Turkish Cheesy Manti Delight (Printable Version)

Bite-sized dumplings filled with creamy cheese, topped with garlicky yogurt and spiced butter.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dough

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
03 - 1 large egg
04 - 1/2 cup water, plus additional as needed

→ Cheese Filling

05 - 1 cup crumbled Turkish white cheese or feta
06 - 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
07 - 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
08 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ Yogurt Sauce

09 - 1 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt
10 - 1 garlic clove, minced
11 - 1/4 teaspoon salt

→ Spiced Butter

12 - 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
13 - 1 teaspoon paprika
14 - 1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or chili flakes

# Steps to Follow:

01 - In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Create a well in the center, add the egg and water. Mix and knead until a smooth, elastic dough forms, adding more water if necessary. Cover and allow to rest for 20 minutes.
02 - In a separate bowl, combine crumbled Turkish white cheese or feta, ricotta, parsley, and black pepper; mix thoroughly to develop the filling.
03 - Whisk together Greek yogurt, minced garlic, and salt until smooth; set aside at room temperature.
04 - Lightly flour a surface and roll the dough very thin, approximately 2 mm thick. Cut into 1.5-inch squares.
05 - Place about 1/2 teaspoon of the cheese filling in the center of each square. Pinch the corners together to seal, forming small dumplings.
06 - Boil a large pot of salted water. Add dumplings in batches and cook for 5 to 7 minutes until they float and become tender. Drain thoroughly.
07 - Melt unsalted butter in a small pan over medium heat. Stir in paprika and Aleppo pepper, cooking for 30 seconds until aromatic.
08 - Arrange dumplings on serving plates. Spoon yogurt sauce generously over them, then drizzle with spiced butter. Garnish with additional parsley if desired.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • Each bite melts into a pocket of warm cheese nestled against silky yogurt—comfort that tastes both simple and special.
  • The spiced butter drizzle transforms something homey into something that feels restaurant-worthy without pretense.
  • Once you master the folding, you can make these ahead and freeze them, which somehow makes you feel like a genius in your own kitchen.
02 -
  • If your dough tears, don't panic—a tiny patch of dough from your scraps smooths over most damage, and nobody will ever know once it's cooked.
  • The yogurt sauce should be at room temperature when it hits the warm manti; cold yogurt dulls the flavors, and you want that tangy coolness to sing against the warm cheese.
03 -
  • Keep your work surface lightly floured but not dusty—too much flour gets trapped in the dough seams and can make them gritty.
  • If you're nervous about the folding, practice with a few test dumplings before committing your entire batch; muscle memory for this develops fast.
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