Aushak (Afghan Leek Dumplings with Yoghurt and Lamb)

About This Recipe

Aushak is one of the great composed dumpling dishes of Central Asia — the Afghan answer to manti or pelmeni, but with a finesse all its own. Thin dough rounds are filled with finely chopped leeks (gandana) seasoned with salt, pepper, and a little oil, sealed into half-moons, briefly boiled, and arranged on a bed of garlicky strained yoghurt. Over the top goes a spoonful of spiced ground-lamb sauce (qorma) studded with split peas and yellow split chickpeas, and the whole dish is finished with dried mint — the signature Afghan garnish that pulls it all together. The result is a deeply layered bite: tangy yoghurt against bright leek, savory lamb, and the herbaceous lift of dried mint. It's a festive dish for Eid, Nowruz, and weddings, served on a large platter for sharing.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 300 gall-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 largeegg
• 120 mlwarm water
• 0.5 tspfine salt (for dough)
• 500 gleeks or gandana (Chinese chives), finely chopped (white and light-green parts only)
• 2 tbspneutral oil (for filling)
• 1 tspfine salt (for filling)
• 0.5 tspblack pepper (for filling)
• 0.5 tspred pepper flakes (for filling)
• 400 glamb mince (or beef mince)
• 2 tbspneutral oil (for qorma)
• 1 mediumyellow onion, finely diced
• 3 clovesgarlic, minced
• 1 tbsptomato paste
• 100 gyellow split peas, soaked 2 hours
• 1 tspground coriander
• 1 tspground cumin
• 0.5 tspturmeric
• 1 tspfine salt (for qorma)
• 400 gthick strained Greek yoghurt
• 3 clovesgarlic, grated (for yoghurt)
• 0.5 tspfine salt (for yoghurt)
• 2 tbspdried mint, crushed (essential)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Mix flour and salt. Beat the egg with warm water and add gradually to the flour. Knead 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Wrap and rest 45 minutes.

2. 2

   Cook the qorma sauce

   Heat oil for the qorma in a saucepan. Brown the lamb mince hard for 6 minutes. Add onion and cook 6 minutes until soft. Add garlic, tomato paste, drained split peas, all spices, salt, and 300 ml water. Cover and simmer 35 minutes until peas are soft and sauce is thick. Keep warm.

3. 3

   Prepare the filling

   Heat 2 tbsp oil in a skillet over medium-high. Add the chopped leeks with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir-fry just 3–4 minutes — they should wilt but stay bright green and not release water. Spread on a plate to cool fully.

   Filling must be COLD when you fill dumplings or steam softens the dough and they tear.

4. 4

   Mix the garlic yoghurt

   Whisk the yoghurt with grated garlic and salt. Thin with 2–3 tbsp water if needed to a thick pourable consistency. Bring to room temperature.

5. 5

   Roll and cut the dough

   Roll the rested dough as thin as possible — paper-thin, 2 mm at most. Cut into 7 cm rounds with a glass or cookie cutter.

6. 6

   Fill the dumplings

   Place a teaspoon of cooled leek filling on each round. Fold into a half-moon, pressing edges firmly to seal — wet edges lightly if dough has dried.

   Don't overfill; an overfilled aushak bursts in the water.

7. 7

   Boil

   Bring a wide pot of salted water to a steady simmer (not a hard boil — it tears the dumplings). Cook the aushak in batches 3–4 minutes until they float and look slightly translucent. Lift out with a slotted spoon.

8. 8

   Assemble

   Spread the garlic yoghurt across a wide warm platter. Arrange the hot drained aushak in a single layer. Spoon the warm qorma sauce in a generous ribbon down the center. Crumble dried mint heavily over everything and serve immediately.

Variations

• •

  Mantu: Afghanistan's other great dumpling, filled with seasoned ground beef and steamed instead of boiled, served with the same yoghurt and qorma.

• •

  Vegetarian aushak: skip the meat in the qorma and double the split peas for a fully vegetarian version.

• •

  Spinach aushak: a less-common spring variant replacing leeks with finely chopped young spinach and dill.

Storage

Uncooked dumplings freeze beautifully — arrange on a tray, freeze solid, then bag. Cook from frozen with 1 extra minute. Once assembled with yoghurt and qorma, eat immediately; the dish doesn't keep.

Frequently Asked Questions