Aushak - afghan dumplings

Aushak are an Afghan version of dumplings, usually filled with leeks, onions, or chives. It's served with creamy garlic yogurt and a hearty tomato-based meat or lentil sauce. As aushak are time-consuming to make, this dish is usually reserved for special occasions. Filling and sealing the aushak is a wonderful opportunity to sit together and prepare this lovely dish in good company.

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Cut the leeks in half lengthwise, keeping the end intact, and wash in between the layers. Very thinly slice the white and light green portions of the leeks. The thinner you can slice this the better. Our 2 medium leeks gave approximately 5 cups of chopped leeks.
2. In a large strainer over a bowl, combine the leeks, oil, and salt. Mix together using your hands, massaging to ensure the leeks are well coated with the oil and salt. Allow the mixture to sit for at least
   5 minutes to soften.
3. Using your hands, squeeze the mixture to strain any excess liquid, and then add the green onions, chili powder, and pepper over top the leeks. Mix and set aside.
4. To make the yogurt sauce, combine the yogurt, garlic, mint, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
5. To make the gheymeh, heat the oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Cook the onions until golden, about 5 minutes.
6. Add the garlic, chili pepper, coriander, paprika, salt, and pepper and stir for
   1 minute to toast.
7. Add the veggie ground, water, and tomato paste. Mix and cook until heated through, about
   4-5 minutes. Remove from heat, and keep covered with a lid.
8. To make the aushak, take a wrapper, place 1 tbsp of filling in the center, wet the edges with some water, and fold the wrapper in half, over the filling. Use your fingers to press out any extra air from the filling pocket and firmly pinch the edges to ensure the aushak is well sealed.
9. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add 1-2 tbsp oil to the water to help keep the aushak from sticking to each other. One by one, gently drop about 10-15 aushak in the water. We don't want the aushak to pile on top of one another, otherwise, they might stick together and not cook thoroughly. Cook for
   4-5 minutes.
10. Scoop out the cooked aushak and place in a lightly greased colander. Bring the pot of water back to a boil, and continue to cook the remaining aushak.
11. To serve, smear a couple of spoonfuls of yogurt on a few serving dishes. Place 1-2 layers of the cooked aushak on top, and then cover the aushak with some more yogurt and gheymeh. Continue this process over several serving dishes.
12. Garnish with fresh mint or cilantro, and enjoy!

Nutrition