Lamb Manti

(serves 6-8)

So this was one of the tastiest dishes i tried when i went to Turkey, and was quite excited to finally try making it (1.5yrs after i've returned from the country). I definitely put it on my 'top food' and 'to try and cook' list, but i guess it takes awhile to get around to these lists! It's essentially the Turkish version of dumplings, but i love this cool new pyramid shape with a substantial bite of tasty lamb in the middle! When i had it, it was served with yoghurt and chilli oil in a chicken soup, it was just amazing after a day of walking around Istanbul in the cold!

A bit of an epic experiment as i googled and tried to work out the right recipe, the problem with too much choice! So i tried steaming, boiling and baking (in chicken stock). And for sauces, i experimented with plain yoghurt, garlic yoghurt, 'home made chilli oil' (= disaster) and a tomato reduction. I'll spare the dramas and failures, but what i learnt was, sticking with simple is always best.

Conclusion: Boiling is the tastiest cooking method, retains the chewy texture of the dough, and serving with just plain yoghurt and Chiu Chow Chilli Oil is scrumptious (yes, i know, so asian but it's good!). Oh, and dough making is tedious but therapeutic.

Prep time: 1.5 - 2hrs 

Cooking time: 20 min

Ingredients

Dough:
2 1/2 C Flour
1-2 tsp salt
1 egg
2/3 C warm water
1 T olive oil
1 C flour (for rolling)


Filling:
500g lamb mince
1/2 brown onion
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cinnamon
4 T parsley (8-10 sprigs, finely chopped)
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper


Sauce:
500mL Chicken stock
200mL Natural Greek Yoghurt
Chilli oil 
2 tsp Paprika
2 tsp Sumac


Alternatively, a tomato-based sauce also works quite well:
1/2 brown onion
2 cloves garlic
400g canned tomatoes or 350mL passata
1-2 tsp sugar
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp rosemary
Salt and pepper
Olive oil


Special equipment: pasta machine for rolling out the dough


Method:
1. For the dough, sift the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the salt, then make a well in the middle and put the egg, water and olive oil in.
2. Mix until combined, then knead on a floured surface for 3-5 minutes until smooth and elastic. 

NB. The mixture is quite soft and a little sticky initially but becomes smoother and firmer with kneading. Cover in plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, to make the filling, finely dice the onion, garlic and parsley. The finer you dice these ingredients the better, otherwise it's hard to combine and put inside the manti.
4. Mix all the ingredients for the filling together and set aside until the dough is ready.
5. When the dough is ready, cut it into 4. Roll out one piece at a time on a floured surface. 
NB. This is much easier and faster with a pasta machine, the dough is a bit softer and stickier than pasta dough but it still works ~ just make sure you flour and fold each time you roll it through. Try to get the dough as thin as possible, about 5-6 settings up on the pasta machine.
6. Cut it into 3cm x 3cm squares, then put a teaspoon (or a pinch) of meat filling inside.
NB. I found it a lot faster to cut all the squares, then put the meat filling on all of them, then fold, rather than a section at a time.

7. To fold the manti:
i) Using dry (and floured) hands bring 2 opposite corners together and press firmly to seal. Try not to touch the mixture otherwise the moisture from the mixture makes it harder to seal. 
ii) Bring the other corners up to the top to form a square pyramid and press down the 4 edges until sealed.

8. Repeat with the rest of the dough. 
9. For the tomato sauce, fry the garlic and the onion until brown, then add the tomatoes and paprika and cook for 2-3 minutes until boiling. Add oregano, rosemary, sugar, salt and pepper and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until reduced. 
10. Boil the chicken stock, then put into a large bowl.
11. To cook the manti, have a big pot of salted boiling water and gently place them in individually. Cook for 3-4 minutes until they are floating, then remove with a slotted spoon and put the bowl with the chicken stock. This prevents them from sticking and getting dried out. Repeat in batches until you have cooked as much as you need.
12. Serve with greek yoghurt, chilli oil, sumac and paprika! 

Or serve with the tomato reduction, a touch of yoghurt and a sprinkle of parsley!

Baked manti gives a crunchy top

 Steamed is also ok, but a bit harder to get the right texture and takes quite a while!

Storage: So, the biggest lesson learnt from this experiment was that storage for large quantities of food is a very important part of preparing for lots of people! Trying to make things in advance means you need to make sure it's stored well so that it's still got that 'fresh' quality about it. 
The manti stores well in the fridge, covered with foil or glad wrap, BUT you need to make sure they are not too close together and also not on a surface they can stick to, i.e. spray some oil on the bottom of the tray/foil first. It's probably best not to take them out until ready to cook otherwise the moisture on the flour makes it too sticky and can fall apart.
It can also be frozen in a thin layer, then packed into a takeaway box and defrosted in the fridge overnight before cooking.