Manti is one of those dishes that evokes waves and waves of memories of my time in Yerevan, Armenia.
Armenian Manti is a landmark recipe of the Western Armenian repertoire influenced by Middle Eastern cuisine.
This authentic cuisine was brought back to life by waves of Syrian refugees of Armenian descent who fled to their motherland in the aftermath of the ravaging civil war in Syria.
My story with Western Armenian cuisine started four years ago.
For what it is worth, I am a trailing spouse who moves every three years to a new destination. In 2016, Yerevan was destined to be our new station.
Our arrival to Armenia coincided with an influx of Syrian refugees estimated back then to be 17,000.
My first thoughts were to offer a few hours of my time, leveraging my native Arabic, to support the relief services offered to displaced families.
Yet, the few hours that I initially planned evolved to what I consider to be a whole new life experience that led to an in-depth self-discovery, and radical transformation of my life’s plans.
I had the honor to initiate an empowerment program for Syrian women that supported their reinvention from housewives to entrepreneurs.
Syrian refugee women were able to perceive their food heritage as a priceless asset to start a new chapter in their lives, where they became breadwinners, entrepreneurs, and strong advocates of their culture.
Their strong determination and success stories were my impetus to look back on my life as well and summon my courage to live the life of my dreams. But, how did this happen?
I invite you to listen to this podcast with Becky Hadid, the talented food photographer and creator of the Storied Recipe podcast.Â
In many ways this podcast documents this unique experience that doesn’t revolve about me, but rather it highlights the power of our food heritage to challenge stereotypes and transform lives.
After listening to the podcast, feel free to post your feedback, share this post, and recipe.
If you make Manti we would love to see your rendition, don’t forget to hashtag #cheznermine
Armenian Manti
Serves 4-6 people
INGREDIENTS
For the doughÂ
- 1 egg
- 1 cup flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup warm water
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
For the beef fillingÂ
- 200 grams ground beef or lamb
- 1 small onion
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- Salt and pepper
- ¼ cup parsley, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons mint, chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Yogurt-Garlic SauceÂ
- 1 cup  yogurt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
DIRECTIONSÂ
The DoughÂ
- Make the dough: In a mixing bowl, add the flour, egg, and water. Knead everything well until a ball is formed. Let it rest for 20 minutes in an oiled bowl.
- Make the filling: Mix the meat, spices, onion, garlic, and parsley. Let rest in an oiled bowl.
- Form the dumplings: Roll out the dough into a rectangle 2mm thick and with a dough cutter or a knife, cut the dough into equal squares 2×2 cm. Dot each square with a 1/2 teaspoon of the beef/lamb filling and then pinch the two ends of the square to form a canoe-like shape.
- Arrange the dumplings next to one another in a circular shape in a heat resistant pan wiped with melted butter. Brush the surface of the dumplings with melted butter and bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 20 to 30 minutes or until the meat and the dough are cooked through.
- Transfer the dumplings to a serving dish and serve with a yogurt-garlic sauce. Sprinkle the sauce with a flutter of sumac.
Yogurt-Garlic SauceÂ
- In a deep bowl, mix together the yogurt, garlic powder, olive oil, and salt and pepper.