Turkish Manti (Dumplings)

Mimi

Small, meat filled, purse shaped dumplings in a tomato-butter sauce with garlic yoghurt and mint.

Prep Time 2 15

Cook Time 30

Rest Time 30

Total Time 3 15

Course Main Course

Cuisine Turkish

Servings 6 servings

2 cups Yoghurt
2-3 cloves Garlic (minced)
1/2 tsp Salt
Drizzle Olive Oil
Pinch Sumac Online: https://www.etsy.com/listing/780629008/turkish-sumac-natural?gpla=1&gao=1&

4-6 oz Tomato paste
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1 cup Water
1 tbsp 1 tablespoon Aleppo pepper (you can make with 1.5 tsp paprika and 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes)

(I used my dough hook and stand mixer to make this dough to cut some time, but you can absolutely make by hand.) Add the flour and salt to the mixing bowl and crack the eggs into the center of a well as you would by hand.
Begin using the dough hook on stir and gradually add the water until the dough begins to come together and the flour is nearly absorbed.
Keep mixing with the dough hook on low speed for 8-10 minutes until dough is smooth.
Keep mixing with the dough hook on low speed for 8-10 minutes until dough is smooth. Cut into fourths and wrap each in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or freeze if making ahead of time.)

Combine your meat, onion, parsley and salt. Set aside. Refrigerate until ready.
Mix together yoghurt, garlic, salt, olive oil, and sumac. Refrigerate until making the other sauces.

Work with one fourth of dough at a time and keep the others refrigerated until needed so they stay fresh. I use a pasta maker to flatten out dough, but you can roll out by hand on a floured surface until very thin, but not see through.
Slice each portion with a knife (I used a dough cutter) lengthwise and width wise so each manti square is roughly the size of a postage stamp.
Add a small ball of meat to each square and touch opposing ends of dough together, following by the other two opposing ends of dough (like those paper fortune tellers of the 80's if you remember those...) Press each of the four seams together (I like to give the top a tiny twist to ensure closure.)
Gather the manti on a baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Go through the same process with each fourth of dough (if you want to make less, you can freeze the meat mixture and the remaining dough.)
When you are nearing the end of the process, preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Once complete, bake manti for 15 minutes so they seal up. The manti can then also be frozen and saved, or you can just set aside to cool until ready to boil.

Combine olive oil and tomato paste in a saucepan over medium low heat. Stir as it warms for about 5-7 minutes until the texture is even.
Add the Aleppo Pepper and stir until incorporated.
Remove from heat and add in the water, combining until the sauce is evenly thinned out to desired consistency.
In a saucepan, melt the butter on medium heat. Add in the olive oil, mix, and swirl the pan around as the butter browns. Once the color starts to darken, take off of the heat.

Add the sealed manti to a pot of boiling water, lower the heat from high to medium/high and let boil for 10 minutes, until pasta is tender and inside is fully cooked.
Drain the dumplings. Pour in serving bowl and add all but a few tablespoons of the butter sauce. Coat all the manti with the sauce.
When serving, drizzle as much tomato sauce as you like, followed by a drizzle of additional butter sauce, a spoon of garlic yoghurt and sprigs of mint (or dry mint if using). You can sprinkle additional olive oil and sumac on top as well, if desired.

You can prepare as many Manti as you want to, or as little. You can freeze the fourths of dough, the meat filling, or the manti once sealed in the oven. Then, you only have to boil them in 10 minutes! Making the browned butter, tomato sauce, and yoghurt each take minutes on their own and you can make smaller amounts as well (these parts of the recipe an easily be done by eye; measurements don't have to be exact.)

If you would like your dough to be utilized as much as possible, you can use a ruler to measure the lengths and widths. It depends on how exacting you want to be...

You can substitute ground lamb for beef, or even potato (you might want to add garlic if using potato for a filling.)

Keyword comfort foods, dumplings, garlic, Irish Beef, Manti, pasta, tomato, turkish burger, yoghurt