Recipe
🥙 LUNCH
Mantu
Steamed dumplings of spiced beef and onion topped with garlicky yogurt and a lentil-tomato sauce, an Afghan favorite.
Afghan · advanced · serves 4
prep 60 min · cook 30 min
~911 cal · 55g protein · 118g carbs · 21g fat · 10g fiber · 12g sugars · 9g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Mantu are Afghanistan's beloved steamed dumplings, a dish of hospitality served to guests and made for special occasions. A legacy of the Silk Road that linked Central Asia to East and West, they share ancestry with dumplings from Turkey to China but are distinctly Afghan in their dressing.
Thin dough is wrapped around a filling of spiced minced beef and plenty of onion, then steamed until tender. What sets them apart is the layered topping: a garlicky, minty yogurt (chaka) spread underneath and over the dumplings, plus a savoury sauce of split peas or lentils and tomato, and a dusting of dried mint and chili. The layering of tender dumpling, tangy yogurt, and rich sauce is the whole point.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally egg-, nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
3 cups flour
1 lb ground beef
3 onions, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups yogurt (chaka)
1 cup split peas or lentils
2 tomato, chopped
1 tbsp dried mint and chili
Instructions
1
Make a firm dough with the flour and water and rest. Mix the beef with the plentiful onion and spices.
2
Roll thin squares, fill each, and pinch into sealed dumplings, then steam until cooked through.
✎ Chef’s note
Use lots of onion in the filling; its moisture is what keeps the steamed dumplings juicy.
3
Cook the split peas with the tomato and spices into a thick sauce, and mix the yogurt with garlic.
4
Spread garlic yogurt on a platter, arrange the dumplings, and top with more yogurt, the lentil sauce, and dried mint.
Afghan hospitality tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Kabul. Kabul cooks the food of the Silk Road crossroads: long-grain rice pilafs layered with carrot and raisin, dumplings under garlicky yogurt, and eggplant fried soft and dressed with mint. Yogurt, dried mint, and coriander appear on almost everything.
🗺️
Afghanistan. Afghan cuisine is the hospitable crossroads of Central and South Asia, famous for Kabuli pulao, rice crowned with lamb, carrots, and raisins. Dumplings (mantu), kebabs, and flatbread reflect Silk Road trade and generous, shared feasts.
🌍
Asia. Fermentation is the thread that runs the whole way across: soy sauce and miso, Korean doenjang and kimchi, Southeast Asian fish sauces, the soured batter behind an idli. Chilli is the newcomer among them, arriving only after 1500 with Portuguese and Spanish traders, which makes the heat in Sichuan, Thai and Korean cooking far younger than the fermenting underneath it.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Afghanistan
Kabuli PulaoAfghanistan's national dish: steamed rice piled over lamb and crowned with candied carrots and raisins.
KhaginaAfghan eggs cooked into a soft, spiced tomato base, a quick, warming Kabul breakfast.
FirniA silky ground-rice milk pudding scented with cardamom and rosewater, topped with pistachios, an Afghan celebration sweet.
Browse all Afghanistan recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Steamer.
Storing it: Uncooked parcels freeze well and cook from frozen. Cooked ones keep 2 to 3 days refrigerated and steam or pan-warm to serve.
Make it a Afghanistan meal
Qymaq ChaiDrink
FirniDessert
Chapli Kebab (Spiced Flat Beef Patty)Dinner
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MantiTurkey
Frequently asked questions
What is Mantu?
Steamed dumplings of spiced beef and onion topped with garlicky yogurt and a lentil-tomato sauce, an Afghan favorite.
Where does Mantu come from?
Mantu is a Afghan dish from Kabul, Afghanistan.
Can Mantu be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Mantu recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Mantu safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Mantu take to make?
About 90 minutes total (60 minutes prep, 30 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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