Manti – Kayseri Style

Preparation

1. 01

   Kneading by hand

   Place the sifted flour in a wide bowl and make a well in the center. Add the egg, lukewarm water, and salt, and knead into a soft, non-sticky dough (about 8-10 minutes).

2. 02

   Resting

   Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. You can prepare the filling and yogurt sauce during this time.

3. 03

   Mixing

   In a bowl, thoroughly mix the ground meat, grated onion, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk the yogurt with crushed garlic and salt.

4. 04

   Rolling and cutting

   Divide the rested dough into two equal pieces. On a floured work surface, roll out very thin with a rolling pin to about 1 mm thickness. Using a sharp knife, cut into small squares measuring 1,5 x 1,5 cm.

5. 05

   Shaping

   Place a chickpea-sized portion of the meat filling in the center of each dough square. Bring the four corners together in the center and seal into a small pouch shape. Repeat until all the dough is used.

6. 06

   Boiling

   Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Carefully drop the manti into the boiling water and stir gently to prevent sticking. Boil over medium heat for about 12-15 minutes, until the manti are tender and float to the surface.

7. 07

   Sautéing

   Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the red pepper flakes and cook for another 30 seconds until fragrant. Remove from heat and stir in the dried mint.

8. 08

   serving

   Drain the boiled manti. Spread the garlic yogurt on a serving plate, arrange the manti on top, drizzle with the butter sauce, sprinkle with sumac, and serve hot.