Manti - Turkish Dumplings Stuffed With Meat

Minced beef stuffed dumplings baked and then boiled, dressed with garlic sauce, drizzled with butter and sprinkled with herbs...Definitely not for faint hearted neither to eat or to cook! So if you are looking for a quick weekday dinner try to look away from this cruelly mouthwatering dish. For those who want a a bit of kneading, rolling, stuffing, baking, it really does worth the pain! You can easily make it vegetarian, just swap meat with a tin of green lentils in water, drained and pureed and a finely chopped onion lightly sauted in olive oil for a few minutes.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

For The Dough

3 Cups of Plain Flour

2 Free Range Eggs

1/2 Cup Water

1 Teaspoon Salt

3-4 Lt Boiling Water

1Tablespoon Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons of Tomato Paste

Filling

250 gr Lean Minced Beef

1 Very Finely Chopped Medium Onion

Handful Finely Chopped Parsley

Salt & Pepper

Garlic Sauce

1/2 gr Greek Yoghurt

2 Cloves of Garlic, Crushed

Butter Sauce

4 Tablespoons of Butter

1 Teaspoon Paprika

1 Teaspoon Red Chilli Flakes

1Teaspoon Dried Mint

1)Sift the floor into a large bowl, sprinkle the salt and make a well in the middle. Crack the eggs and start kneading as you add the water gradually. You can add more or less water depending on the consistency of the dough. Remember it should be quite strong like pasta dough. Knead at least for 6-7 minutes, until you get a smooth texture and then cover with cling film and rest for 20 minutes,

2)Prepare the filling, mix the minced beef, chopped onions, parsley, salt and pepper. Use your fingers to get an even mixture.

3) Separate the dough into 4 balls. Pick one and cover the rest with cling film to stop them trying. Rolling skills come handy here! Roll the ball into a round shape. Keep rolling until you get a dough sheet as thin as a knife blade. Work one by one and do the stuffing before you roll the next one.

4)Preheat the oven to 180C.  With a sharp knife, cut the dough in squares of 2 cm X 2cm. Put half teaspoon of the stuffing on each one. Fold them in to the shape you desire, pinching the corners to seal. I like folding opposite corners all together.

5) Lightly oil a baking tray and spread the dumplings. Bake them for about 15 minutes until they are a bit golden.

6) Mean while saute the 2 tablespoons of tomato paste in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Stirring constantly add  3-4 liters of boiling water.  Boil the pre baked dumplings in tomatoey water for 4-5 minutes.

7) To make the garlic sauce: Whip the Greek yoghurt with crushed garlic and a pinch of salt. 

8) To make the butter sauce: Melt the butter on a medium heat and immediately sprinkle with paprika and red chilli flakes. Take it from the heat. Sprinkle with dried mint.

9) Finally Serve! With a slotted spoon divide the dumplings into pasta bowls. Spread some garlic sauce on the top. Drizzle with butter sauce. Enjoy!