Turkish Meat Dumplings (Manti)

Prep: 60 mins

Cook: 20 mins

Total: 80 mins

Servings: 8 servings

Yield: 6 dozen

If you’re planning a trip to Turkey, you must put meat-filled dumplings topped with garlic yogurt, or mantı (mahn-TUH’), on your to-eat list. If you’ve already been to Turkey, you might have tried this classic dish that’s loved by adults and kids alike.

Even if you're not planning a trip to the European country anytime soon, you can make the savory dumplings at home. There are many ways to prepare mantı, including the popular Kayseri mantısı (mantı from the Anatolian city of Kayseri). The dish is known for its tiny size and a tangy tomato sauce drizzled over the garlic yogurt.

Try this recipe for Kayseri mantısı at home for a taste of Turkish regional cuisine and a new twist on Italian-style ravioli. All you need is a rolling pin or a pasta machine. Or, go the easier route and purchase pre-made wonton wrappers.

Ingredients

For the Dough:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 large eggs

• Water, as needed

For the Filling:

• 1/2 pound ground beef

• 1 medium onion, grated and squeezed dry

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder, optional

• 1/2 teaspoon dried mint, optional

• 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika, optional

For the Broth:

• 4 cups water

• 1 teaspoon salt, or beef bouillon

• 1 tablespoon tomato paste, optional

• 1 tablespoon sweet pepper paste, optional

For the Yogurt Sauce:

• 2 to 3 cloves garlic

• 3 cups plain yogurt

For the Tomato Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 1/3 cup water

• Salt, optional and to taste

• Mint, oregano, sumac, and hot pepper flakes, for optional garnish

Steps to Make It

Make the Dough and Filling

1. Gather the ingredients.

2. To make the dough, slowly mix together the flour, salt, and eggs in a large bowl with a fork. Slowly knead in enough water to make a firm, uniform dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and set it aside at room temperature.

3. To make the filling, place the ground beef, onion, parsley, salt, black pepper, and optional cumin, mint, and sweet paprika in a medium bowl. Mix together until well blended.

Shape the Dumplings

1. Divide the dough into two portions and lightly flour a work surface. Keep one piece of dough covered while you roll out the second portion as thinly as you can using a rolling pin or pasta machine.

2. Using the tip of a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the rolled-out dough into small squares about the size of postage stamps.

3. Place a piece of the filling about the size of a chickpea in the center of each square.

4. Starting with the first square, use your fingers to stretch the dough a little and pinch together two opposite corners in the center over the filling. Then, pinch together the other two corners at the center. Your finished dumpling should have a star pattern with all the corners pinched together at the center. Repeat this will all the squares.

Make the Broth and Boil the Dumplings

1. Gather the ingredients.

2. In a large saucepan, combine four cups of water with 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. If you're using beef bouillon, be careful to check the salt content first. You might not need extra salt. You also can add 1 tablespoon each of tomato paste and sweet pepper paste to the broth if you wish.

3. Add about 10 dumplings to the simmering broth and let them cook for several minutes. Cooked mantı will usually float to the top, but test one before you decide. The dumplings should be tender but still hold together when cooked. Remove with a slotted spoon to individual serving bowls and repeat until all the manti are cooked.

Make the Yogurt Sauce and Tomato Sauce

1. Gather the ingredients.

2. Crush the garlic cloves and whisk them into the yogurt with a wire whisk until creamy.

3. Melt the butter in a small pan, add the tomato paste, water, and optional salt and let the mixture simmer for a few minutes.

Serve the Manti

1. Add a few spoons of the cooking broth to each bowl containing the manti.

2. Top each bowl of manti with a generous amount of garlic yogurt. Then drizzle each bowl with a few spoons of the tomato sauce. If desired, garnish with mint, oregano, sumac, and hot pepper flakes.

Tips

• Classic mantı calls for salt and black pepper, and sometimes parsley, but you can add other spices, too. Experiment and find what you like best.
• If you like larger manti, cut them into 2-inch squares and increase the amount of filling.
• If you're using wonton wrappers, take them out of the refrigerator and lay them out on a clean, lightly floured surface loosely covered with plastic wrap until they reach room temperature and soften but do not become brittle.
• Uncooked manti can be frozen by laying them out on a parchment-lined sheet pan and freezing until they are solid. Transfer to a zip-top freezer bag and pull out as many as you wish for a meal.

Recipe Variations

• Use a mix of ground beef and lamb for the filling, if you prefer.
• Instead of sweet paprika, switch to ground cayenne pepper in the filling.

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories	412
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 11g	14%
Saturated Fat 5g	25%
Cholesterol 84mg	28%
Sodium 979mg	43%
Total Carbohydrate 56g	20%
Dietary Fiber 2g	8%
Total Sugars 7g
Protein 21g
Vitamin C 4mg	19%
Calcium 193mg	15%
Iron 4mg	23%
Potassium 464mg	10%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.