Manti (Turkish Dumplings)

Ingredients

• 2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 6-7 tbsp cold water
• 300g ground lamb or beef (15-20% fat)
• 1 small onion, grated
• 3 tbsp finely chopped parsley
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 cups (480g) plain full-fat yogurt
• 3 garlic cloves, grated
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 tsp paprika (sweet or Aleppo-style)
• 1/2 tsp dried mint
• Pinch of chili flakes (optional)
• Sumac, for serving (optional)

Before you cook

• Whisk together the flour and salt for the dough in a large bowl.
• Make a well in the center, add the egg and 6 tablespoons of cold water, and mix into a shaggy dough.
• Knead the dough on a floured surface for 8-10 minutes until smooth and firm, adding water a teaspoon at a time only if it feels dry.
• Wrap the dough in plastic and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Combine the ground meat, grated onion with its juice, parsley, salt, and pepper in a bowl and mix by hand until even.
• Stir the grated garlic and salt into the yogurt and set aside at room temperature.
• Line a baking sheet with a floured kitchen towel for the finished dumplings.

Steps

1. Divide the rested dough into 4 pieces, keeping the ones you're not using covered with plastic wrap.
2. Roll one piece of dough out on a floured surface as thin as you can, close to 1-2mm thick.
3. Cut the sheet of dough into roughly 2cm squares with a knife or pizza cutter.
4. Place a scant 1/4 teaspoon of the meat filling in the center of each square.
5. Bring all four corners of each square up over the filling and pinch them together at the top to seal.
6. Set each finished dumpling on the floured towel without letting them touch each other.
7. Repeat rolling, cutting, and filling with the remaining dough and filling.
8. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
9. Drop the dumplings into the boiling water in batches, stirring gently so they don't stick to the bottom.
10. Boil the dumplings for 12-15 minutes, until the dough is tender and the meat is cooked through.
11. Lift the dumplings out with a slotted spoon, letting the excess water drain off, and divide them among serving bowls.
12. Spoon the garlic yogurt generously over the hot dumplings while they're still steaming.
13. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until it foams and turns light golden, 2-3 minutes.
14. Remove the butter from the heat and immediately stir in the paprika and dried mint so they bloom without burning.
15. Drizzle the hot paprika butter over the yogurt and finish with a pinch of sumac if using.
16. Serve right away while the butter is still sizzling.