Recipes

Turkish Mantı Recipe: Dumplings with Garlic Yoghurt and Spiced Butter

Mantı (often written manti) are small Turkish dumplings filled with spiced minced beef. They are boiled until tender, then buried under cool garlic yoghurt and a spoonful of red pepper butter that is still sizzling. The whole dish is built on contrast: hot dough, cold yoghurt, gentle heat and the smell of dried mint hitting warm butter. Making mantı from scratch is a project. The dumplings are tiny, the dough has to be rolled very thin, and in many Turkish homes it is an afternoon job for several pairs of hands. This Turkish mantı recipe takes the shortcut plenty of home cooks take: it starts with ready-made, handmade frozen mantı and puts the effort into the sauces, which is where most of the flavour comes from. Dinner is on the table in under half an hour. Recipe at a Glance Preparation Time 10 minutes Cooking Time 15 minutes Total Time 25 minutes Servings 2 to 3 Cuisine Turkish Course Main Boiling times for frozen mantı vary with the size and style of the dumpling, so follow the pack instructions for that step. Ingredients These quantities are for one 500 g pack of frozen beef mantı. For the Mantı 500 g frozen beef mantı 2 teaspoons salt, for the cooking water For the Garlic Yoghurt 400 g full-fat plain yoghurt, about 1½ cups 1 to 2 garlic cloves, finely grated ¼ teaspoon salt For the Red Pepper Butter 50 g butter 1 tablespoon sunflower oil 1 teaspoon sweet red pepper flakes (pul biber), or more to taste 1 teaspoon pepper paste (optional, for a deeper red) To Finish 1 teaspoon dried mint Extra red pepper flakes, for the table Dried mint and pepper flakes are worth keeping in the cupboard anyway. Our guide to Turkish pantry essentials covers the other basics. Which Mantı to Buy The classic choice is bohça mantı: tiny, bundle-shaped dumplings with a beef filling, sold in 500 g and 2.5 kg packs. The handmade 1 kg packs are named after regional styles, including Kafkas, Sinop, Saray and Gürcü. They differ in size and fold, so their boiling times differ too. Sinop-style mantı is larger than bohça, and it is often finished with walnuts warmed in the pepper butter. Some packs call mantı "Turkish ravioli", so look for both names in the bakery and pastry section, where the frozen mantı is kept. Step-by-Step Instructions Make the garlic yoghurt. Take the yoghurt out of the fridge and stir in the garlic and salt. Yoghurt that has lost its fridge chill will not cool the mantı down the moment it goes on. Boil the water. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and add the salt. Salted water seasons the dough as it cooks. Add the frozen mantı. Stir them gently once or twice as they go in. This stops them settling on the bottom of the pot and sticking. Cook them through. Cook according to the pack instructions, until the dough is soft at the folds. The folds are the thickest part, so they are the last to cook through. Make the pepper butter. While the mantı cook, melt the butter with the oil in a small pan over low heat. Add the pepper flakes, and the pepper paste if using, and let it bubble gently until the butter turns red and smells toasty, then take it off the heat. The oil keeps the butter from catching too quickly. Drain and plate. Lift the mantı out with a slotted spoon, let them drain for a moment and divide them between plates. Well-drained mantı keep the yoghurt thick instead of watery. Finish and serve. Spoon the garlic yoghurt over the top, drizzle with the red pepper butter and finish with the dried mint. Serve straight away, while the dumplings are still hot under the cool yoghurt. Chef Tips Loosen the yoghurt with the cooking water. A tablespoon or two of the hot mantı water makes the garlic yoghurt silkier and easier to spoon over. Grate the garlic rather than chopping it. Grated garlic melts into the yoghurt, while chopped pieces give sharp, raw bites. Warm the mint in the butter. For a stronger aroma, add the dried mint to the pan for the last few seconds off the heat instead of sprinkling it on at the end. Warm the plates. Mantı cool quickly once the yoghurt goes on. Plates rinsed in hot water and dried keep them warm for longer. A Few Things to Avoid Thawing the mantı first. Thawed dumplings turn soft and sticky and can tear in the water. Cook them straight from the freezer. Crowding a small pot. Too many mantı in too little water clump together and cook unevenly. For a 1 kg pack, use your biggest pot or cook in two batches. Using low-fat yoghurt. It is thinner and sharper, and it turns watery on hot dough. Full-fat yoghurt from the dairy section gives the creamy sauce mantı needs. Cooking well past the pack time. The dough goes soft and swollen and the filling dries out. Start checking a little before the time on the pack. Two Easy Variations Sinop style, with walnuts. Warm a small handful of crushed walnuts in the pepper butter for the last minute before you drizzle it over. It suits the larger Sinop-style mantı, and the walnuts add a soft crunch against the yoghurt. With a quick tomato sauce. Cook two grated tomatoes with a teaspoon of tomato paste and a little butter until thick and glossy, then spoon it over the mantı before the yoghurt. Some regional styles, including Kafkas mantı, are also served this way, and it makes the plate a little lighter on butter. Storage and Reheating Keep frozen mantı in the freezer until you cook it, and follow the storage instructions on the pack. In the UAE, put frozen deliveries away as soon as they arrive, because a bag left by the door softens quickly in the heat. Mantı with yoghurt on top is meant to be eaten straight away, since the yoghurt does not reheat well. If you cook extra, keep some plain, without yoghurt or butter, and refrigerate it once cooled in a covered container. Reheat it in a pan with a little butter and a splash of water, or drop it briefly into boiling water, until heated through. Then make fresh garlic yoghurt to serve. What to Serve With Mantı Mantı is a full meal on its own, so keep the sides light. A chopped salad of tomato, cucumber and onion with lemon works well, along with a small bowl of pickles from the pastes, sauces and jars shelf and a cold glass of ayran from the beverages section. On cooler evenings, start with a small bowl of mercimek soup. For guests, set out a few cold dishes from a Turkish meze platter first and bring the mantı out as the main course. FAQs About Turkish Mantı How much mantı should I cook per person? As a main course, plan on about 150 to 200 g of frozen mantı per person. A 500 g pack feeds two to three people, and a 1 kg pack suits a family of four to six. If soup or meze come first, the lower end is plenty. Can I make the garlic yoghurt ahead? Yes. Mix it, cover it and keep it in the fridge, then take it out while the water heats. The garlic gets stronger as it sits, so use a little less if you are making it hours ahead. Is mantı spicy? Not on its own. The filling is seasoned rather than hot, and the heat comes from the pepper butter, which you control. Use sweet pepper flakes for a mild version and put hot flakes on the table for anyone who wants more. Can I use strained yoghurt for the sauce? Yes. Strained yoghurt makes a richer sauce, but it is very thick, so thin it with a little water or plain yoghurt until it falls slowly from a spoon. Otherwise it sits in lumps on the hot mantı instead of coating them. Can I make mantı without garlic? Yes. Plain yoghurt with a pinch of salt works well, and the pepper butter and mint still carry plenty of flavour. Some cooks grate garlic into half the yoghurt and leave the rest plain, so everyone can choose. The main ingredients for this Turkish mantı recipe are below, from the frozen mantı to the yoghurt, butter and spices. Ingredients Needed for This Recipe