Crispy and Delicious Turkish Delight, Unforgettable Kadayif Manti Recipe

First off, we wanna start by explaining why is it that we did not release this Halloween Special last week. As some of you might have heard, there has been a devastating earthquake in the city of Izmir last week. As a result, we did not think that it would be appropriate to release a video in the wake of such a horrible event, so we decided to hold onto it and thought that appropriating the income from this month's videos to earthquake release funds and raising awareness to such horrible acts of nature would be something we could do to help ease the pain of many families that have suffered from it. Our only wish is that you share today's video with as many people as you can so that you too have a contribution to helping the city of Izmir.

Today we have a spooky recipe that be nicely served as a main dish in a dinner with hors d’oeuvres and it is one of our favorite inventions. I can proudly tell you that virtually everyone asked for a second serving after the first one!
So what's the story behind this spooky special. Well, when I was a kid, I did not like manti, same way I did not like many other dishes. Once in a while, when my grandmother came over, we would all gather at my uncle’s, and “hard-to-make” dishes would be cooked. These “hard-to-make dishes” included meals like meatball soup and manti. On a manti day, a coin would be stuffed in one of the mantis and whoever stumbled upon it during the meal, no matter their age, would get the money put on the table by the elders of the family. This was one of the Anatolia traditions, which prepared the children for life. Indeed, one had to know how to lose as well as how to win, even as a child. And if there were any privileges conceded due to someone’s age, it would be done with subtlety.
I remember it pretty well. I was on my mother’s lap, and I was turning my clove from one side to the other with precise 180 degree angles, saying “I’m not gonna eat it” with no regard to that bag of bones body of mine. And my mother, telling me “Eat just this spoonful for my sake,” thrusted a spoonful of manti into my mouth. As I just started to chew, a metallic sound came out. Apparently, I had found the lucky coin. My mother still says that she did not do it on purpose; nevertheless, it was the moment I really tasted manti and said to myself “um, it’s not bad at all.” Then, I fell in love with the Turkish cuisine with each passing day, and our tradition of manti days always held a special place in my heart.
I hope you too like this dish, which is among my favorite recipes. Moreover, this is a proof that the magnificent kadayif – usually an ingredient for desserts – can well be used in dishes which are not sweet. It makes me happy to see and hear about kadayif wrapped around prawns or cheese-filled fried kadayif.
Now, the recipe…

►SUBSCRIBE ► ►► https://bit.ly/38QQ03R
►CHECK OUT OUR TURKISH CHANNEL ► ►► https://bit.ly/2EJ0NU3
►CHECK OUT OUR TURKISH VIDEOS W/ ENGLISH SUBTITLES ► ►► https://bit.ly/2G62xHD
►Our Etsy Store for International Shopping: https://etsy.me/32ShQwL
►Uluslararası Alışverişler İçin Etsy Sayfamız: https://etsy.me/32ShQwL

For Manti:
250 gr fresh kadayif (you can buy it from a Turkish market or order online. Alternatively, It is possible to wrap the manti mixture in phyllo pastry as well)
200 gr ground beef (mushroom +bread crumbs for the vegetarian version)
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 nutmeg, freshly grated
1/2 teaspoon allspice
6 sprigs of parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt &black pepper

For yogurt:
1 clove of garlic, crushed
5 heaped tablespoons of yogurt
Salt & black pepper

For sauce:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 heaped teaspoon pepper paste (you can skip this if you don’t have any)
125 ml (1/2 cup) tomato puree (or pasata)
A pinch of red pepper flakes
3 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
Salt & black pepper

►To subscribe our Turkish channel: http://bit.ly/RefikaninYemekOkulu
To follow what is happening in our kitchen and cooking school;
►Facebook:   / refikaninmutfagi  
►Instagram:   / refikabirgul  
►Twitter:   / refikabirgul  
►Website: https://www.refikaninmutfagi.com
►The handcraft products that we use in our kitchen: https://goo.gl/0aKsMW