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Lamb and hot pepper manti

An oval-shaped serving plate full of Turkish dumplings

Lamb and hot pepper manti

Name: Lamb and hot pepper manti
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients: 325g plain flour plus extra for dusting; 1 egg; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 medium red onion grated; 300g 20% fat lamb mince; 1 tbsp biber salçası (hot Turkish pepper paste); 2 tsp dried mint; 300g greek yogurt plus extra to serve; 2 large garlic cloves finely minced; 15g dill finely chopped, plus extra to serve; 75g butter; 2 tsp aleppo pepper flakes; 1 tsp sumac

Gurdeep Loyal

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Serves 4 - 6

A little effort

Prep: 45 mins

Cook: 25 mins

plus resting

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In a new series our trends expert Gurd Loyal shares a recipe that is having a moment online and in the restaurant world – this month a Turkish dumpling with global reach

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Try our lamb and hot pepper manti, then discover more Turkish recipes, such as Turkish eggs, Turkish gozleme, Turkish lahmacun, Turkish stuffed peppers and pide.

Food and drink trends specialist Gurdeep Loyal says: "Manti are Turkish dumplings stuffed with whose tasty rewards more than warrant the effort – championed by top chefs like Selin Kiazim of Leydi and Hasan ‘Big Has’ Semay. For Özlem Warren, author of Sebze, they are particularly special. 'Manti always brings back fond memories,' she tells me. 'My grandparents, my parents, whoever was around, would gather round the table to join the manti-making ritual at home. Some would prepare the filling, some would stretch the dough, of course with a constant flow of tea, coffee and daily banter.'

"The dough is hand-kneaded, rested, then rolled thin before being stuffed and shaped. The most traditional filling in Turkey is a combination of grated onions, minced lamb or beef (or both) and seasonings, shaped into square pyramids. They can be small ravioli-sized or larger dumplings, which are either boiled or steamed.

"However, Özlem explains, regionally in Turkey 'we also make vegetarian manti, especially in the north-western part of the country, with a spiced, mashed chickpea and caramelised onion filling, shaped as small boats'. What makes manti especially suitable for a feast are the layers of flavour that come with them, as they’re always served with garlicky yogurt and a spiced oil or butter sauce. Özlem likes 'a mix of olive oil, pepper paste, dried mint, sumac and pul biber in my sauce – it’s a combination that makes manti an irresistible, melt in the mouth flavour sensation'. Her top tips for shaping are to lightly dust your fingers with flour, to seal the ends well and to par-bake the manti before boiling.

"Variations on manti are found in Central and West Asia – particularly in Afghani, Uzbek and Armenian cuisines, where they can include ingredients like cabbage and pumpkin, and are often baked until crispy or fried. Head to restaurants like Yeni in Soho to try its manti with dried aubergine and double fermented yogurt; Noshe Afghan restaurant in Cambridge for its beef mantu dumplings on a bed of lentils; and Gözleme House on Green Lanes in London for its Turkish manti with lamb or potato."