Mantı: Folding Tiny Turkish Dumplings, Boiling Them, and the Garlic-Yogurt-Butter Finish
Make mantı at home: a thin egg dough, a small meat filling, the classic fold, and a garlic yogurt and spiced butter finish, with cooking times and freezing.
Mantı are tiny dumplings, often no bigger than a fingernail, filled with spiced minced meat and served with garlicky yogurt and a hot butter sauce. They are fiddly, and they reward patience: once you have folded fifty, the motion becomes quick. The method below is for the everyday style, not any one regional version, and it suits a weekend afternoon.
The dough
A simple ratio: 2 cups (250 g) flour, 1 egg, about 1/2 cup (120 ml) water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix to a firm dough, knead about 5 minutes until smooth, wrap, and rest 30 minutes at room temperature. The rest relaxes the gluten, so you can roll thin without the dough springing back. Roll to about 1 mm as thin as you can without tearing, and keep the unrolled half covered so it does not dry. For more on rolling, see the fresh pasta guide.
The filling
Use about 150 g (1/3 lb) ground lamb or beef per 250 g flour, with one small onion grated into it, plus salt, black pepper, and a little finely chopped parsley if you like. Grating the onion adds moisture without chunks. Keep the filling simple, because the sauce carries the flavor. Mix only until combined, and keep it cold while you fold, since warm meat turns greasy and the dough slumps. A pinch of about 1/4 teaspoon per square is plenty; overfilling bursts the seams.
Cutting and folding
- Cut the dough into strips about 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide, then cut across into 1-inch squares. The tiny traditional size is delicate; 2-inch squares are easier for a first batch.
- Place a pinch of filling in the center of each square.
- Bring two opposite corners up over the filling and pinch them together firmly over the center, so the shape looks like a small bow.
- Press the seams well. Dough that is too wet or too thick will not seal, and the dumplings split in the water.
Boil, bake, or both
Boiling is the everyday method. Drop the mantı into salted boiling water and cook 8 to 10 minutes for fresh ones, until they float and the dough is tender. Drain well. The Kayseri style, associated with the city of Kayseri, is different: many cooks bake the dumplings until the edges are golden and slightly crisp, then moisten them with broth before serving. Both approaches are traditional and both have fans, so start with the boiled version, which is simpler.
The sauce: garlic yogurt and spiced butter
Mix 1 cup full-fat yogurt with 2 crushed garlic cloves and a pinch of salt, and spoon it over the dumplings. Melt 3 tablespoons butter until foaming, stir in 1 teaspoon pul biber or paprika, and pour it over the yogurt. Finish with dried mint crushed between your fingers, and a little sumac if you have it. The yogurt should be cool and the butter hot. The contrast is the dish. If you want a yogurt sauce with more freshness, the same base works as cacık with cucumber and mint.
Freezing and timing
| Stage | How | Time or keep |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh, boiled | Drop into salted boiling water | 8 to 10 minutes |
| Uncooked, frozen | Single layer on a floured tray, then bagged | Up to 3 months |
| Frozen, boiled | Cook straight from frozen | About 12 to 14 minutes |
| Cooked leftovers | Store dumplings and sauce separately | 2 days refrigerated |
The key takeaway: a simple egg dough rolled thin, a small cold filling, well-sealed folds, and a sauce of cool garlic yogurt with hot spiced butter. Freeze the uncooked dumplings on a tray and you will have mantı any night you want them.
Mantı is essentially a small filled pasta, so the rolling and resting habits from the fresh pasta guide apply directly. The full ingredient list is in the mantı recipe. For a homemade yogurt to use in the sauce, see the yogurt guide.