This is my version of a classic Armenian dish. My husband and I Love Armenian food. We try to visit Armenian restaurants frequently and I wanted to cook some of his favorite dishes for him, such as Manti and Kabab bl Karaz (meatballs in cherry sauce).
This recipe make 4 portions.
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 1/2 cups Flour
- 1 Egg
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1/4 cup Water
- Salt
- 3 cups Yogurt
- 2 Garlic Cloves (minced)
- 1 tbsp Corn Starch
- Salt
For the Tomato Sauce
- 1 tsp butter
- 2 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 1 cup Beef Broth
- Dried Mint
For the filling
- 250 g Ground Beef (15% fat)
- 1 Small Onion (finely chopped)
- 1 Garlic Clove (minced)
- 1 tsp Tahini
- 1 tsp Labneh (or sour cream)
- 1 tsp Pomegranate Molasses
- 1 tsp Tomato Paste
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- All Spice
- Sumac (for garnish at the end)
- Toasted Pine (for garnish at the end)
Preparing the Manti Pieces
I started by mixing the flour and salt in the stand mixer’s bowl. I then added the egg and oil and and mixed on low speed. While the stand mixer is running, I trickled in the water. I kept mixing for about 5 minutes until the dough is supple. I then covered my bowl and let it rest for 1/2 hour. Meanwhile, I prepared my filling by mixing together all the filling ingredients.
After 30 minutes, I spread my dough on a floured surface using my rolling pin until it became very thin. I used a pizza cutter and started cutting the dough to 3 by 3 cm (1 by 1 inch) squares. I formed the ground beef mixture into small balls with a 1 cm diameter (1/3 of an inch). I placed my meat balls in the middle of the squares. It was then time to fold the Manti. I folded each 2 adjacent corners towards each other from the 2 sides and pressed them together. I sprayed my pan with some oil and placed all the Manti pieces next to each other until the pan was full.
I preheated my oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit or 200 degrees Celsius and placed my Manti pan on the middle rack for around 20 minutes, until the Manti are cooked and a bit browned.
Preparing the Yogurt and Tomato Sauce
For the Yogurt, I mixed the yogurt with the minced garlic and some salt and placed my pan on medium heat. I then added the corn starch mixed with water and kept the mixture on the stove until it coated the back of a spoon.
For the tomato sauce I melted the butter and then added the tomato paste in a skillet, on medium heat. I then added the beef broth and dried mint and mixed everything together.
Serving the Manti
Once the pan is out of the oven, I spread my tomato sauce on top of the Manti layer, then ladled my yogurt on top and finished by sprinkling a pinch of sumac on top and the toasted pines.
This was a very delicious dish that we really enjoyed 🙂 All the ingredients compliment each other and make this great tasty dish! We hope you try it and give us your feedback 🙂
