Mantı — Turkish Dumplings with Garlic Yogurt

About This Recipe

Mantı is one of the jewels of Turkish cuisine — tiny parcels of hand-rolled dough filled with a simple but perfectly seasoned lamb and onion mixture, boiled and then lavished with three layers of sauce: cool garlic yogurt, sizzling paprika butter poured tableside, and a dusting of dried mint and sumac. The contrast between the cool yogurt and hot butter is spectacular. The skill of Turkish home cooks is measured by how small they can make their mantı — tradition holds that 40 should fit in a single spoon. Commercially made mantı are larger, but even home versions the size of a large chickpea are impressive. The filling is deliberately sparse — just enough to taste — because the ratio of pasta to filling to sauce is the true art. Mantı is closely related to Central Asian dumplings brought to Anatolia by Turkic peoples centuries ago, and cousins exist across a vast geographic range from China (mànrou) to Armenia (manti) to Afghanistan (mantu). Turkish mantı is distinguished by its yogurt sauce, making it unique among the family.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 300 gplain flour(plus extra)
• 1 largeegg
• 120 mlwater(lukewarm)
• 1 tspsalt
• 200 gminced lamb or beef
• 1 mediumonion(very finely grated)
• 0.5 tspblack pepper
• 0.5 tspsalt
• 400 gthick plain yogurt(full-fat, room temperature)
• 4 clovesgarlic(crushed to paste)
• 60 gbutter
• 1.5 tspTurkish red pepper paste (biber salçası) or sweet paprika
• 1 tspdried mint
• 0.5 tspsumac(to serve)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Mix flour and salt, make a well, add egg and water. Knead 10 minutes until smooth and firm. Wrap in cling film and rest 30 minutes.

   Mantı dough should be firmer than pasta dough — it needs to hold its shape when rolled thin and cut.

2. 2

   Make the filling

   Mix minced meat with grated onion (squeeze out liquid), salt and pepper. The mixture should be quite dry — do not add any liquid.

3. 3

   Roll and cut

   Roll dough very thin (1–2mm) on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 3–4 cm squares using a sharp knife or pastry cutter. Place a tiny amount of filling (pea-sized) in the centre of each square.

   Keep unrolled dough covered while working — it dries out quickly.

4. 4

   Fold the mantı

   Bring all four corners of each square up to meet at the top and pinch firmly to seal, or pinch two opposite corners together to form a boat shape. Ensure there are no gaps.

5. 5

   Cook and sauce

   Boil mantı in well-salted water for 10–12 minutes until they float and the dough is cooked through. Mix yogurt with crushed garlic and spread over serving plates. Drain mantı and arrange on the yogurt. Melt butter in a small pan, add pepper paste or paprika and cook 30 seconds until sizzling. Pour over mantı. Sprinkle with dried mint and sumac.

Variations

• •

  Baked mantı (fırın mantı): bake unfilled in the oven until golden, then add yogurt and top with browned butter and chopped tomatoes.

• •

  Cheese mantı: fill with a mixture of white cheese (beyaz peynir) and parsley instead of meat.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Uncooked mantı can be frozen on a tray then transferred to a bag — cook from frozen adding 3–4 minutes. Cooked mantı without sauce keeps 2 days refrigerated.

Frequently Asked Questions