MANTI: THE OLDEST LEGEND OF TURKISH CUISINE, A REWARDING RECIPE THAT CALLS FOR MANY HANDS!!

FULL RECIPE FOR MANTI
Ingredients (For 10-12 portions)
For the Filling:
700 g ground beef
2 (~400 g) onions
2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt

For the Dough:
2 eggs
2 cups water
2 tsp salt
5.5-6 cups flour

For the Yogurt Sauce:
700 g plain yogurt
5-6 garlic cloves
1 tsp salt

For the Pepper Sauce:
125 g butter
cup olive oil
cup red pepper paste
1 tbsp red pepper flakes
1 cup water (or Mants cooking water)

For Serving:
1-2 tbsp dried mint
1-2 tbsp red pepper flakes

Directions
THE FILLING
Skin, wash, and finely dice the onions
Place the diced onions into a large bowl
Add 1 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of ground black pepper.
Crush the mixture for 1 minute using your hands to soften the onions
Then, add the ground beef and knead the ingredients together until achieving a homogenous and paste-like mixture
Smooth the surface, cover the bowl with a lid, and place it in the fridge while preparing the dough.
THE DOUGH
In a large bowl, lightly whisk the eggs.
Add 4 cups of flour, 2 tsp of salt, and half of the water.
Then, mix the ingredients
Slowly add the rest of the water and flour while checking the consistency.
Once the dough becomes uniform and does not stick to the hands, knead it on the counter for 3-5 more minutes to achieve a smooth and elastic texture.
Then, return the dough into the flour-dusted bowl, cover with a lid and rest for 25-30 minutes.
After resting, place the dough on the counter, form a cylinder and divide it into 9-10 small pieces.
Shapes the pieces into small balls.
Place the balls on a floured surface and cover with a kitchen towel to keep them moist.
Make ~1-1.5 mm thick, round filo from each ball of dough.
Sprinkle additional flour on to the rolling pin, the counter, and the filo from time to time to ease the rolling of the filo.
Once you complete one filo, place it on a flat surface that is sprinkled with some flour.
Divide the filo into 2X2 cm squares using a knife or a rolling cutter.
Place 1/4 tsp of filling on each square of dough.
Fold in the opposite diagonal corners of each square and join them together over the filling. Then, do the same for the other corners.
This is a traditional style of folding MANTI, but many variations exist throughout Anatolia So, choose your own style!
Place the filled and folded MANTI pieces on a lightly floured oven tray or on parchment paper to prevent them from sticking to each other
They say that the smaller the MANTI, the better
Kayseri is the most famous city for MANTI. Legend has it, 40 pieces of Kayseri MANTI can fit on a single spoon!!!
If you visit Kayseri, Turkey, test the legend!
Making MANTI is long, tedious work for most
So, call the entire household for help
For more fun, let everyone decide on their own form and folding technique!
They will all be fantastic in flavour!!
THE YOGURT SAUCE
Skin the garlic cloves, wash and mince them into a bowl
Add 1 tsp of salt and 700 g of plain yogurt
Whisk the ingredients until they are all combined
Cover the bowl, chill the YOGURT SAUCE until serving

THE PEPPER SAUCE
Place the butter into a saucepan
Add 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1/2 cup of pepper paste, and 1 tbsp of red pepper flakes
Stir the ingredients on medium heat for 1-2 minutes then add 1 cup of water (or the MANTI's cooking water)
Once the mixture begins to boil, simmer until serving

STORING: BAKING & COOKING
Traditionally MANTI making can take a whole day, and it is usually a collaborative effort where family and friends all lend a hand.
So, it is mostly prepared in large amounts and the excess is stored for the next PARTY!
How can you store fresh MANTI properly?
Pre-heat the oven to 380 (~180)
Bake the excess MANTI for 25-30 minutes
Then, let it cool down to room temperature
Place the pre-baked MANTI into air-tight bags and store in the freezer for later use
COOKING
Use a large and deep pot for cooking the MANTI
(!)The MANTI should be submerged in at least 6-7 cm of boiling water
Fill 3/4 of the pot with water (~3 L), add 2 tbsp of salt and bring it to a boil
Add the MANTI into boiling water and make sure that the pieces do not stick to each other
At first, the MANTI pieces will sink the bottom of the pot.
Wait until the water re-boils. When the MANTI pieces are cooked, they will rise to the surface of the water
(!) Do not let them boil for longer than 2-3 minutes, nor let them sit in the hot water!
Use the same cooking method for pre-baked and frozen MANTI. Since they were baked, they may need to be boiled a few minutes longer than fresh MANTI
SERVING
MANTI should be served immediately!!
Serving sauces and spices should be ready, the table should be set, and the people should be on the table right before it is cooked!
Scoop the cooked MANTI pieces with a perforated ladle and place them directly on to the serving plates
Place the Yogurt Sauce, Pepper Sauce, Dried Mint, and extra Red Pepper Flakes on the table and let everyone garnish their plate as they like
Rejoice in your triumph!