These Uzbek Steamed Dumplings – Manti are the bomb! I could hardly wait to take them out of the steamer and sink my teeth into one, not to mention I had to wait to take pictures! It was torture, pure torture!
But now all is good in the world again. I had my Manti with a big scoop of sour cream and feel better now. What can I say? I love dumplings, pierogies, ravioli, manti and all kinds of dough filled deliciousness. They are simply a weakness of mine which is why I don’t make these often. Nope, no siree! If I did I’d be eating all of them, there’s no self control here. I love them so much, they literally melt in my mouth.
Manti is a type of dumpling that is very popular in Eastern Europe. They are normally made with either lamb or beef. Vegetables can be added into the filling too – pumpkin, squash, potato, etc.
I’ve had manti with different fillings before, but this time I decided to use ground beef, butternut squash and potato for the extremely soft and juicy dumplings. The filling turned out so delicate and not balled up into a hard, dense knob in the center of the dough. I placed it on a square of thinly rolled homemade dough and fastened the ends cross-wise, like an envelope. Then sealed the dough all the way through to secure the filling inside.
This dough was an absolute dream to work with. I didn’t even use any extra flour to roll it out, it didn’t stick to my hands and was soft and pliable.
Traditionally Manti are cooked in a steamer. I have a lovely steamer function in my pressure cooker
When steaming you will notice that Manti stick to each other as they expand in the steamer bowl. But don’t panic and don’t try to plate Manti straight from the steamer tearing them apart! Give them a little time to rest and cool down. I promise they will get separated much easier after a few minutes.
This recipe will give you about 40 Manti, but you can easily half it and make less. Or you can cook half and freeze the rest. Manti freeze great and you can cook them from frozen, so they make an excellent quick weekday dinner in under 20 minutes if you make a large batch on the weekend.
One problem with freezing uncooked Manti is that they can stick to the plate or tray that you’re freezing them on, making them difficult to remove and potentially causing issues with torn wrappers when you try and remove them. And god forbid you bag them before they’re frozen – this will cause them to freeze together into one solid mound so you would have to cook them all at once, or worse yet – none at all 
To avoid the tragedy simply sprinkle flour on a wooden board and arrange Manti in a single layer on top of the flour. Place the board in the freezer for 30-40 minutes, until the Manti are hard. Then transfer them in a zip log bag and store in the freezer.
With a little butter and sour cream, these Uzbek Steamed Dumplings – Manti is the ultimate comfort food.
- 3 cups flour
- 1 egg
- 1 cup water
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 large potato, peeled and diced into a pea sized cubes
- 1/2 medium butternut squash or pumpkin, peeled and diced into a pea sized cubes
- 2 medium yellow onions, finely diced
- 2 tbsp butter, softened
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- few bay leaves and peppercorns
- fresh herbs like parsley, dill, chives and cilantro to garnish, chopped (optional)
- sour cream to garnish (optional)
- In a mixing bowl whisk the egg with salt and sugar. Then add the water and whisk to combine.
- Add flour, oil and mix everything until incorporated.
- Kneed the dough until a smooth dough ball forms. Cover, and set aside, letting the dough rest for about 20 minutes.
- While the dough is resting prepare the filling by combining beef, potato, squash and onions.
- Add the softened butter, cumin, salt, pepper and mix everything thoroughly.
- Cut the dough into 4 parts and roll out one piece at a time into a thin sheet.
- Using a pizza cutter or a sharp knife, form a rectangle and cut it into 9 equal squares.
- Place a spoonful of the filling onto each square and fasten the ends cross-wise, like an envelope. Then seal the dough all the way through to secure the filling inside. Refer to the picture guide.
- Repeat to use up all the dough and steam the manti for 20-30 minutes over the water with bay leaves and peppercorns.
- Serve garnished with chopped herbs and sour cream.
Hi,
Just wondering how much sugar to use?
In the instructions it says to whisk the egg with salt and sugar but sugar isn’t listed In the ingredients?
Thank You 🙂
I had the same question as Michelle. The ingredients do not list sugar, so was wondering how much sugar to whisk with the egg and salt.
Thank you!
These are delicious. I know because my Kyrgyz neighbor made some for me. They are wonderful!! But like Michelle and Natasha, you don’t list the sugar quantity. In my neighbor’s Manti, I could taste a little sweetness in the dough, which was delicious.
I hope you read our comments and answer our question!! I would love to try making these myself. They are so delicious. — Thank You!