Mantou

mantou or mantu a name which in one form or another is found all the way from Turkey to Japan, denotes what might be called a C. Asian equivalent of ravioli, a whole family of items which fall in the category of dumplings of Asia.

In Turkey and Armenia, manti is a tiny boat-shaped pasta, open at the top, which is stuffed with ground lamb. A baking dish will be filled with these, topped up with broth and set in an oven to poach.

In Iran, Afghanistan, and C. Asia, it is a closed (or almost closed) ravioli-like pasta (sometimes as large as a fist) which is usually cooked in a special steamer known as manti qasqan. However, suw manti are poached, and in Uzbekistan, qåwurma manti are browned in oil and then either steamed or poached. The C. Asian manti/mantu may be filled with meat and onions, diced pumpkin, mashed potato, mung beans, radish, or a mixture of sugar and mutton fat. It is served with yoghurt or vinegar. In Afghanistan, the accompaniment to steamed, meat-filled mantu is yoghurt, chopped coriander, and a little tomato sauce, or a stew of carrots.