Finally - Mantu

This was a really fun dish to recreate. It was definitely labor intensive (but all dumpling recipes are) but worth the effort.

There was very little information about making mantu online. I did find some recipes but they are were quite different from each other.

It seems this is a dish where every family makes it just a bit differently. I ended up combining what I learned from these sources: here, here and here.

I will let the recipe speak for itself but here are the highlights.

The dumpling assembly station.

The dumplings went into the steamer and when they were done I assembled the rest of the dish.

Some plain yogurt.

Some of the tomato sauce.

I started with only a moderate amount of sauce and I would not recommend this. I ended up using about twice as much yogurt and tomato sauce than you see in the picture.

The tang of the yogurt and the savory tomato sauce are key in balancing out the gaminess of the lamb so be generous with both sauces.

I did put aside a bit of the lamb BEFORE I added in the onions so the dogs got to enjoy one dumpling each.

They thought the dish was worth the effort too:-)

Mantu

Serves 8-10 as an appetizer (3 dumplings each) or 4 - 6 as a main dish (6 dumplings each)

Ingredients:

For the dumplings:

1 lb of ground lamb
1 large yellow onion, minced
2 cloves of garlic grated with a micro plane grater
2 tsp of coriander powder
1 tsp cracked black pepper
2 pinches of salt
1 pkg of wonton wrappers
1 Tbsp of grape seed oil

For the tomato sauce:

1 1/2 cups of canned diced tomatoes
1/4 cup of chicken broth
1 cup of frozen mixed vegetables (peas and carrots seem most typical)
2 pinches of powdered garlic
1/8 tsp of sugar

For the yogurt sauce:

2 cups of plain yogurt
2 garlic cloves minced (optional)
1 Tbsp of fresh mint, chopped (optional)

Instructions:

In a dutch oven over medium heat add in the oil and lamb. Cook the lamb until it is no longer pink. Add in the onions, garlic, coriander, salt and pepper and turn down the heat to a simmer. Continue to cook for 20 minutes, stirring often and being careful to add small amounts of water if the meat begins to stick to the bottom of the pan.

While the lamb cooks, add the tomatoes, chicken broth, frozen vegetables, garlic and sugar into a sauce pan and bring to a simmer. By the time the lamb mixture finishes cooking the tomato sauce should have reduced and become thick.

When the lamb is done, take it off the heat and let cool. Take the tomato sauce off the heat and let cool.

Lay out the wonton wrappers, a small dish of water and a bowl of the lamb mixture. Spoon about 1/2 Tbsp of the mixture into the center of the wonton wrapper. Wet the edges of the wrapper with water and fold and squeeze the edges together (see instructional pictures above). When you have enough dumplings to fill your steamer - do not over crowd the steamer as this will cause the dumplings to stick together - put the dumplings in the steamer and let steam for 20 - 30 minutes depending on how chewy you like your dumpling skin.

While the dumplings steam you can mix together the yogurt sauce. I just used plain yogurt so I just spooned it straight from the container.

When the dumplings are cooked, put one serving on a plate and top with generous amounts of yogurt and tomato sauce.

Enjoy!

Baby asparagus breakfast hash

Years ago I lived in a house that was around the corner and down the street from a great little restaurant.

The name of the restaurant was Late For The Train. It was a darling little bistro that had tons of booths (which I love) and a big outdoor patio.

The food they served up was simple and bursting with flavor. I don't remember ever having a bad meal there. But the one thing I loved the most was their country potatoes. 

These potatoes were crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. But how well they were cooked was not the best part. 

The best part was the flavor which was salty and slightly sweet and something else I could never quite put my finger on.

I have been trying to recreate them for years. But this morning? This morning I got it just right!

And, yes, I am going to give you the recipe :-)

I took the liberty of dressing up the potatoes with some baby asparagus and some shredded chicken but these potatoes would shine just as well on their own.

I enjoyed my hash with an orange and a mug of coffee.

The mug was a gift from one of my sister's and it has these adorable kitties waving.

Ok, here comes the recipe.


Baby Asparagus Hash (aka. the perfect country potato recipe)

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1 large Yukon gold potato, cut into cubes
1/4 of a yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup of cooked shredded chicken
1/2 cup of baby asparagus
1/2 tsp. of coconut oil
1 1/2 Tbsp. of soy sauce

Instructions:

Place the cubed potato into a steamer and let it cook until tender (about 8-10 minutes). 

While the potatoes steam, add 1/2 of the coconut oil to a skillet and saute the onions until they just begin to caramelize. Do not let them completely caramelize as this will make the dish too sweet.

Remove the onions from the pan and set aside. 

When the potatoes have about 3-5 more minutes to cook, toss in the baby asparagus. Leave the asparagus whole for this step (this will make it easier to pull out later). When the asparagus looks bright green and still has some crunch, remove them from the steamer with tongs and cut them into 1" long pieces and add them to the onions.

When the potatoes are almost tender, remove them from the steamer. Add the remaining coconut oil to the skillet (you may need more oil if your pan is not well seasoned) and place the potatoes in one layer in the skillet. 

Let the potatoes brown over medium heat. When the first side is browned, flip them and let them continue to cook. 

When both sides are browned to your liking, add back in the onions, asparagus, shredded chicken and the soy sauce. Toss until everything is well coated with the soy sauce.  Cover the pan, turn the heat to low and let cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Plate your hash and enjoy!!