Turkish Manti: Tiny Dumplings with Garlic Yogurt and Spiced Butter

⏱ Prep: 1 hr 30 min 🔥Cook: 15 min 👤Serves: 4–6 🌍Origin: Turkey (Kayseri)

Turkish manti are small handmade dumplings, somewhere between ravioli and a wonton, filled with seasoned ground lamb or beef, boiled until tender, then served in a way that makes them taste unlike either: a cool, garlicky yogurt spooned generously on first, the hot dumplings laid on top, and then a sizzling paprika and dried mint butter poured over everything at the very last moment.

They take time. A real afternoon, ideally with someone else at the table helping fold. In Kayseri, the city most famous for them, the traditional measure of skill is whether you can fit forty into a single spoon, which is not a goal worth chasing on the first attempt. Getting them well-sealed and correctly sauced is the actual goal, and it’s more than enough.

Ingredients

For the dough

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling and dusting
• 1 large egg
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 5–6 tablespoons warm water, add gradually; the dough should be firm and smooth, not soft or sticky

For the filling

• 250g ground lamb or beef, or a half-and-half mix; lean meat works better here as excess fat makes the filling wet and can split the dough
• 1 small onion, very finely grated, squeeze out the excess liquid before adding to the meat; too much moisture loosens the filling and causes splitting during cooking
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon Aleppo pepper or pul biber, or a pinch of red chili flakes
• Salt to taste
• Small handful of fresh parsley, very finely chopped, optional but traditional

For the garlic yogurt

• 300g thick plain yogurt, whole milk or Greek yogurt; bring to room temperature before serving so the contrast with the hot butter is properly dramatic
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
• Pinch of salt

For the spiced butter

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper or pul biber
• ½ teaspoon dried mint

To finish

• Sumac, for dusting over the finished dish
• Extra dried mint, for garnish

Step by step

1. Make the dough. Combine flour and salt in a bowl. Make a well, add the egg and 4 tablespoons of warm water. Mix until a shaggy dough forms, then add more water a tablespoon at a time until it comes together. Knead on a floured surface for 8–10 minutes until smooth and firm. Wrap and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.The dough should be noticeably firmer than pasta dough, if it feels soft, work in a little more flour. Firm dough rolls thin without tearing and holds its shape when boiled.
2. Make the filling. Grate the onion and squeeze out as much liquid as possible using your hands or a clean towel. Combine with the ground meat, pepper, Aleppo pepper, salt and parsley. Mix well. The filling should hold together but not be wet.
3. Prepare the garlic yogurt. Stir together the yogurt, garlic and salt. Set aside at room temperature, it should not be cold when served.
4. Roll and cut the dough. Divide the rested dough into 3 equal pieces. Working one piece at a time on a lightly floured surface, roll as thin as you can manage, aim for about 1–2mm, thin enough to almost see your hand through it. Cut into squares about 3–4cm (roughly 1.5 inches). Keep unused dough covered with a damp towel to prevent drying out. Roll thinner than feels comfortable. Thick dough produces heavy, chewy manti, the thinness of the wrapper is what makes the finished dish delicate.
5. Fill and shape. Place a very small amount of filling, no more than a pea in the center of each square. Bring all four corners up to meet in the middle and pinch firmly together, then pinch the four seams closed to seal completely. Set filled manti on a lightly floured tray and keep covered.Overfilling is the most common mistake, it prevents proper sealing and causes the manti to burst during cooking. The filling expands as it cooks; less is considerably more here.
6. Boil the manti. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the manti in batches, stirring gently to prevent sticking. Cook at a gentle boil for 8–12 minutes until they float to the surface and the dough is tender when tested. Drain and toss with a little olive oil to prevent sticking.
7. Make the spiced butter and serve. Just before serving, melt the butter with the olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the paprika, Aleppo pepper and dried mint, stir for 30 seconds until fragrant and sizzling. Spoon the garlic yogurt generously into bowls. Divide the manti on top. Pour the hot spiced butter over everything immediately. Dust with sumac and extra dried mint. Serve straight away.

What the three components are each doing

The garlic yogurt is not a dipping sauce, it is the base of the dish, and it goes in first, cool, while the manti on top are still steaming. The spiced butter is poured last and hot, so it sizzles when it hits the yogurt and perfumes the whole bowl. The three temperatures and textures, cool yogurt, warm dumplings, sizzling butter are all intentional and all essential to what makes manti taste the way it does. Serve them out of that order and the dish loses most of what makes it memorable.

Make it your own

Claire’s note

Wonton wrappers from an Asian grocery store are a widely used shortcut that saves the dough-making entirely, the texture is slightly different but perfectly good. A pasta roller makes the dough rolling considerably faster and more consistent if you have one. Uncooked manti freeze beautifully, arrange on a floured tray, freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Cook straight from frozen in boiling water, adding 3–4 extra minutes. They keep frozen for up to 3 months, which makes the labor of making a large batch genuinely worth it.

Serve with

Turkish manti is a complete dish on its own with its three sauces, no side dish needed beyond perhaps a simple green salad or a bowl of lentil soup to start. For more from the Turkish collection the Middle Eastern recipes collection have it all.

Add Turkish manti to your weekly meal planner as a weekend cooking project, make a double batch and freeze half for an effortless weeknight dinner. And for more recipes, follow us on Pinterest.

Turkish Manti

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• Author: Claire Bennett
• Total Time: 105 minutes
• Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
• Diet: None

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Description

Turkish manti are small handmade dumplings filled with seasoned ground lamb or beef, served with a cool garlic yogurt and hot spiced butter.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling and dusting
• 1 large egg
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 5–6 tablespoons warm water
• 250g ground lamb or beef
• 1 small onion, very finely grated
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon Aleppo pepper or pul biber
• Salt to taste
• Small handful of fresh parsley, very finely chopped
• 300g thick plain yogurt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
• Pinch of salt
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper or pul biber
• ½ teaspoon dried mint
• Sumac, for dusting
• Extra dried mint, for garnish

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Instructions

1. Make the dough. Combine flour and salt in a bowl. Make a well, add the egg and 4 tablespoons of warm water. Mix until a shaggy dough forms, then add more water until it comes together. Knead on a floured surface for 8–10 minutes until smooth and firm. Rest for 30 minutes.
2. Make the filling. Grate the onion and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Combine with the ground meat, pepper, Aleppo pepper, salt, and parsley. Mix well.
3. Prepare the garlic yogurt. Stir together the yogurt, garlic, and salt. Set aside at room temperature.
4. Roll and cut the dough. Divide into 3 pieces, roll thinly, and cut into squares about 3-4cm.
5. Fill and shape. Place a small amount of filling in the center of each square, shape, and seal tightly.
6. Boil the manti. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add the manti in batches, and cook for 8–12 minutes until they float.
7. Make the spiced butter. Melt butter and olive oil together, add spices, and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
8. Serve by spooning yogurt into bowls, adding manti on top, and pouring hot spiced butter over everything. Dust with sumac and extra mint.

Notes

Wonton wrappers can be used as a shortcut for the dough. Uncooked manti can be frozen for up to 3 months.

• Prep Time: 90 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Category: Main Course
• Method: Boiling
• Cuisine: Turkish

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 serving
• Calories: 400
• Sugar: 5g
• Sodium: 600mg
• Fat: 22g
• Saturated Fat: 10g
• Unsaturated Fat: 10g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 35g
• Fiber: 2g
• Protein: 18g
• Cholesterol: 70mg