🍲 Tʀᴀᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ Hᴀᴢᴀʀᴀɢɪ Fᴏᴏᴅ

Hazaragi food has a different thing, food which is cooked in traditional way has a different taste. In the whole world, all nations living have their own separate traditional food or then they consider that food part of their culture. That is the real food for eating in which is wonderful type of taste.

I belong to Hazara nation and #MANTU in our culture is a famous food. Like this, almost 10 cultural foods are there but this one is more famous and people also like it more. Making this food is not very easy, rather it is hard work and also time taking. That is why we make this food one time after 2 or 3 months.

Mantu actually is what, it is almost similar to MOMOS. It is almost made from 10 ingredients. Mantu is a small size ball shape food in which inside there is Mince, onion and secret spice, and on top as topping there is Beans, Lentil, Yogurt, Chutney and curd. All these mixture is called Mantu.

My wife is expert in making this food and on my request she agreed to make this food. For making this, its separate pot is there which must be bought from market. We, because do not make too much, so that is why we thought to bring its pot from our relative’s home and cook and then return.

For making Mantu, 3 persons are required to complete the process, at least 2 must be there otherwise for 1 person it will be very difficult and also takes time. This is not like other foods that put in pot and cooked, rather it has every step which I shared below.

The pictures are in proper sequence.

👩‍🍳 Iɴɢʀᴇᴅɪᴇɴᴛs ᴀɴᴅ Pʀᴇᴘᴀʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ

First of all I write about #Mantu ingredients. These ingredients are very necessary for cooking Mantu otherwise the original taste will be then missing. That is why having all ingredients is necessary.

Category	Ingredients
(Flour)	Flour, Water, Salt
Filling (Inside stuffing)	Mince (Meat – cow, goat or chicken), Onion (chopped fine), Garlic & Ginger (crushed), Salt, Black pepper / Red pepper, Green coriander or Spring onion (optional), Beans, Lentil
Serving (For presenting)	Yogurt, Tomato chutney (sauce), Green coriander or Red chili tadka

These special items are for making mantu. Good thing is that these things will be found in cheap price. Only the price of meat will be expensive and the rest be available at reasonable price. All these items you will find from vegetable shop, grocery and meat shop.

After ingredients, let’s talk about preparing and cooking it. These are the real steps for this food, if you understand these then consider you made mantu. Surely this is best food and I wish that you must taste it and then also give your review later.

First of all dough or flour must be made for which you must take one big tray. In it you put flour powder, mix salt as per taste and put water and start kneading, knead well until properly mixed. After this cover this tray for 2-3 hours and wait that it becomes fermented well.

In other pot put beans and lentil, put water, light the stove and wait that it boils in water and becomes soft well. One thing must keep in mind that in lentil and beans no spice must be added, even salt also not to be added because these all will be added in the mixture which will be later added in Beans and Lentils.

Mince (cow’s meat is better) wash well and put in some utensil and wait that its water dries well. After this in big fry pan put oil and fry mince well. Again no spice to be added, only fry and confirm that it becomes soft well.

After this, in second plate grind tomato, onion and other spices well. Make one tempering for beans and lentil. When tadka ready then mix in Beans and lentil and stir well. Now here you put your all mixture, put salt and put spice. As per taste keep adding and keep tasting.

Now we have beans and lentil tempering ready, on other side mince with onion is also ready for filling. Now its real hard work starts and that is giving shape to dough in small round size and putting filling inside it.

With some small round bowl or any thing cut dough and in that keep mince and onion filling. Then make it in oval shape and close dough. Keep on making and put it in other big pot to get ready to put inside the steam pot. This is its real time taking work.

We are around 7-8 person in my home so we made almost 60 Mantu. You knead flour and make according to your number. The more people the more effort.

In first level of steaming pot put water, and in second and third level keep putting mantu one by one. Keep with distance so that do not stick with each other and then after this put lid of steaming pot, after every 15 minutes keep checking that it became soft or not. If it became soft then turn off stove and mantu is ready.

After this in some big plate put mantu, and on it put tempering of lentil and beans, on it put yogurt, put tomato chutney. And then eat, such taste will come that you will keep licking your finger.

🥗 Hᴇᴀʟᴛʜʏ & Dᴇʟɪᴄɪᴏᴜs Oᴜᴛᴄᴏᴍᴇ

One important thing of this food is that this is healthy food, in this food there is so almost no oil added, no deep fry, rather everything is cooked from water steam. That is why it is healthy and full of energy. In this food you will find all kinds of qualities like Iron, protein, calcium, potassium and many more.

This is how the great "MANTU" is made....

I hope you find this post interesting and I hope you enjoy it. If you like the post, please leave feedback in the comments section so that the next one will be even better. Thank you for sticking with me until the end.