Homemade Turkish Mantı
My husband is Turkish, and his mom makes mantı by hand. Once you’ve eaten really good homemade mantı, it’s easy to understand why people are willing to sit at a table folding dozens and dozens of tiny dumplings. They’re tender and savory, filled with seasoned beef, covered with cool garlicky yogurt, and finished with hot butter with red pepper and dried mint. Ridiculously good is a serious understatement!
The combination of hot dumplings, cold garlic yogurt and sizzling pepper butter is what makes mantı, mantı. The yogurt isn’t an optional garnish, and the butter isn’t merely something pretty to drizzle over the top. Together they create the creamy, tangy, spicy sauce that gets into all the little folds of the dumplings.
Making mantı by hand takes some time, but none of it is particularly difficult. Put on some music, roll the dough thin, and settle in for a little folding.
Makes 4 generous servings
INGREDIENTS
For the Mantı Dough
250 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
1 large egg
½ teaspoon kosher salt
About 100–120 g (scant ½ cup) water, added gradually
For the Beef Filling
250 g (about ½ pound) ground beef
1 small onion, very finely grated
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper or Turkish pul biber
For the Garlic Yogurt
450 g (about 2 cups) full-fat Greek or Turkish-style strained yogurt
2 large garlic cloves, finely grated or crushed
½ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
For the Aleppo Pepper Butter
4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon Aleppo pepper or Turkish pul biber
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
½ teaspoon dried mint
For Finishing
Sumac
Additional Aleppo pepper or pul biber
DIRECTIONS
Make the Mantı Dough
Place the flour and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Add the egg and about 80 g of the water. Begin mixing from the center, gradually incorporating the flour.
Continue adding water a little at a time until the dough comes together. You may not need all of it. Mantı dough should be considerably firmer than bread dough. You want something smooth and pliable but sturdy enough to roll very thin without becoming sticky.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter and knead for about 8 to 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
Cover the dough with a bowl or wrap it and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. This rest makes a tremendous difference when it comes time to roll it.
Make the Filling
While the dough rests, combine the ground beef, grated onion, salt, black pepper and Aleppo pepper.
Use your hands to mix everything thoroughly so the onion and seasonings are evenly distributed through the meat. Keep the filling refrigerated while you roll the dough.
Roll and Shape the Mantı
Divide the rested dough in half and keep one half covered while you work with the other.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough very thin, approximately 1 to 2 mm. You should almost be able to see the work surface through it. (You can also use a pasta machine to roll this out like lasagna).
Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into approximately 1-inch squares.
Place a very small amount of beef filling in the center of each square. Resist the temptation to overfill them. Traditional mantı are tiny, and you need enough bare dough around the filling to seal each dumpling securely.
Bring the four corners of each square toward the center and pinch them firmly together. You’ll end up with a tiny little parcel with the meat tucked inside.
Continue until all of the dough and filling have been used. Keep the finished mantı lightly floured and covered with a clean towel while you work.
Make the Garlic Yogurt
Stir together the yogurt, garlic and salt.
Leave it out for a short time before serving so it loses some of its refrigerator chill. It should be cool, not ice cold.
Cook the Mantı
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil, then reduce it slightly so you have a steady boil.
Add the mantı and cook for approximately 8 to 12 minutes
Taste one - the dough should be tender all the way through and the beef should be fully cooked.
Drain well.
Make the Aleppo Pepper Butter
Make this just before plating.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Once it is melted and beginning to foam, add the Aleppo pepper, paprika and dried mint.
Let the spices bloom in the butter for about 20 to 30 seconds. You want them fragrant and sizzling, but not browned or burned.
Remove the pan from the heat.
Assemble the Mantı
Divide the hot mantı among shallow bowls.
Spoon a generous amount of garlic yogurt over each serving. Don’t be timid with it. The yogurt is part of the dish, not a garnish.
Spoon the hot Aleppo pepper butter over the yogurt and mantı. Finish with dried mint, sumac and another scattering of Aleppo pepper if you like a little more heat.
Serve immediately.
What to Serve with Mantı
Because mantı is rich, creamy and buttery, I like something cold and sharp alongside it rather than another substantial side dish. A simple Turkish-style salad of crisp lettuce, cucumber, tomato, thinly sliced red onion, parsley and mint is perfect. Dress it with good olive oil, plenty of fresh lemon juice, a splash of red wine vinegar, salt, black pepper and sumac. A few good olives on the table and you have dinner.
Can You Make Mantı Ahead?
Absolutely, and if you’re going through the trouble of folding mantı by hand, it makes sense to make extra. Arrange the uncooked mantı in a single layer on a flour-dusted sheet pan, making sure they aren’t touching. Freeze until completely solid, then transfer them to a freezer bag or airtight container. Cook them directly from frozen. There’s no need to thaw them first. Just give them a few additional minutes in the pot.
The garlic yogurt can also be made several hours ahead and refrigerated. Make the pepper butter at the last minute, though. That contrast between the hot, fragrant butter and cool garlic yogurt is one of the best parts of the whole thing.
