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Manti

Like Wor Teep, Chinese pot stickers, these meat-filled dumplings are filling and delicious (with store bought dumpling wrappers, they’re also quite easy). But the serving style is completely different: these are usually cooked and served in broth, with yogurt. Alternatively, you can boil them in water and serve them with yogurt or melted butter.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes 25 or more dumplings

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups yogurt
1 pound lean boneless lamb, preferably from the leg
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
6 cups good stock of any kind (pages 160–163)
1/2 recipe Wrappers for Vareniki, Pelmeni, or Pierogi (page 58) or Dumpling Wrappers (page 62), or about 25 store-bought wrappers
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Minced fresh scallion or chives for garnish

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Drain the yogurt in a cheesecloth-lined strainer while you prepare the dumplings. Combine the lamb, salt, pepper, and onion in a food processor and pulse to chop coarsely; be careful not to over process. Set a large pot of water to boil and add salt (if you have a large steamer, you can use this as well). In a separate pot, warm the stock.

    Step 2

    Place 1 to 2 teaspoons of the filling in the center of a wrapper, then brush the edges of the wrapper with the egg. If you have circles, form half-moons; if you have squares, form triangles. Press the seam tightly to seal; it’s best if no air is trapped between the filling and wrapper. Set on a lightly floured plate or wax paper. Proceed, cover and refrigerate for up to a day, or freeze for up to a week.

    Step 3

    Boil the dumplings without crowding—you may have to do this in batches—stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 10 minutes. As they finish cooking, transfer them to the hot broth. Just before serving, taste and adjust the broth’s seasoning. Serve the manti in a bowl, with broth, garnished with some yogurt and scallion.

The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved. MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.
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