Mantı — Turkish Lamb Dumplings with Garlic Yogurt & Paprika‑Butter

Name: Mantı — Turkish Lamb Dumplings with Garlic Yogurt & Paprika‑Butter
Prep time: 120 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 160 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients: 450 g all-purpose flour; 1 piece large egg; 180 ml lukewarm water; 1 tsp fine salt; 15 ml olive oil; 400 g ground lamb; 150 g onion; 1 tsp fine salt; 0.5 tsp freshly ground black pepper; 1 tsp dried mint; 15 ml olive oil; 400 g plain full‑fat yogurt; 2 clove garlic; 0.5 tsp fine salt; 60 g unsalted butter; 1 tsp tomato paste; 2 tsp pul biber (Aleppo pepper); 15 g fresh parsley; 0.5 tsp sumac; 1 tbsp coarse salt

Tiny hand‑filled dumplings (mantı) stuffed with spiced ground lamb, served with garlicky yogurt and a warm paprika‑butter. A hands‑on afternoon project that rewards patience with a dish central to Turkish home cooking.

2 hr 40 min

start to finish

2 hr

hands on

Project

difficulty

servings

6 servings

Ingredients

Filling

400 g ground lambor ground beef
150 g onionfinely grated, excess liquid squeezed out
1 tsp fine salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp dried mintoptional
15 ml olive oilfor sautéing

Yogurt sauce

400 g plain full‑fat yogurtor Greek yogurt
2 clove garlicminced
½ tsp fine salt

Butter sauce & finish

60 g unsalted butter
1 tsp tomato pasteoptional, see tip
2 tsp pul biber (Aleppo pepper)or 1 tsp sweet paprika + 1 tsp red pepper flakes
15 g fresh parsleychopped, for garnish
½ tsp sumacoptional, for garnish

To cook

1 tbsp coarse saltfor the boiling water

Contains gluten, dairy, egg. Cooking for an allergy? Check the label on every packet you use — brands differ, and we can only tell you what the recipe calls for.

Roughly, per serving

600 kcal23g protein57g carbs36g fat

An estimate, not a lab analysis.

Method

Make the dough: put the flour and 1 tsp salt in a bowl and mix.
Add the egg, 15 ml olive oil and about two‑thirds of the lukewarm water; mix to a shaggy dough, then add more water as needed until it comes together.
Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
Shape the dough into a ball, rub the surface with a little oil, cover tightly and let rest until relaxed, 45 minutes.
Prepare the filling: grate the onion and squeeze out and discard as much liquid as you can using your hands or a towel.
Heat 15 ml olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook the grated onion until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add the ground lamb, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper and sauté, breaking up lumps, until the meat is just cooked through, about 8 minutes.
Stir in the dried mint if using, spread the filling on a plate to cool for 10 minutes.
Divide the rested dough into 4 pieces and working with one piece at a time keep the others covered.
On a floured surface roll one piece as thinly as you can (about 1–2 mm), using a rolling pin; repeat with remaining pieces.
Thin dough is key: it should be almost paper thin so the finished mantı is delicate.
Trim edges and cut each sheet into small squares about 2.5 cm (1 in) wide.
Put about 1/2 teaspoon of cooled filling on each square, fold diagonally to seal into a triangle (press edges firmly) and bring the two outer points together to form a little parcel; repeat until all mantı are formed.
Keep a small bowl of water by you to moisten edges if they won't seal; don't overfill or they will burst while cooking.
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and add 1 tbsp salt.
Cook the mantı in batches so they have room to move; they are done when tender and floating, about 6–8 minutes per batch.
While the last batch cooks, whisk together the yogurt, minced garlic and 1/2 tsp salt in a bowl.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stir in the tomato paste (if using) and cook briefly, then remove from heat and add the pul biber or paprika mixture.
Drain cooked mantı and arrange on a serving platter or individual plates.
Spoon garlicky yogurt over the dumplings, drizzle the hot paprika‑butter over the yogurt, and sprinkle with chopped parsley and a pinch of sumac if using.

Worth knowing

Shortcut: use store bought wonton wrappers — place about 1/2 tsp filling in center, fold into small parcels and cook as below. This cuts the project to about an hour.
To freeze: arrange uncooked mantı on a baking sheet in a single layer, freeze until solid, then transfer to a bag. Cook from frozen adding 1–2 minutes to the boiling time.
If the dough resists rolling, let it rest covered another 15–20 minutes; well‑rested dough rolls much thinner.
Make larger mantı (2–3 per person) if you prefer a faster assembly and heartier dumplings.
Pul biber (Aleppo pepper) gives the characteristic gentle heat; replace with a mix of sweet paprika and red pepper flakes if unavailable.

Make it yours

Cooking without dairy, without an oven, for someone who won't touch chilli, or for six instead of four? Have the recipe rewritten around it — quantities, steps and all.

HalalMeal prepproject

More Turkish cooking

An original Restaurant Pro recipe — our own composition in the idiom of Turkish cooking, not any restaurant's recipe. Written to be halal as listed.