Uzbek Manti - Big Steamed Meat Dumplings

For the dough: 500 g flour, 1 egg, 1 teaspoonful salt, 0.5 glassful water.

For the forcemeat: 1 kg lamb flesh, 100 g fat tail, 500 g onions, 0.5 glassful salt water, 1 teaspoonful black pepper.

Work up the flour into thick dough, roll to form a ball. Place into a basin, overspread with a napkin and set aside for 10-15 minutes. Cut the dough into balls about the size of a small walnut and roll thin to make round flat cakes. Another way is to roll the entire dough with a long rolling-pin to produce a thin layer and cut into squares.

Add a tablespoonful of forcemeat and diced fat tail on each square. Fold diagonally and pinch corners and edges so that the manti are oblong in shape. Overspread the uncooked manti to prevent the dough from getting dry and frail.

The forcemeat is prepared by chopping the mutton or beef into small pieces or mincing with a big grating, then adding onion, black pepper and salt water.

The manti are steamed. Grease the plate of kettle for steaming and arrange the manti on it so as to have no contact with each other. Splash cold water and steam for 45 minutes. Serve 2-4 manti in a kasa per portion, pour broth and sour milk over, or remove the manti to a platter and dredge with ground black pepper. Sour milk and vinegar are served separately.