Description
A stunning Afghan dish featuring delicate boiled dumplings filled with leeks and scallions, nestled on a bed of tangy garlic yogurt sauce and topped with richly spiced meaty tomato sauce. Perfect for special occasions, this dish requires some time and effort to prepare but the reward is a truly unforgettable meal.
Adapted from a Recipe by Jim Becker - former chef/owner of Rauxa Cava Bar and Restaurant in Somerville, MA
Ingredients
Units
Scale
YOGURT SAUCE
- 1 1/2 cups full fat Greek yogurt
- 2 cloves garlic, grated or squeezed through a garlic press
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
- 6-8 fresh mint leaves, finely chopped, plus more mint to for garnishing (see below)
DUMPLINGS
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 large leeks, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced and cleaned (note 1)
- 1 large bunch scallions, thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 large garlic clove, grated or squeezed through a garlic press
- 1 package of square wonton wrappers (note 2)
MEAT SAUCE
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 2 jalapeño peppers, seeds and pith removed, finely minced
- 2 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon paprika (sweet, not smoked)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons harissa (note 3)
- 24-ounce bottle of tomato passata (note 4)
TO SERVE:
- 2 -3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 8-10 fresh mint leaves, slivered
Instructions
YOGURT SAUCE
- Mix yogurt, garlic and salt together in a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use. Stir mint through just before serving. This can be made several hours ahead.
FILLING
- Heat olive oil in a skillet and sauté leeks and scallions until soft, about 5 minutes. Add salt, black pepper crushed red pepper and garlic and cook for another few minutes until leeks and scallions start to caramelize. Transfer filling to a small bowl and let cool.
WRAPPING
- Prepare your workspace (see photos in post) - Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Fill a small bowl with water. To keep the wonton wrappers from drying out, place them in a ziplock bag or cover them loosely with plastic wrap. You'll also need a clean, flat surface like a cutting board, as well as a teaspoon and a fork.
- Take a wrapper and place a heaping teaspoon of leek filling in the center.
- Dip your finger in water and moisten the edges of the wrapper.
- Fold wrapper diagonally over filling, corner to opposite corner, to form a triangle.
- Press out any air pockets and pinch edges tightly. Using the tines of the fork, crimp edges to ensure a tight seal. Place dumpling on prepared baking sheet and repeat process until you've used up all the filling. You should have 25-30 dumplings.
- Refrigerate dumplings, on the baking sheet, lightly covered with plastic wrap, until ready to boil, or freeze them for up to 2 months (notes 5 & 6)
SAUCE
- Heat oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the lamb and brown it in one piece, on both sides. Then break it up using a wooden spoon, and continue to cook, stirring, just until it loses its pink color. Season with salt and transfer to a bowl. Pour off the fat and wipe out pot.
- In the same pot, heat remaining tablespoon of oil and sauté the onion, jalapeños and sliced garlic over medium heat, until onions are translucent, about 6 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste, coriander, paprika, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, and harissa to the pot. Cook, stirring, for 3o seconds or so, until fragrant.
- Return the lamb to the pot and add the tomato passata. Simmer the sauce gently, partially covered (to prevent spattering), until nice and thick, 25 minutes or so. Sauce can be made up to a day ahead. (note 5)
ASSEMBLE
- Heat the meat sauce, if needed.
- Bring a large pot of water, with a tablespoon of oil added, to a boil. (the oil prevents sticking)
- Stir chopped mint into the yogurt and smear about a quarter cup of yogurt onto each of 4 plates, using the back of a tablespoon to spread it around, creating a bed for the dumplings.
- Boil the dumplings for about three minutes and, using a mesh skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer them gently to a colander to drain.
- Place 5-7 dumpling on top of the yogurt. Cover dumplings with lamb sauce and and garnish with chopped cilantro and mint. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Leeks - look for large leeks that are at least an inch in diameter. Leeks shrink a lot when cooked so when in doubt, buy more. Thoroughly clean the leeks to remove any grit - cut them lengthwise, then crosswise, and then rinse well under cold running water.
- Wonton wrappers can be found in the refrigerated section of many grocery stores. I use Nasoya Wonton wrappers . There are approximately 50 wrappers in a 12-ounce pack. If you can't find this particular brand, look for wonton wrappers, also called wonton skins, that are 3 to 3½ inches square.
- Harissa - I used Les Moulins Mahjoub organic Tunisian Harissa traditional brand. DEA Harissa in the yellow tube is another good choice. Some brands of harissa are labeled "hot" which you may want to avoid unless you like a lot of spicy heat.
- Tomato Passata is a smooth, rich tomato purée made from ripe plum tomatoes. You can find it at many grocery stores. It typically comes in a tall glass bottle. If unavailable, substitute with good quality canned whole peeled plum tomatoes, and puree them in a blender or food processor until smooth.
- Make-ahead and Storage - You can make Aushak dumplings ahead of time and refrigerate them on the sheet pan for several hours, until ready to boil. Or you can freeze them on the sheet pan. Make sure they are in a single layer, not touching. Once frozen solid, you can transfer them to an airtight container or freezer bag. Lamb sauce can be made a day ahead. Cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge overnight.
- Freezing - Uncooked dumplings can be frozen for up to 2 months. To cook, simply boil them from frozen, following the directions above.
- Nutrition Disclaimer: We do our best to provide accurate nutrition values using an online nutrition calculator however our nutrition information should only be used as an approximation.
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Boil, simmer
- Cuisine: Afghan