Mantı — Tiny Ground Lamb Dumplings in Garlic Yogurt

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 egg
• ½ cup water
• ¾ tsp salt, plus more for the pot
• 8 oz Ground Lamb
• 1 small onion, grated and squeezed dry
• 1 tsp Aleppo pepper, plus more to finish
• 1½ cups thick yogurt
• 3 cloves garlic, grated
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp dried mint

Method

1. Knead the flour, egg, water, and salt into a stiff, smooth dough — 10 minutes of real work — then rest it covered 30 minutes. Stiff dough is what lets you roll it thin enough.
2. Mix the Ground Lamb with the grated onion, Aleppo pepper, salt, and pepper. Keep it cold until you fill.
3. Roll the dough as thin as you can bear, ideally translucent, and cut into 1-inch squares. Place a lentil-sized dot of filling in each, pinch the four corners up into a little purse, and pinch the seams shut. Work in batches under a towel.
4. Stir the garlic and a pinch of salt into the yogurt and let it sit at room temperature so it doesn't shock the hot dumplings.
5. Boil the mantı in well-salted water 6–8 minutes until they float and the dough turns silky and translucent. Drain well.
6. Melt the butter with the tomato paste and dried mint until it foams and turns brick red, about 1 minute. Spoon yogurt over the dumplings, pour the butter over that, and dust with more Aleppo pepper.