Manti is a traditional Turkish dish made of small meat dumplings cooked in beef broth and topped with different sauces and spices. While time consuming to create, manti offers all the best flavors of Turkey in one delicious meal. Serve this delicacy in shallow bowls for optimal visual appeal.
Instructions
1. Process the onion and parsley in a food processor until a paste is formed. Add the hamburger and process until well blended. Add salt and pepper to taste.
2. Combine 1 cup of flour with 1 egg, one-half egg shell of water and a dash of salt in a medium mixing bowl. Mix the dough until it forms into a ball. If the dough is too dry, add additional water 1 tablespoon at a time.
3. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll to a one-eighth inch thickness. Cut the dough into 1 inch squares with the pizza wheel and place the squares in the small bowl. Cover the bowl with the moist paper towel to ensure the dough does not dry out.
4. Fill the other small bowl with flour. Place a pinch of meat in the middle of each dough square. Close the dumplings by folding up all four sides and pressing them together. Dip the finished dumpling in the flour and place in the large bowl. Repeat until all the meat is used up, mixing additional batches of dough as required. The average preparation time for a full pound of manti meat is roughly five hours.
5. Dice five cloves of garlic and mix into the yogurt. Leave the yogurt on the counter until it becomes pungent.
6. Combine the tomato paste and butter in the small sauce pan and place on the stove at a medium-low heat. Place a lid on the pan and allow the butter to slowly melt. Once the butter is completely melted, whisk the tomato paste and butter until completely combined and leave on the stove until ready to serve.
7. Pour the beef broth into the large cooking pot over a high heat. Bring the pot to a boil and reduce heat so that the boil is controlled. Carefully add three handfuls of the dumplings into the pot, stirring gently to avoid sticking. Continue cooking the Manti for roughly 10 minutes or until the dough becomes puffy.
8. When ready to serve, place 10 to 15 dumplings in a bowl along with at least one-half cup of the broth. Add a generous spoonful of the pungent yogurt and finish with a smaller spoonful of the tomato sauce. Place a light sprinkling of mint, pepper flakes and sumac over the manti. Serve with bread slices for dipping. Repeat this process for each guest.
Tags: beef broth, bowl with, paste butter, ready serve, small bowl, tomato paste, tomato paste butter