Baked Turkish Lamb Manti with Minted Yoghurt Sauce
Photography by Manja Wachsmuth.
Manti are a popular dumpling in Turkish cuisine. We've filled ours with lamb and served them with a refreshing minted yoghurt.
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
24 thin wonton wrappers
1½ cups chicken stock, hot
Filling
200 grams lamb mince
¼ cup cottage cheese
¾ teaspoon ground allspice
finely grated zest 1 lemon
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons pistachios, finely chopped
¼ cup finely chopped mint
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
To assemble
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Yoghurt sauce
1 cup thick plain yoghurt
¼ cup finely chopped mint
juice of ½ lemon
Paprika butter
3 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon ground paprika
mint for garnish
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
Yoghurt sauce: Whisk the ingredients in a bowl and season.
Filling: Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Season.
To assemble: Lay out 6 wonton wrappers at a time and place a tablespoonful of filling in the centre of each. Brush the edges with the egg wash and cover with another wrapper, pressing out any air and firmly sealing the edges. Trim the edges if necessary. Place on a lined or lightly greased baking tray. Repeat with the remaining wontons and filling. Brush with olive oil and bake for 5-6 minutes
until golden and crisp.
Transfer the manti to a baking dish large enough to hold them in a single layer. The edges can slightly overlap. Pour the hot chicken stock around the manti and bake for 8-10 minutes.
Paprika butter: Heat the butter, garlic and paprika in a small saucepan until sizzling.
To serve: Transfer the manti to shallow serving bowls and spoon over the chicken stock. There won’t be a lot of stock.
Top with the yoghurt sauce then drizzle with the paprika butter. Garnish with mint and serve immediately with a green salad.
Don’t use low-fat mince or the filling will be dry.
Crumbled goat’s cheese or feta cheese can be used in place of the cottage cheese, and Sumac can be used in place of the paprika.

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