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Yufka Mantısı – Easy mantı rolls with filo sheets

By Ozlem Warren on January 13, 2026 in Turkish cookery book, Turkish Festive Dishes, Uncategorised 2

This is a scrumptious and easy version of mantı, using filo sheets; a popular one in my homeland in Türkiye, made with yufka sheets. I like to use minced/ground lamb in the filling and loads of grated onions for flavour and moisture. As the filling is much more substantial than in traditional mantı, I add a bit of bread crumbs to give it a kofte like soft texture and avoid it to be dry (traditional mantı wouldn’t have breadcrumbs in filling). It makes a gorgeous, melt in the mouth moist filling and makes a lovely contrast to the crispy filo when baked. With garlic yoghurt and spiced oil, it is an easy, scrumptious and impressive mantı rolls feast.

Alternative fillings: You could use ground beef; please make sure it has 20% fat content so it won’t be dry. For vegetarian filling, you can use loads of sauteed onions, combined with green lentils, herbs, mashed potatoes, for instance, with a good seasoning. Make ahead: You can bake the first stage of this dish a day ahead and keep in the fridge. Add the sauce and cook further, then serve with the garlic yoghurt and spiced oil just before eating.

Tray bake Mantı with spiced chickpeas, Nohutlu Tepsi Mantı from SEBZE cookbook. Image credit Sam A Harris

I hope you enjoy this delicious, easy mantı rolls feast, Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem x

5.0 from 1 reviews

Yufka Mantısı – Easy mantı rolls with filo sheets

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Manti rolls with filo sheets

Cuisine: Turkish cuisine

Serves: 4

Ingredients

5 filo sheets, thawed (each 480mm x 255 mm)
450g/1lb minced/ground lamb
2 medium onions, grated
55g/2oz breadcrumbs
3tbsp olive oil
small bowl of water with a drizzle of oil for brushing
small bunch of parsley, finely chopped (reserve 1 tbsp for decorating)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the sauce:
2tbsp olive oil
1tbsp Turkish pepper paste
1tbsp double concentrated tomato paste
155ml/ 5 ½ oz water
For the garlic yoghurt:
2-3 garlic cloves, crushed with salt and finely chopped
400g/14oz full fat yoghurt
For the spiced oil:
2tbsp olive oil
30g/1lb butter
1tsp pul biber
2tsp dried mint

Instructions

Grease the base and sides of 20cm diameter round baking dish with 6 cm height with 1tbsp olive oil. Preheat fan oven to 180C/200C/400F.
Combine the grated onions, breadcrumbs, parsley, 1 tsp salt and generous grind of black pepper in a large bowl. Knead with your hands to combine well, then stir in the minced meat and knead to combine thoroughly. Divide the filling into 5 equal portions (about 80g/2.8oz each).
Place the filo sheets on a clean, dry surface and cover with damp towel. Take one sheet out and place on a dry surface, the long edge nearest to you. Place ⅕ of the filling in a line, then roll up into a log; dip pastry brush into the water& oil mixture and brush the edge of the pastry, complete the log to seal. Make 4 more logs this way, then slice the logs into 5cm rolls.
Place the rolls up right, side by side, quite tightly, until all placed in the dish. Brush the tops and sides of the rolls with the olive oil and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, the rolls will crisp up nicely round the edges.
Take the yoghurt out of the fridge, stir in the garlic, season and combine well. Set a side to bring to room temperature.
While the mantı rolls are baking, also make the sauce. Combine the olive oil, pepper paste and tomato paste in a small pan over a medium heat and pour in the water. Season with salt and pepper, bring to the boil then simmer for 5 minutes, turn the heat off.
After 30 minutes, take out the dish from the oven and gently pour the sauce all over the crispy rolls. Return the dish to the oven for another 10 minutes.
Use the same small pan to make the spiced oil. Stir in the olive oil and butter and melt, warm up over medium/low heat. Then stir in dried mint and pul biber and gently infuse for 30 seconds.
Serve mantı rolls hot, with blobs of garlic yoghurt, a drizzle of spiced oil and sprinkle of chopped parsley over immediately.

Dalyan Köfte – Meatloaf with boiled eggs, peas and carrots

By Ozlem Warren on April 7, 2023 in Casseroles and Stews, Roasts and Kebaps, Uncategorised 2

We Turks love köfte, our meatballs and we have so many variations. This Dalyan Köfte is a showstopper, and surprisingly easy to make. I remember my mother making it at special occasions when I was a child. It is in the shape of a substantial meatloaf with boiled eggs in it, garnished with peas and carrots in tomato sauce. It makes a lovely meal with mashed potatoes aside; some folks enjoy it with plain pilaf too. It is delicious and impressive to serve; I hope you enjoy making Dalyan Köfte at home.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Dalyan Köfte – Meatloaf with boiled eggs, peas and carrots

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Meatloaf - Kofte

Cuisine: Turkish cuisine

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

5 medium eggs, hard boiled and peeled
For the köfte/meatloaf mixture:
1kg/2lb 3oz minced/ground beef (5-10% fat)
2 medium onions, grated
2 medium eggs (save 1 egg white to glaze the meatloaf later)
60g/2oz bread crumbs (use gluten-free bread to make the dish gluten-free)
1tsp pul biber (use less if you prefer)
1tsp ground cumin
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the rest:
2 medium carrots, trimmed and cut into pea size pieces
255g/9oz fresh or frozen peas
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2tbsp double concentrated tomato paste
2tbsp olive oil
255ml/9fl oz water
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Chunks of bread, rice or mashed potatoes to serve

Instructions

Place the diced carrots in a small pot, pour in plenty hot water, partially cover and simmer for 10 minutes, until carrots are partially cooked and still have a bite to them Drain and set aside.
Place all köfte ingredients into a large mixing bowl (saving 1 egg white in a small bowl for later). Season with salt and ground black pepper and knead well with your hands for about 2-3 minutes, until all mixed well. Turn into a large köfte loaf, cover with a cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for 1 hour.
Preheat fan oven to 180C/350F. Place baking paper on a large tray and have a small bowl of water with a drizzle of olive oil aside to help shape the meatloaf.
Take the meatloaf mixture from the fridge and place on the baking paper over the tray. Wet your fingers over the water and olive oil mixture and gently press and expand the meatloaf into a 35cmx28cm rectangular shape with about 1cm height. Place the peeled boiled eggs on a line horizontally across the center of the rectangular meatloaf sheet. Spread 3 tbsp carrots and 3 tbsp peas at both sides of the eggs, leaving 3cm at both ends of the line with no filling.
Gently roll the meatloaf sheet over the filling, with the help of the baking paper (peeling off the baking paper as you roll), making a tight roll. Close and tuck both ends of the meatloaf, sealing the filling in. Brush the top and sides of the meatloaf liberally with the spared egg white – this will help keep the meatloaf intact and give a lovely glaze. Bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, until lightly browned at top and the meat is cooked.
Just before the meatloaf is cooked, pour in the olive oil into a wide pan and stir in the garlic and tomato paste. Cook over medium to high heat for 2 minutes, stirring often. Then add the remaining carrots and peas to the pan, combine well. Pour in the water, season with salt and ground black pepper and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat and simmer for about 4-5 minutes, until peas and carrots cooked but not mushy.
Take the cooked meatloaf out of the oven, rest for 5 - 8 minutes (this will make the slicing easier. Then cut into thick slices, garnish with the hot cooked peas and carrots in tomato sauce over and aside of Dalyan Köfte. Serve immediately with chunks of bread, rice or mashed potatoes aside.

Earthquake fundraiser for Turkey – 100 % Sales of Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookbook donation to Charity

By Ozlem Warren on February 10, 2023 in Uncategorised 0

Dear All,

As you are aware, Southeast Turkey and Syria has been very severely effected by the recent earthquake on February 6th – over 40,000 lives have been lost and still counting, an unimaginable pain. It hit home too, as my hometown Antakya – Hatay is hugely destroyed, so very heartbreaking. My immediate family in Istanbul is thankfully fine but we unfortunately lost some extended family and friends in Antakya, my heart aches and sincere condolences goes to all.

We are doing whatever we can to help the region to save and build lives. Thank you so much for your overwhelming response to our fundraiser, where, 100% of sales of the Signed copies of my cookery book Ozlem’s Turkish Table bought via GB Publishing have been donated to the UK-based charity Turkey Mozaik Foundation, (Charities Commission Registration number: 1174968) the charity which transfers Earthquake emergency relief funds directly to Turkey. My sincere thanks to GB Publishing to enable me to do this fundraising. In a short period of time, we raised 8,946 GBP for the charity; thank you very much for your overwhelming response and support, cok tesekkur ederiz.

My cookery book has been a love letter to southern Turkish cuisine especially and to my roots, and I hope to keep this heritage alive and give hope. Thank you very much for all your support and my sincere condolences for everyone’s loss.

Ozlem