Turkish Manti

The little stars of Turkey. They remind me of traditional dumplings Dyushbere, but instead of being served in a saffron broth they are served with yoghurt and dressed with a delicious spicy pepper paste butter, or a sun dried tomato paste butter.

Ingredients

For the dough

2 1/2 cups 00 flour (or plain flour)

2 eggs ( medium to small size)

1/2 cup water

For the filling

700g minced lamb

1 large onion (brown or red), finely diced or minced

2 tbsp finely chopped parsley

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp freshly cracked pepper

For the dressings

4 tbsp tomato paste (if you can get your hands on Turkish sun dried tomato paste, you will be treated to a heavenly taste)

1-2 tsp smocked paprika

100-150g butter

1 cup yoghurt

1 garlic clove

1/2 tsp sea salt

Dried min, sumac and chilli flakes for garnishing. ( In Turkey, chilli flakes called aleppo pepper are widely used. However, here in Australia it can be a little tricky to purchase them and so I have substituted them with regular child flakes)

Method

First make the dough by sieving the flour into a bowl. Whisk the eggs and 1/4 cup of water. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour the whisked eggs in. Start kneading the dough and keep adding the left over water as needed. I find that the size of eggs will vary and so you might need less or more water. If the dough ends up too soft then knead it on a well floured surface adding more flour as you go and if it is to dry then add a little splash of water. The dough should be elastic and not too firm, unlike the Italian pasta dough, this dough should have a more of a give (softness) to it. Place the dough into a bowl and cover with a damp towel. Rest for at least 1 hour.

To make filing combine all the ingredients in bowl and mix the well.

On a lightly floured work surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the dough 1/2cm thin. Cut the dough into 4-5cm squares. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon of the filling in the centre of each square. To form the manti, fold the dough over the filling to form a triangle; press the edges together to seal. Transfer the manti to the prepared baking sheet.

In a small bowl, combine the yogurt and garlic and season with salt. Mix well, cover and keep refrigerated for the meantime.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Stir in the tomato sauce and paprika and fry stirring for 1-2 minutes, then turn the heat off and keep in warm place.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Once water is boiling add the manti and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to bowls. Top with the yogurt sauce and warm butter sauce, sprinkle with dried mint, chilli flakes and sumac when serving.