Ingredients
Dough: OR use 500g frozen pre-made dumplings & skip to the sauce steps
- 2 cups plain flour
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup water
- Salt to taste
Filling:
- 250g beef or lamb mince
- 1 grated onion
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Garlic Yoghurt Sauce:
- 2 cups thick yoghurt
- 2 cloves of garlic
- Salt to taste
For the red sauce:
- 100g unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon biber salca (Turkish capsicum paste)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon pul biber (Turkish red pepper flakes)
- 1 tablespoon dry mint
- 1/2 cup water to thin out
Method:
(If using pre bought Manti, skip to cooking the dumplings & making the sauce)
- Make the dough by adding water, eggs & salt in a bowl. Whisk well then add sifted flour gradually & knead well for about 6 minutes until you have a smooth non sticky dough. (Unlike a yeast dough, this is a like pasta dough which is firm to the touch) Cover & rest for 20 minutes.
- Make the filling by grating the onion & combining it with the mince & salt pepper to taste
- Cut the dough into 3, cover the remaining dough with a damp tea towel.
- Working one at a time roll it out on a floured surface as thin as you can, approx. 2mm. Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut into little squares, approx. 3cm in size. Spoon a small amount of filling into each square, around the size of a pea.
- Pinch the opposite corners to create a mini dumpling. Repeat with the remaining dough. Place the dumplings on a generously floured tray or baking sheet to prevent them from sticking together & give them a gentle shake to coat.
Cook the dumplings & prepare the sauce:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, add the dumplings & cook as you would pasta until al dente for approximately 8 minutes.
- While the manti is cooking prepare the red sauce by combining the butter, capsicum/tomato pastes, red pepper flakes & dry mint. Add water to thin it out slightly. Let it cook for a few minutes.
- Arrange drained manti onto your serving plate & spoon over the garlic yoghurt. Spoon over some of the red sauce & garnish with more dry mint & red pepper flakes. Serve immediately.
Notes:
- Frozen manti can also be found at any Turkish grocer, simply boil from frozen. If you wish to use frozen Manti, the sauce quantities are enough for 500g.
- If you wish to freeze Manti, do so after they’re placed on a floured tray, once they’re firm place them in freezer bags.
- Its common to blind bake these, just enough to dry them out before boiling however I quite enjoy the Manti without this step. If you wish to bake before boiling, 180c for 8 minutes is sufficient.
