Turkish Manti

Name: Turkish Manti
Prep time: 1 h 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients: 400 g All-Purpose Flour; 1 Egg; 160 ml Water (lukewarm, added gradually); 1 tsp Salt; 50 g All-Purpose Flour (for rolling and the tray); 250 g Ground Beef (15–20% fat); 1 Onion (medium, grated and squeezed); ½ tsp Salt; ½ tsp Black Pepper; 1 tsp Salt (for the cooking water); 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil (for the cooking water); 500 g Plain Yogurt (whole-milk, room temperature); 2 cloves Garlic (crushed); ½ tsp Salt; 40 g Butter; 1 tbsp Tomato Paste; 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes; 1 tsp Dried Mint; 100 ml Cooking Water (from boiling the manti); 1 pinch Sumac (optional)

Chef SenaKitchen Studio chef · October 28, 2026

Homemade Turkish manti: tiny beef-filled dumplings in thin dough, garlicky yogurt and a butter sauce with tomato paste, chili flakes and mint. The secret to the sauce is a ladle of the cooking water. It takes a little patience, but it's the star of any table.

1 h 30 minPrep

15 minCook

4Servings

710 kcalCalories

Calories are an AI estimate, for information only.

Ingredients · 20

4 servings

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For the Dough

All-Purpose Flour400 g
Egg1
Waterlukewarm, added gradually160 ml
Salt1 tsp
All-Purpose Flourfor rolling and the tray50 g

For the Filling

Ground Beef15–20% fat250 g
Onionmedium, grated and squeezed1
Salt½ tsp
Black Pepper½ tsp

For Boiling

Saltfor the cooking water1 tsp
Vegetable Oilfor the cooking water1 tbsp

For the Yogurt

Plain Yogurtwhole-milk, room temperature500 g
Garliccrushed2 cloves
Salt½ tsp

For the Sauce

Butter40 g
Tomato Paste1 tbsp
Red Pepper Flakes1 tsp
Dried Mint1 tsp
Cooking Waterfrom boiling the manti100 ml

To Serve

Sumacoptional1 pinch

Method · 7 steps

1
Put the flour and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Add the egg and most of the water, then add the rest little by little and knead into a firm dough that doesn't stick to your hands (about 8 minutes). Cover with a cloth and rest for 30 minutes.
2
Gently squeeze the juice out of the grated onion; a wet filling makes the bundles open while boiling. Knead the beef well with the onion, salt and pepper.
3
Divide the dough in two and keep one half covered while you roll the other. On a floured counter, roll it out to about 1.5 mm (1/16 in) and cut it into 2.5 cm (1 in) squares.
4
Put a chickpea-sized bit of filling in the middle of each square. Bring the four corners together in the middle, pinch the edges into a little bundle and set it on a floured tray. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
5
Bring 2.5 l (2½ qt) of water to a boil in a large pot with the salt and oil. Add the manti and stir now and then. Once they float, cook for about 10 more minutes (12–15 minutes in total; taste one to check). Set aside a ladle (100 ml) of the cooking water.
6
Whisk the room-temperature yogurt with the crushed garlic and salt until creamy. In a small pot, melt the butter over medium heat and fry the tomato paste for 1–2 minutes. Add the mint and chili flakes, pour in the reserved cooking water, stir once or twice and turn off the heat.
7
Lift the manti out with a slotted spoon, draining them well, and divide among plates. Spoon over the garlic yogurt, then the hot sauce. Sprinkle with a little more mint, chili flakes or sumac if you like, and serve right away.