water on the edges of the wonton wrapper to make it slightly sticky–perfect for little fingers to help.
10. Shape the wrapper into a dumpling by pinching two opposite corners together, then pinching the remaining two corners together.
11. Continue until you fill the steamer. Place the steamer over the bubbling pot and steam the dumplings for about 8 minutes.
    NOTE: You will have to steam more than one batch as this mantoo recipe won’t fit into the steamer all at once. To keep the already steamed dumplings warm while the rest steam, heat your oven to its lowest setting and put dumplings in an oiled oven safe dish and cover with foil.
12. Once all dumplings are steamed and ready to go, serve by placing a spread of the yogurt mixture on your plate, and place dumplings on top of it. Put a light dollop on top of the mantoo and sprinkle lightly (to your liking) with cayenne pepper.