Turkish manti is traditionally filled with ground lamb. I used ground beef as I could not find any lamb in grocery stores. Plus, lamb tends to be very expensive. Manti are usually served with yogurt sauce and tomato-butter sauce. I served mine with brown butter. It turned out pretty good.

Turkish Manti

INGREDIENTS

Dough

2 cups all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 tablespoon olive oil

3-4 tablespoons water

Filling

1 pound ground beef

1 onion, grated

4 garlic cloves, minced

½ cup chopped parsley

1 tablespoon paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Dough:  Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the eggs, water, and olive oil.  Mix well with your hands until a soft and smooth dough is formed. Cover and set aside for at least 30 minutes.

Filling:  Combine ground beef, onion, garlic, parsley, paprika, salt, and pepper. Mix well with your hands or a spoon.

Divide dough into two portions and lightly flour a work surface. Keep one piece of dough covered. Roll out the second portion into a rectangle that is about 1/8 inch thick. Cut the rectangle into 2-inch squares with a knife or a pizza wheel.

Place about 2 teaspoons of the meat filling in the center of each square. Seal the dumplings by gathering the edges of the dough and pinching them together to form a bundle.  Repeat with the second piece of dough.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook manti in 2-3 batches making sure not to overcrowd the pot. Cook for about 3-5 minutes after the dumpling float to the surface.