Nanor Stepanian

Armenia: Manti

Being Armenian, my family’s dinner table was always full of rich food. Our food is what brings my family together. All our meals are prepared from scratch, as we believe in eating fresh and healthy. We use a lot of vegetables, meats and many different spices: mainly garlic, red pepper and parsley. Armenian cuisine is simple yet delicious. But we also have intricate meals which take hours of preparation, just like the dish I chose to write about for this cultural recipe project. Like I mentioned previously, Manti also described as the Armenian “dumpling” is a very lengthy process to make, yet the outcome is more than delicious. I remember that as a kid I would always get excited when my mother told me we were having Manti that night for dinner. In my family, Manti is usually made and served on Sundays. My entire family would get together around the dinner table and enjoy this savoury dish.  All the women in my family would get together in the kitchen the day before to prepare this delicious meal. As a young girl, since I wasn’t able to help, I would sit on a chair and watch the chaos in the kitchen unfold. When I say chaos, I mean good chaos. The women would compete against each other to see who can make the most Mantis. It was a very enjoyable atmosphere for me to be in since everyone was laughing, telling stories and making jokes. Hence, this became a tradition for the women in my family, and as I grew up, I was able to take part in this tradition. Without further ado, I now present to you the recipe.

THE RECIPE

·         Ingredients (serving five people)

 Filling

• 700 g ground beef
• One medium onion
• One tablespoon salt
• A pinch of black pepper

Dough

• 4 cups of all purpose flour
• One teaspoon salt
• Half a cup of extra virgin olive oil
• Water

Procedure

1.      Combine the ground beef, onion, salt and black pepper into a bowl and let it refrigerate while you prepare the dough.

2.      Mix the flour, salt, olive oil and water all together and knead the dough.

3.      Let it rest for 30 minutes.

4.      With a rolling pin, roll out the dough on a floured surface to a 1.5 mm thickness.

5.      Cut it in long strips and then into 4 cm squares.

6.      Place meat filling in the middle and pinch both sides. It should resemble a small boat.

7.      Arrange the Manti’s in a greased baking pan.

8.      Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and bake the Mantis for 30 minutes, until the bottom becomes lightly browned.

9.      Remove from the oven and enjoy!

Armenians typically eat this with yoghurt and garlic on top. You can also make a tomato soup (as shown in the picture above) and drop the Mantis inside.

Anoush ellah!

Source

 http://www.tasteofbeirut.com/2009/07/armenian-delicacies-in-beirut/