Delicate Afghan dumplings filled with scallions and leeks, topped with meat sauce and yogurt.
Aushak is one of Afghanistan's most celebrated dishes — thin pasta pockets filled with chopped leeks and scallions, boiled until tender, then layered with a spiced ground meat sauce and cool, garlicky yogurt. The contrast of hot pasta, warm spiced meat sauce, and cold yogurt is extraordinary. Despite requiring multiple components, each is simple, and the result is one of the great dumplings of the world.
Serves 6
Combine flour, egg, salt, and water. Knead 8 minutes until smooth. Rest covered 30 minutes.
Mix chopped leeks and scallions with cayenne and salt. Let sit 10 minutes, then squeeze out excess moisture.
Sauté onion until soft. Add ground meat and brown. Add tomato paste, cumin, coriander, salt, and a little water. Simmer 15 minutes.
Mix yogurt with garlic and salt. Set aside at room temperature.
Roll dough thin. Cut into circles or squares. Fill each with a teaspoon of leek filling and fold, sealing edges. Boil in salted water for 5–6 minutes.
Spread yogurt on a plate. Arrange cooked aushak on top. Pour meat sauce over. Sprinkle dried mint. Serve immediately.
Squeeze leeks very well or the filling will be too wet and tear the dumplings.
The yogurt must be at room temperature — cold yogurt cools the dish too quickly.
Dried mint is essential for the final garnish.
Taste and adjust salt at the very end — flavors concentrate as liquids reduce, and a final pinch of flaky salt sharpens the whole dish.
Make vegetarian by omitting meat sauce and adding extra yogurt
Add tomatoes to the meat sauce
Use spinach instead of leeks in the filling
Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.
Components store separately for 3 days. Boil dumplings fresh.
Aushak is believed to have originated in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan and has become a national dish. The combination of dumpling, meat sauce, and yogurt reflects the layered nature of Afghan hospitality — giving the guest multiple flavors in one plate.
Both are Afghan dumplings topped with meat sauce and yogurt, but aushak has a leek filling and is boiled, while mantu has a meat filling and is steamed.
Yes — freeze shaped uncooked dumplings and boil from frozen, adding 3 minutes.
Yes — most of the components can be prepared up to a day in advance and refrigerated separately. Reheat gently and assemble just before serving so textures stay distinct.
Stay close to the role each ingredient plays: swap aromatics for similar ones (shallot for onion, lime for lemon), and keep the fat-acid-salt balance intact. Spice blends can usually be approximated with what's in the cupboard.
Per serving · 6 servings total
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