Afghan Aushak Leek Dumplings with Meat Sauce

About This Recipe

Aushak is considered one of Afghanistan's more refined dishes, thin dumplings filled purely with sautéed scallion or leek (no meat in the filling itself), boiled gently, then plated and topped with two contrasting components: a well-spiced ground meat sauce and a garlicky yogurt sauce, finished with a scatter of dried mint. The combination of vegetable-filled dumplings under a meat sauce, rather than meat-filled dumplings, is a distinguishing feature that sets aushak apart from similar dumpling dishes in neighboring cuisines. The leek or scallion filling is cooked down briefly before being wrapped, removing excess moisture so the delicate dumpling wrappers don't tear or become soggy during the shaping and boiling process. Wrapping the thin dough neatly, usually into a folded triangle or simple pleated shape, and sealing the edges firmly is essential since the filling itself contains no binder like egg or meat to hold it together. The meat sauce, seasoned with turmeric, dried mint and black pepper, is spooned generously over the boiled dumplings, followed by a garlic yogurt sauce and another scatter of dried mint, sometimes fried briefly in oil for extra fragrance. Aushak is festive, labor-intensive food, often reserved for special occasions and guests given the time required to properly shape each delicate dumpling.

Ingredients

Serves 5

• 3 cupsall-purpose flour
• 1 cupwater
• 0.5 tspfine sea salt
• 3 cupsleeks or scallions(finely chopped)
• 2 tbspvegetable oil(for the filling)
• 0.5 tspfine sea salt(for the filling)
• 400 gground beef(for the sauce)
• 1onion(diced, for the sauce)
• 0.5 tspturmeric
• 1 cupcrushed tomatoes
• 1 cupplain yogurt
• 2 clovesgarlic(minced, for the yogurt sauce)
• 1 tspdried mint(plus more for garnish)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Mix flour, water and salt into a firm, smooth dough. Knead 8 minutes, cover, and rest 30 minutes.

2. 2

   Cook the leek filling

   Cook chopped leeks in oil until softened and most moisture has cooked off, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and cool completely.

3. 3

   Cook the meat sauce

   Brown ground beef with diced onion and turmeric. Add crushed tomatoes and simmer 15 minutes until thickened.

   Cook the leek filling until most of its moisture has evaporated — a wet filling will make the delicate dumpling wrappers soggy and hard to seal.

4. 4

   Shape the dumplings

   Roll the dough thin and cut into small squares. Place a small amount of cooled leek filling on each, fold into a triangle, and pinch the edges firmly to seal.

5. 5

   Boil the dumplings

   Boil the dumplings in gently simmering salted water for 6 to 8 minutes until they float and the dough is tender.

6. 6

   Make the yogurt sauce

   Stir garlic into plain yogurt with a pinch of salt.

7. 7

   Assemble and serve

   Arrange the boiled dumplings on a platter, spoon the meat sauce over the top, then the garlic yogurt, and finish with a scatter of dried mint.

Variations

• •

  Use pumpkin instead of leek for a seasonal, sweeter filling variation found in some households.

• •

  Make the dish vegetarian by skipping the meat sauce and doubling the garlic yogurt and a spiced tomato sauce instead.

• •

  Add a few chopped walnuts to the meat sauce for extra texture, a less common but appreciated addition.

Storage

Store uncooked dumplings in the freezer for up to a month; boil directly from frozen, adding a couple of extra minutes. The meat sauce and yogurt keep separately refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Frequently Asked Questions