Handmade Mantı Dough
The traditional dough is made simply from flour, water and salt, then divided into portions and rested before rolling.
- Base: Flour, water and salt
- Preparation: Kneaded and rested
- Finish: Rolled thin with a rolling pin
A Regional Interpretation of a Familiar Turkish Dish
The Story of Tavuklu Mantı in Yalova
Handmade dough, resourceful poultry cooking and a two-stage baking-and-broth technique come together in a strongly local recipe.
Tavuklu Mantı is recorded by the Yalova Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism as part of the province’s traditional cuisine. It also appears in wider presentations of Yalova gastronomy alongside dishes such as Yumurta Dolması, Böğür, Yaprak Pidesi and Ispanaklı Yalova Böreği.
The recipe stands apart from better-known Turkish mantı styles because the filling is based on finely chopped chicken offal rather than minced red meat. Liver, heart and gizzard are cooked with onion, rice, tomato paste, salt and black pepper, creating a substantial savoury filling.
The shaping method is also distinctive. Thinly rolled dough is cut into approximately three-centimetre squares, filled and closed by joining two opposite corners. The resulting pieces are arranged on a tray and lightly oiled before going into the oven.
Baking is only the first cooking stage. Once the mantı has browned and become crisp, hot chicken broth is poured over it and the tray is cooked further until the pieces soften. Cooked chicken meat is then placed on top for serving.
The result is a dish that combines several textures and techniques: delicate handmade dough, a rich rice-and-offal filling, oven-roasted flavour and the comforting softness created by chicken broth.
