Valentina Ablaev
This is the perfect uzbek manti recipe and makes the most delicious dumplings. A flavorful chicken and potato filling, wrapped in the perfect soft dough. Steaming the dumplings gives them a remarkable texture, you won’t be able to get enough!
Uzbek cuisine always hits the spot, and these manti are the perfect comfort food! Serve them along with uzbek samosas for a classic combo!
Manti is a classic dish served in several different parts of the world. It’s kind of like a mix between Vareniki with potatoes and pelmeni. The recipe may seem intimidating but don’t let it be. Yes, this is not a super quick recipe you throw together, but it’s worth every minute.
About 3 times a year, I take two full days and make as many as possible. They taste as if they’re fresh and make for a great dinner when I don’t have the time or energy to cook.
How to Make Manti
- Dough. Prepare one portion of our pierogi dough.
2. Filling. Peel and cube the potatoes into small pieces and add them to a bowl of cold water to set aside. Cube the chicken into small pieces, and finely chop the onions. Add the chicken and onion to a large bowl and keep in the fridge.
3. Roll out the dough. On a floured surface, roll out half of the dough into a circle, making it very thin. Cut the strips into small squares.
4. Assemble. Grate frozen butter into the bowl of chicken, add the drained potatoes, and herbs to the bowl. Add a spoonfull of filling to each square.
5. Fold. Take a square and fold one corner over the other and pinch. Do the same with the other two corners, pinching all four openings closed.
6. Finally, pinch the two edges together by placing one over the other.
7. Cook. Add water to the bottom of a tiered steamer and lay the Manti on the tiers. Cover the steamer and cook for 20 to 25 minutes.
How to Store Manti
Refrigerate: Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for about 3-5 days. Reheat: Warm up in the microwave to preserve the soft dough.
Freeze: Manti are great to freeze! Just prepare everything as instructed. Layout onto a cutting board or tray, dust with flour, and place in the freezer. Once completely frozen, place into freezer bags. They can stay in the freezer for months.
Try These Other Great Uzbek Recipes:
- Uzbek Lagman– A hearty soup with meat, vegetables, and potatoes.
- Uzbek Lepyoshki– Simple and delicious bread recipe.
- Ground Beef Kabobs– Kabobs made with ground beef.
If you tried this manti recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below – we appreciate it!
Uzbek Manti Recipe
Ingredients
Manti filling-
- 1 lb chicken thighs, cubed
- 1 lb potatoes, cubed
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, grated
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- favorite herbs to taste, chopped
Serve with-
- unsalted butter
- sour cream
Instructions
- Prepare recipe for classic dough and set aside until ready to use.
Prepare filling-
- Place butter into freezer. Cube chicken into small pieces. Chop onion really fine. Peel potatoes and cube into small pieces, place in bowl and cover with cold water, set aside.
- Divide dough into two. Return the one half to the bowl and cover. Lightly flour the working surface. Roll out the dough into about 20″ to 22″ circle, adding flour as needed, it needs to be really thin. Fold the circle as if it’s and accordion going back and forth. With a sharp knife cut about every 2 1/2 inches. Take the strips and stack them. When stacking, the strips will all be different lengths, stack them all starting at one end, not in the middle. Cut again about every 2 2/12 inches.
- Lay out the squares. Some pieces may not be complete squares, edges, just take two pieces and stick them together.
- Finish the filling. Take out the butter from the freezer and either grate or cube. Drain potatoes add to the bowl, add seasonings and herbs. Mix everything.
Assemble-
- Take spoonfuls of the filling and add to the center of the squares.
- Take a square, place one corner over the other and pinch together. Take the other corner and repeat. Pinch together the four openings. Now take the two edges and pinch them together as well, placing over edge over the other.
Cook-
- Add water to a tiered steamer. Lay out Manti on tiers. Cover steamer and cook 20-25 minutes. All steamers are different, check a Manti to see if it’s ready. If using different meat, it’ll need about 40 – 60 minutes.
- Enjoy with butter and sour cream.
