Bukharian Manti

Bukharian Manti

Manti are large steamed dumplings, a dish found widely across Central Asia and not an exclusively Jewish invention. In the Bukharian version familiar in Israel, the filling includes chopped meat and onion, sometimes lamb fat, and they are served without dairy products, alongside a tomato or vinegar sauce.

Prep time: 75 minutes · Steaming: 35–40 minutes · Yield: 40, 8 servings · Difficulty: advanced

The steam has to surround them

Oil the steaming surfaces and leave space between the dumplings. The water does not touch the dough and the boil stays steady. Don’t open the lid again and again, since every opening loses heat.

Ingredients (for 40 dumplings)

• 600 grams white flour
• 2 eggs
• 260–300 ml water, 2 teaspoons salt
• 700 grams 15% fat ground beef
• 100 grams chopped lamb fat, or another 80 grams of beef and 2 tablespoons oil
• 600 grams finely chopped onion
• 2 teaspoons cumin, black pepper and salt
• Oil for greasing the baskets

Choosing ingredients and substitutes

Bamboo baskets or a metal steamer pot stand in for a manti-kaskan. For juicy meat, chop it by hand, but coarse ground meat is convenient. Without lamb fat the flavor is milder; don’t substitute margarine.

Method

1. Knead the flour, eggs, salt and water for 10 minutes into a firm dough. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
2. Mix the meat, fat, onion and spices and keep cold.
3. Roll out to 1.5 mm thick and cut 10 cm squares. Place a tablespoon of filling and close the four corners, then pairs of edges.
4. Oil the baskets, arrange the dumplings with space between them and steam over boiling water for 35–40 minutes.
5. Check a dumpling from the center: the filling must reach 71°C (160°F) with no pink meat.

Nutrition facts and calorie estimate

Variations and tips

• Freeze uncooked on a tray, then in a bag; steam from frozen for an extra 8–10 minutes.
• Chopped onion adds liquid to the filling, but you must seal well.
• Don’t cram all the dumplings into one basket.

Summary

Good manti combine thin dough, a juicy filling and strong, continuous steaming. Five are about 625 calories. For a small dumpling in soup, see dushpara. Back to all Bukharian recipes.