Aushak Recipes

AUSHAK (AFGHAN LEEK AND SCALLION DUMPLINGS)

Steps:

• In a large skillet, drizzle the oil over medium heat. Add the sliced scallions and leeks. Cook, stirring often, until softened, 7-10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until just fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Season with salt, pepper, and ground chili. Remove to a bowl and allow to cool to room temperature.
• Line a large baking sheet with parchment.
• Place a teaspoon of the cooled filling in the center of a wonton wrapper. Wet the edges lightly with water and fold the wrapper in half to enclose the filling. Press out any air pockets and push down along the edges to seal.
• Place the dumpling on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining filling/wrappers, arranging them in a single layer. If not using immediately, cover the baking sheet with plastic and refrigerate for up to a day or freeze until solid, transfer to a freezer bag, and store for a couple of months.
• Drizzle the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the garlic and cook until just fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
• Add the ground meat, breaking it apart into small pieces with a spoon, and cook until no longer pink. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, and coriander. Stir in the tomato sauce and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through and thickened. Season to taste, adding more salt if needed.
• Decrease the heat to the lowest setting to keep warm while the remaining ingredients are prepared.
• In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, garlic, dried mint, and salt. Season as needed to taste.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the dumplings in batches, being careful not to overcrowd. Boil over medium-low heat until heated through, 2-3 minutes. Gently remove with a slotted spoon.
• Serve the dumplings warm topped with the meat sauce, yogurt, and fresh mint.

AUSHAK (AFGHANI GREEN ONION DUMPLINGS)

Steps:

• In a large skillet, melt butter over medium high heat. Add bay leaf, onions, shallot, then garlic. Saute for 3 minutes.
• Add beef to the onion mixture and brown until mostly cooked through and in small pieces. Add coriander paste and ginger, stirring well, and let simmer a few minutes.
• Add water and the tomato paste then reduce to low heat. Keep simmering until ready to plate.
• Put on a large pot of water to cook dumplings. While it is rising to a boil, clean and mince/chiffonade the leeks and green onions. Reserve some green onions for garnish and combine the rest in a bowl with jalapeno, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Mix well.
• Lay out the wonton sheets. Brush a little warm water around edges of each wrapper, portion out a teaspoon of filling per dumpling and then place another wrapper on top of each, excluding as much air as possible as you press tightly to seal. Lay out on a baking sheet.
• Salt water when it has reached the boiling point then gently drop in dumplings. Cook for about 2 minutes each and then remove and drain.
• Spoon a light swirl of sauce in the center of each plate then lay 2 or 3 dumplings on top. Dress with sauce. Season yogurt with salt and pepper. Place a dollop on center of each plate over dumplings. Garnish with green onions and eat.

AUSHAK

Steps:

• Make the dumpling filling with the scallions, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and garlic, mixing in a bowl.
• Place this filling into wonton wrappers, pressing them into half circles.
• For the meat sauce, sauté onion until golden, then add beef, garlic, coriander, and ginger cooking until meat is cooked through. Stir in water and continue cooking at same heat for 5 minutes, before adding tomato paste and continuing to cook for a further 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Finally, blend the yogurt, garlic and salt in a bowl for the yogurt sauce.
• Serve the dumplings covered with the meat sauce and a small amount of yogurt sauce and garnished with mint.