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Yufka Mantisi - Turkish Dumplings

Falak
Print Recipe
Cuisine Turkish
Servings 6 people

Ingredients
  

  • 3 chicken breasts (about 750 grams)
  • 2 medium white onions
  • 1 large bell peppers chopped (red, green, orange, or yellow)
  • 1 cup cabbage roughly chopped
  • 1 cup mushrooms (about 200 gm)
  • 1 large carrot
  • 1 Thai chili (green or red)
  • 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
  • 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
  • 1 teaspoon cumin powder
  • 3 teaspoon paprika
  • ¾ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup water
  • 2 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
  • ½ cup chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon fresh mint (½ tablespoon if using dried mint)
  • 10 large tortillas
  • 1 cup yogurt
  • ½ - ¾ cup shredded cheese (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400 F.

Prepare chicken mixture:

  • Prepare a 9 inch cake pan or any other oven safe baking dish with raised sides and line it with aluminum foil/parchment paper and brush it with oil.
  • In a food processor, add the onions + bell peppers + cabbage + mushrooms + carrots+ Thai chili and pulse for a few seconds. Do not make a paste of it!
    Alternatively, you can chop them very finely if you do not have a food processor.
  • Transfer the vegetables to a bowl.
  • In the same food processor, add the chicken breast and pulse to break down the chicken.
  • Add the the following spices to the chicken breast in the food processor- 1 teaspoon salt + 1 teaspoon black pepper powder + 1 teaspoon red chili flakes + 1 teaspoon cumin powder + 2 teaspoon paprika powder + 2 tablespoons of olive oil and run the food processor until it forms a paste.
  • Transfer the minced chicken to the chopped veggies and mix well.
  • Divide the chicken mixture into 10 equal parts (for the 10 tortilla)

Prepare oil and water mixture:

  • In a separate bowl, mix 5 tablespoons olive oil with 5 tablespoons of water.

Assembly:

  • Brush tortilla with the water and olive oil mixture on BOTH sides.
  • Scoop the chicken mixture and spread it on one end of the tortilla and roll it securely into a log.
  • Cut the rolled tortilla into 4 equal parts if using large tortillas. (If using small tortillas, cut into 2 parts). Repeat the process until all the chicken mixture is used up.
  • Stack the cut tortilla rolls vertically in the baking dish/ cake pan so that they cover the whole surface area of the dish. Make sure they are tightly packed together.
  • Brush all the stacked tortilla rolls with the oil and water mixture (this will keep the rolls moist and prevent the chicken from drying out).
  • Bake for 30 minutes.
  • While it is baking, prepare the 2 sauces.

Sauce 1 Prep:

  • In a frying pan on medium low heat, add 3 tablespoons of olive oil + 2 tablespoons of tomato paste + 1 tablespoon of chili garlic sauce + 1/2 cup chicken broth and cook for 1-2 minutes. The sauce should be runny.
  • Once the tortilla rolls have baked, pour the sauce over it. Try to drizzle over all the rolls. Then sprinkle cheese over it.
  • Bake it for a further 10 minutes.

Sauce 2 Prep:

  • In a bowl, add 5 tablespoons of water to 1 cup of yogurt and give it a good mix.
  • In a frying pan on medium low heat, add 3 tablespoons of olive oil + 1 teaspoon paprika + ¼ teaspoon salt + 1 tablespoon mint leaves.
  • Sauté for 30 seconds only.
  • Immediately add it to the yogurt and stir.

How to Serve:

  • Let the tortilla rolls cool slightly.
  • Now everyone can pull out each individually tortilla roll, dip it in the yogurt sauce and enjoy!

Notes

  1. You can use ground chicken. 
  2. You can adjust the amount of vegetables used or use your favorite vegetables.
  3. Vegetables should be chunky not turned to paste.
  4. If using small size tortillas, cut them in halves only.
  5. The filling can be made a day ahead and refrigerated.
  6. Brushing water-oil mixture on both sides of the tortilla keeps them soft and gives a slight crisp when they are being baked.
  7. Any oven safe dish can be used but make sure to line it with foil or parchment for easy clean up and preventing the Mantis from sticking to the bottom.
  8. The tomato sauce will seem less but it is enough for flavoring the rolls.
  9. If using dried mint leaves, use half the quantity mentioned because it can be overpowering.
  10. Leftovers can be refrigerated.