Mantoo (Dumplings)

Mantoo , an Afghan dish of Uzbek origins is dumpling filled with ground beef and onions steamed and served with a topping of yogurt and usually a vegetable or split pea stew. It is one of dishes that is wildly popular and can be found on many Afghan restaurants menus as an appetizer or main entrée. Unlike other Afghan foods that are heavy and oily, mantoo is rather light! The flavor of mantoo is driven by the amount of onions in the filling. My mother always says that the ratio of meat to onions should be 1 to 3, so if you use on pound of ground beef, use three pounds of onions. But again, depending on who cooks it, mantoo can have a lot of onions or fewer onions. While I am no judge of who cooks it the more authentic way, I just like to cook it the way I think tastes the best. Now, I had promised that I will present the traditional Afghan dishes, but with creative twists. The idea for today’s mantoo is inspired by my husband’s memory of mantoo he ate while he lived in Hairatan, a city in the province of Balkh in Afghanistan. The mantoo he praised day and night until I tried it myself has a surprising ingredient, Kadoo (pumpkin or butternut squash). I had some left over shredded kadoo at home from a previous dish that I made, so I am using that for today's mantoo. (if you just want regular mantoo, then add more onions).

Ingredients

Dumpling
1/2 pound ground beef
2 Large Onion, chopped
3 Cups shredded butternut squash (it’s about half of a whole squash)
A bunch of cilantro, chopped
3 Cloves of Garlic, minced
1 tablespoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon black pepper powder
1 Serrano pepper finely chopped
2 Pack wonton wrappers (small squares)
½ Cup of oil
Salt to taste

Sauce1 Cup dry yellow split peas
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 serrano pepper, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup of oil
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
A pinch of black pepper
4 cups of water
Salt to taste

Garnish
Fresh plain yogurt
Fresh or dry mint
Red chili powder

To make the filling, add the ground beef and garlic in a pan with a ½ cup of water, cover and let it cook for 8-10 minutes. Leave the top of the pan open and let all the juices dry. With the end of your wooden spatula, break the meet up into small pieces. Remove the meat from heat and set it aside to cool. In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, onions, butternut squash, spices, salt and incorporate it together really well. Use your hands and crush any big chunks of ground beef.

Spread 4-6 wonton wrappers each time and wet the corners with the tip of your fingers. Then put a spoonful of the filling on the bottom half and wrap the other half over it to make a triangle. Then take the to opposite ends of the triangle and pinch them together. Coat the bottom of your steaming dish with some oil, arrange the dumplings and it coat it with some more oil. Bring the water in the steamer pan to a boil and place the steamer dishes on it. Let it cook for 40 minutes.

For the stew, heat the oil on a deep pan on medium heat and add the onions and garlic. Sautee until you see a slight golden color(make sure your heat is medium to medium-low otherwise the onions will crip really fast and not cook well). Add the tomato, tomato sauce, peppers, spices and salt and let it cook for 8-10 minutes constantly stirring so the bottom does not stick to the pan. Once you see the oils separating on top, add water and the split peas. Cover the top and let it cook on medium heat for 15 minutes. You can also boil your split peas separately in water and add it with the water to your sauce. Check to see if the split peas are cooked, if not let is cook for more. The sauce should not be too watery, but also not to thick.

To serve, coat the bottom of a plate with yogurt (add a clove of minced garlic and a pinch of salt to the yogurt), arrange the dumplings, add more yogurt on top. Top it off with the split pea stew, garnish with some dry or fresh mint and a little bit of red chili powder.

Serves about 6-8.