Method
- Make the dough: combine flour, salt and warm water. Knead 8 minutes into a smooth firm dough. Rest 30 minutes.
- Make the filling: combine minced lamb, onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, black pepper and salt. Mix in one direction with chopsticks for 90 seconds.
- Make the yogurt sauce: whisk yogurt with minced garlic, salt and 1 tsp of the dried mint. Refrigerate.
- Make the lentil-tomato sauce: cook split peas in salted water 30 minutes; drain. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan; cook 1 chopped onion 6 minutes. Add tomato passata, cumin, Kashmiri chili and cooked split peas; simmer 12 minutes.
- Roll the dough thin (2mm). Cut into 8cm squares. Place 1 tbsp filling in centre of each square; bring opposite corners together at top and pinch — Afghan mantu have a star shape with four points meeting at the centre.
- Steam over rapidly boiling water for 20 minutes. Plate the steamed mantu. Spoon yogurt sauce over generously, then drizzle with lentil-tomato sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining dried mint. Serve immediately.
Common questions
Can Mantu be made ahead?
Mantu is best made and eaten the same day, but the components can be prepped earlier — chop and measure the ingredients up to a day ahead, refrigerated separately. Final cooking takes about 30 minutes.
Is Mantu spicy?
Mantu as written is mild to mildly warming — the heat comes from aromatics rather than chili. Add fresh sliced chili or chili oil at the end if you'd like to push it spicier.
Is Mantu vegetarian or gluten-free?
This recipe is suitable for most diets. If you have specific restrictions, the substitutions section in each ingredient note covers the most common swaps.
How hard is Mantu to make at home?
Mantu is more demanding — total time around 120 minutes plus marinating/resting where noted. Specific technique (knife work, wok hei, fermentation) makes the difference between a passable result and the real thing.
Can Mantu be scaled up or down?
This recipe is written for 6 servings. To scale, multiply each ingredient proportionally; the cooking times stay the same up to about double the volume. Beyond that, expect to cook in batches because of pan size and heat distribution.
Cultural Note
Mantu has Mongolian-Turkic origins — the dish travelled via the Silk Road from Mongolia (where it's called manti or mantuu) to Afghanistan, picking up the regional yogurt-and-lentil treatment. The Afghan version distinguishes itself with the dried mint topping and the particular four-point folding shape. Each Afghan household has a preferred filling-to-dough ratio. The dish is associated with celebratory family meals and is the focus of Afghan-American restaurants.
