Türkiye · Turkish cuisine of Kayseri (central Anatolia)
Kayseri mantı
Tiny, hand-pinched dumplings of beef and onion, boiled until tender and served under cool garlic yogurt and sizzling red pepper butter: the signature dish of Kayseri.
Cookhuddle Editorial Cookhuddle | Turkey
Editorial selection: recipes cross-checked against several documentary sources. They have not been tested in our kitchen: follow the precautions given and adapt times to your own oven.
Photo: E4024 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source · cropped
original Original text, written in English.
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- Servings
- 4
- Preparation
- 100 min
- Cooking
- 15 min
- Resting
- 45 min
- Total
- 160 min
- Difficulty
- Advanced
Cuisine / tradition: Turkish cuisine of Kayseri (central Anatolia) (TR) — declared by the author
- Main dish
- Boiled
Ingredients
For 4 servings
- 500 g plain flour, for the dough
- 1 piece egg, for the dough
- 220 ml water, added gradually, for the dough
- 1 tsp salt, for the dough
- 400 g ground beef, not too lean
- 1 piece large onion, finely grated by hand and squeezed
- 1/4 bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tsp salt, for the filling
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 l water, for cooking the mantı
- 1 tbsp salt, for the cooking water
- 2 tbsp oil, for the cooking water
- 400 g thick plain yogurt
- 3 clove garlic cloves, crushed with a pinch of salt
- 60 g butter
- 1 tbsp pul biber (red pepper flakes)
- 1 tsp dried mint, to serve (optional)
- 1 tsp sumac, to serve (optional)
Method
- Step 1. Dough: whisk the egg with 150 ml of water and the salt. Add the flour gradually, then enough of the remaining water to knead for about 10 minutes into a firm, smooth dough that no longer sticks to your hands. Cover and rest for at least 30 minutes, ideally 45.⏱ 45 min
- Step 2. Filling: grate the onion by hand and squeeze out its liquid. Mix it with the beef, the parsley, the salt and the pepper.
- Step 3. Divide the dough into walnut-sized balls. Roll each as thin as possible, almost translucent, on a floured surface and cut it into squares of about 2 cm.
- Step 4. Place a little filling, about the size of a hazelnut kernel, in the centre of each square and pinch the corners together into a tight little parcel. The mantı must be tiny: about 40 should fit on a spoon.
- Step 5. Bring the 2 litres of water to the boil with the salt and the oil. Add the mantı in two batches, stir gently and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until they float and the dough is tender. Drain.⏱ 10 min
- Step 6. Mix the yogurt with the garlic and a pinch of salt. Melt the butter in a small pan and, off the heat, stir in the pul biber so that it sizzles and turns the butter red.
- Step 7. Serve the hot mantı in bowls, topped with the garlic yogurt, then the hot red butter, and sprinkle with dried mint and sumac if you like.
Story and cultural note
Mantı, small filled dumplings, is the signature dish of Kayseri in central Anatolia, where the dumplings are made very small, about forty to a spoon. In the classic recipe the dough of flour, egg, water and salt is rolled as thin as possible and cut into small squares, filled with minced beef and grated onion, boiled and served with garlic yogurt and butter melted with red pepper flakes. A fried version, the Kayseri yağ mantısı, is also a local speciality: the sources describe it with a yogurt, garlic and butter sauce finished with pul biber, mint and sumac.
Tips for success
Roll the dough as thin as you can: thick dough leaves a doughy taste. Use meat that is not too lean, or the filling will be dry, and grate the onion by hand and squeeze it. Keep the mantı tiny and the filling small so that they cook evenly. Do not overcook them, or they may fall apart; they are done when they float. Make the red butter just before serving.
Serving and presentation
Serve very hot in shallow bowls, with the cold garlic yogurt spooned over first, then the sizzling red butter, and a pinch of dried mint and sumac.
Diet and allergens
Information declared by the author. CookHuddle does not verify or certify it. If you have an allergy, check the ingredients yourself.
ContainsGluten (cereals)EggsMilk
