“My earliest memory of manti is of my grandmother’s kitchen table. I was four years old, watching my grandmother roll out flawlessly thin sheets of dough. We’d make so many manti I’d lose count! Once you get started, it’s easy to make a lot, which is why it’s a great dish for a family gathering. This is what manti reminds me of: cooking with my grandmother to share with our dear ones. This recipe is easy to scale up using mantishnitsa (manti steamer), or can be made for small groups in steamer attachments for rice cookers.

It’s common in Kyrgyzstan to keep farm animals like lamb, goats, ducks, and chickens. Traditionally, we made our manti with fatty lamb meat, but I find that there are so many great variations on this dish that I chose to present my simple version so that others may be inspired to add their own twist on these delicious dumplings. Optional filling substitutions or additions include: diced meat, potatoes, fresh scallions, fresh parsley, and spices like dried ground cumin, or coriander.”

ADELYA LATIFULINA is a Tatar immigrant, born in Kyrgyzstan, currently residing in NYC’s East Village. Together with her partner, Latifulina works on equitable tech products through her R&D firm A*. Latifulina loves math, art, nature, animals, and delicious food.