Steamed Mantu with the Kite Runner

Fiction To Sink Your Teeth Into, a feature from author and professional chef Rohan O’Duill!

Steamed mantu was one of the scents Amir remembered during the Kite Tournament. The Kite Runner is a beautiful book with a stark reminder of how things can change drastically at any moment.

Steamed mantu is a wonderful Afghan dish, which I have made a bit easier with a few cheats. This is a vegetarian version but you can make a more traditional version by using minced lamb or beef instead of the sweet potato and peas.

Ingredients:

500g finely diced sweet potato300g peas300g finely diced onions1 tsp chilli1 tsp salt1 tsp of ground coriander1 tsp of ground cumin1 tsp of black pepperWonton pastry wrapsYoghurtTomato hot sauce

Equipment
• Frying pan
• Steamer

Directions:

The traditional recipe has a lot of parts to it, so I simplified a bit.

Saute the diced sweet potato, onion and garlic in a pan. Add in the spices and cook off until golden brown. Add the peas and remove from the heat.Place a spoon of mix in the centre of a wonton sheet. Wet the corners of the sheets with some water and bring them together and apply some pressure to hold the parcel together.Repeat until you have used up the mix.Place the mantu in the steamer. Steam for 10 minutes.Place the cooked mantu on a platter. Sprinkle over the yoghurt and the tomato hot sauce.Put your feet up with The Kite Runner and enjoy!