If you were to ever visit Delhi or Mumbai, one thing you’d see for sure would be a momo stall. What the people consume endlessly in India today, however, does not originate from Indian cuisine but is a result of Nepali Nawar traders of the Kathmandu valley moving back and forth between Lhasa in Tibet and Nepal. This rice dumpling, varying in its fillings, has acquired different names wherever it has gone. In Japan, it is called “Gyoza,” while in China, it is referred to as “Jiaozi.” While the rice dumpling remains constant, what changes between the name and the filling are entire cultures, their historic adaptations and adoption of the dish, and with it, people’s desire to claim a transnational phenomenon as their own. This article looks at the Turkish version of the momo – the manti- and an easy way to make it at home.

Getty Images/Moment/Artur Kozlov

Start by adding eggs, water, salt, and dough to a bowl and carefully knead it for 10 minutes. Then make a ball out of it and leave it covered by a thin plastic sheet for a while. After that, cut the dough into four portions, thinly roll a flatbread out of each piece, and cut minute square shapes out of the bread according to the number of manti you wish to make. Next, work on the meat mixture. Add lamb, parsley, onion, and salt to a bowl and blend all these things appropriately. Next, place a pinch of the meat mixture on the small precisely cut squares and bring the corners together, so it acquires a pouch-like state. After that, put them in the oven. Make sure to add some oil to their surface, so they get sealed perfectly. Lastly, make a caramelized tomato paste to go with the tanginess of Greek yogurt and delicately layer them over the manti once they are freshly done and out of the oven.