Turkish Manti with Yogurt-Garlic Sauce

Manti are Turkey's popular tiny dumplings — small, folded parcels of spiced ground beef, boiled and served drowning in a garlic-yogurt sauce, finished with a drizzle of paprika-infused brown butter and a sprinkle of dried mint. According to Wikipedia), manti travelled across Central Asia along the Silk Road to Anatolia with Turkic and Mongol peoples, and the earliest written Ottoman recipe appears in a 15th-century cookbook, served with a garlic-yogurt sauce much as it is today. The city of Kayseri is famous for making manti so tiny that, by local legend, a skilled cook can fit 40 on a single spoon. The Spruce Eats provides an authoritative Kayseri-style recipe, and Kitchen Epiphanies a complete from-scratch guide.

For a party, manti are the ideal hand-held, scoopable appetizer: the tiny dumplings in their garlic yogurt, with the rust-red butter pooling on top, served by the spoonful.

About the Ingredients

The dough is a simple flour, egg, salt, and water dough, rolled very thin and cut into small squares. The thinner the dough, the more delicate the dumpling.

The filling is ground beef (or lamb) seasoned with onion, salt, pepper, and sometimes a little paprika or parsley. A small pinch — less than a teaspoon — goes on each square.

The yogurt sauce is plain full-fat yogurt (or a yogurt-sour cream blend) with crushed garlic and a pinch of salt.

The finish is brown butter infused with Aleppo pepper or paprika, plus dried mint — the bright, fragrant crown that makes manti unmistakable.

Ingredients (makes about 60 small manti): - 2 cups all-purpose flour - 1 egg - 1/2 tsp salt - 1/3 to 1/2 cup water - 1/2 lb ground beef or lamb - 1 small onion, finely grated - 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper - 1 cup full-fat plain yogurt - 2 cloves garlic, crushed - 3 tbsp butter - 1 tsp Aleppo pepper or paprika - 1 tsp dried mint

Instructions: Make the dough: combine the flour, egg, salt, and enough water to form a stiff dough. Knead 8 minutes until smooth; rest 30 minutes.

Mix the ground beef, grated onion, salt, and pepper for the filling.

Roll the dough very thin on a floured surface. Cut into 1.5-inch squares. Place a small pinch of filling in the center of each square. Fold into a small parcel (bring the four corners up and pinch to seal, or fold in half and pleat). Set on a parchment-lined tray.

Boil the manti in salted water in batches for 8–10 minutes until tender; drain.

For the sauce: combine the yogurt with the crushed garlic and a pinch of salt. In a small pan, melt the butter with the Aleppo pepper until sizzling and fragrant.

To serve: spoon the yogurt onto a plate, top with the manti, and drizzle the hot pepper butter over. Sprinkle with dried mint.

The Mimosa Pairing Logic: The garlic yogurt and the pepper butter want a bright, aromatic drink that can lift the garlic and cool the gentle heat. A lavender elderflower mimosa is a beautiful choice — the floral elderflower echoes the dried mint, and the wine's effervescence refreshes the palate of the rich yogurt. A lemon verbena mimosa is equally lovely, the lemon a bright mirror for the garlic and the yogurt. This pairing is, in its way, the brunch equivalent of manti and a glass of cold ayran — a sparkling toast to one of Turkey's great dishes.

Reference Links: - Manti overview and history: Wikipedia) - Turkish Meat Dumplings (Manti) recipe: The Spruce Eats - Manti with Garlic Yogurt Sauce and Peppery Oil: Kitchen Epiphanies

Make-Ahead: The filling can be made 1 day ahead and refrigerated. The assembled, uncooked manti can be frozen on a tray, then bagged for up to 1 month; boil from frozen, adding a minute or two. The yogurt sauce can be made 1 day ahead and refrigerated. Make the pepper butter just before serving so it is hot and fragrant.

Pro Tips: Roll the dough as thin as you can — the delicacy of the dumpling depends on it. Do not overfill; a small pinch is right, and overfilled manti will burst. Keep the assembled manti covered so they do not dry. The yogurt should be full-fat and cold; the contrast with the hot dumplings and the hot butter is the point. Make the pepper butter just before serving so it sizzles on the yogurt.