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Kazakhstan

The traditional dishes I could find for Kazakhstan almost always call for horse meat.  I didn't have any.  I also didn't know where I could find any. So, instead I opted for another dish quite popular in Central Asia--the dumpling. Tonight was manty with mint sauce.
Although my recipe source was not completely authentic, I checked it back with multiple other manty (manti) sources and they were all similar.  The recipe I followed was from Food.com. However, I cut the salt quantity in half and used fresh mint.

Of all the dishes I've made so far, this one by far brings the biggest smile to my face.  Although time consuming, it was a completely satisfying experience. Making dough, preparing filling and then steaming the final product was all very creative and somewhat therapeutic.

I had some leftover dough in the freezer from Russian night and thus made some Kazakh Pierogis.  They were amazing.

Additionally, that mint sauce is so simple and versatile. I foresee many opportunities to revisit that recipe. 

Rating: 9 out of 10
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