Turkish Mantı (Tiny Dumplings with Garlic Yogurt)

Ingredients

• 300 g wheat flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 egg
• 1½ dl water
• 1 tsp salt
• 250 g ground beef
• 1 onion, grated and squeezed dry
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 300 g Greek yogurt
• 3 garlic, crushed
• 60 g butter
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp aleppo pepper
• 1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
• 1 tsp sumac

Method

1. 1.

   Knead and rest the dough — Mix the flour with the salt in a bowl, make a well and add the egg and water. Bring it together, then knead on the worktop for 8-10 minutes into a firm, smooth dough — noticeably stiffer than a pasta dough, so it can be rolled paper-thin without tearing. Wrap it and let it rest for 30 minutes.

2. 2.

   Mix the beef filling — Meanwhile, mix the ground beef with the grated onion, parsley, black pepper and a good pinch of salt. Work it with a fork until it is smooth and paste-like rather than crumbly — the filling parcels are tiny and a coarse mix will not fold.

3. 3.

   Fold the tiny dumplings — Cut the dough in two and roll each half out on a well-floured surface until you can almost read through it, about 1 mm. Cut into 2.5 cm squares. Put a rice-grain-sized dot of filling on each, lift the four corners up over the middle and pinch them shut into a little purse. Keep the finished mantı under a cloth while you work.

4. 4.

   Whip up the garlic yogurt — Stir the Greek yogurt with the crushed garlic and a pinch of salt and leave it out at room temperature. Fridge-cold yogurt seizes the moment it meets the hot dumplings and the dish loses its point.

5. 5.

   Boil the mantı — Bring a large pan of well-salted water to a rolling boil and cook the mantı for 8-10 minutes, until they bob to the surface and the pinched corners are tender rather than chalky. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and keep a ladleful of the cooking water.

6. 6.

   Melt the pepper butter — While they cook, melt the butter in a small pan over low heat with the tomato paste and aleppo pepper. Stir for about 2 minutes, until it foams and turns a deep rust red and smells sweet — do not let it darken past that.

7. 7.

   Assemble the bowls — Divide the drained mantı between warm bowls, loosening them with a spoonful of the cooking water. Spoon the garlic yogurt generously over, pour the red butter on top so it marbles through, and finish with the mint and sumac. Serve at once.