Manti
Uzbekistan's big steamed dumplings: thin dough wrapped around a cumin-scented meat and onion filling, steamed until juicy and served with yogurt.
Method
Mix the flour with a fifth of the salt in a bowl, then add the water little by little, stirring with chopsticks or a fork, until it comes together. Knead on the worktop for into a smooth dough slightly firmer than an earlobe. Cover and rest for ; this relaxes the gluten so it rolls out thinly.
Add in this stepPlain flour 140 gLukewarm water 70 mlSalt ¼ tsp
Make the filling while the dough rests. Chop the onion finely by hand into 3–5 mm pieces (grating makes it watery). Put the meat, onion, cold butter cut into tiny cubes, cumin seeds crushed between your palms, pepper and the rest of the salt in a bowl and mix for 1 minute. The onion and butter melt as they steam and give manti their rich juices.
Add in this stepMinced lamb or beef (about 20% fat) 200 gOnion 200 gCold butter 20 gCumin seeds 1 tspGround black pepper ½ tspSalt 1 tsp
Roll the dough into a log and cut it into 10 equal pieces. On a floured surface, roll each one into a thin round about 11–12 cm across and 1 mm thick. Keep the rest covered so it doesn't dry out.
Put a heaped tablespoon of filling in the centre. Lift two opposite edges and pinch them together over the filling, then lift the other two edges and pinch them to the centre to make a cross-shaped parcel. Pinch each pair of neighbouring corners together to get the classic square Uzbek shape. Press all the seams firmly so they don't burst.
Brush the tiers of a 24 cm steamer with a thin film of oil and arrange the manti 2 cm apart. Bring plenty of water to a rolling boil in the pot below on high heat, set the steamer on top, cover and steam on medium-high heat for . They are done when the dough looks translucent and a cut-open dumpling shows no pink meat and clear juices. Top up with boiling water if the pot runs low.
Add in this stepVegetable oil (for the steamer) 1 tsp
high heat→medium-high heatStir the chopped dill into the yogurt. Serve the manti hot with a light dusting of pepper and the dill yogurt on the side.
Add in this stepPlain yogurt (or sour cream) 120 gFresh dill 4 g
Cook's tip
In Uzbekistan, lamb tail fat goes in, but cold butter keeps them just as juicy. Pumpkin diced 5 mm and mixed in at about a third of the meat weight is delicious too. Freeze shaped manti on a tray, then bag them; steam from frozen for 10 minutes longer.
Cooking it at camp
A pot and a folding steamer insert are all you need on the stove. Shape them at home and pack them in the cooler on baking paper so they don't stick. Wind weakens the steam, so use a windshield and add 5 minutes.