Turkish
Kayseri Mantısı
Tiny Kayseri dumplings filled with spiced beef and finished with garlic yogurt and pepper butter.
6 servings · 90 minutes prep · 25 minutes cook
Ingredients
Dough and Filling
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 large egg
- 2/3 cup water, plus up to 2 tablespoons as needed
- 8 ounces ground lamb or beef, 85 percent lean
- 1/3 cup yellow onion, grated and squeezed dry
- 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Garlic Yogurt and Pepper Butter
- 2 cups thick plain whole-milk yogurt, at room temperature
- 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon Turkish red pepper paste
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried mint
- 1 teaspoon ground sumac
Directions
Make the Dough, Filling, and Yogurt
- Mix the flour and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the egg and 2/3 cup water; knead for 8 to 10 minutes, adding only enough extra water to make a very firm, smooth dough. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
- Mix the meat, onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper gently and keep cold. Stir together the yogurt, garlic, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Roll and Shape the Mantı
- Divide the dough in two. Keep one half covered while rolling the other on a lightly floured surface to a translucent 1/16-inch sheet. Cut into 1-inch squares. Place about 1/4 teaspoon filling in each; bring all four corners together over the filling and pinch the seams firmly. Keep finished mantı under a dry towel and repeat.
Boil, Sauce, and Serve
- Bring a wide pot of well-salted water to a gentle boil. Cook the mantı in two batches for about 6 to 8 minutes, stirring once, until the dough is tender but resilient and a test dumpling's ground-meat center reaches {{temperature:160°F}}. Transfer with a spider to warm shallow bowls, allowing a spoonful of cooking water to follow.
- Melt the butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in the red pepper paste for 1 minute, remove from the heat, and stir in the Aleppo pepper.
- Spoon the garlic yogurt over the hot mantı, drizzle with pepper butter, and finish with mint and sumac. Serve immediately.
