Aushak aka Afghan Ravioli

Gandana

One of my favorite Afghan dishes is aushak. They are essentially Afghan ravioli that are filled with leeks and a meat, usually lamb. It's usually served with yogurt mint sauce. This recipe has a cheat using store bought wonton wrappers instead of making your own dough. Some people confuse aushak to mantoo (mantu). The basic difference between the two dumpling dishes is that the aushak is boiled and served with a meat sauce on top while mantoo is steamed with the meat mixture inside the dumpling. You would think this is not a big deal but the meat is cooked differently in each recipe, which of course makes the dishes taste very different.

I was taught that aushak is traditionally filled with gandana which is a member of the onion family with a mild flavor and an appearance similar to leek or green onions. Although you can find gandana in some specialty markets, I substitute with leeks but I know other people who use garden variety green onions.

My father can be a bit of a picky eater but I thought I would make aushak as an appetizer one evening when I invited my parents over to dinner. I was happy to see my father gingerly take one to try, tried it, and immediately went back for more. 

Meat Sauce

1/2 pound ground lamb (you can substitute with ground beef or turkey)
1 finely diced onion
3 cloves of finely diced garlic
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground mace or nutmeg
1 teaspoon finely diced fresh ginger
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup of water (you might not need it all)

Saute onions in olive oil until soft. Add beef, garlic, coriander, mace, and ginger and saute until cooked. Add 1/2 a cup of water and simmer slowly until the water is reduced by half. Stir in the tomato sauce, add salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for five more minutes. Add water if the mix starts to look dry. It should be thicker than spaghetti sauce but still have some moisture to it. Cover and set aside in refrigerator. The meat will absorb the flavors while resting

Yogurt Sauce

1 cup Mediterranean style yogurt
1 teaspoon chopped garlic (2-3 cloves)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine ingredients, cover, and set aside in refrigerator. You want to use a very thick yogurt for this. A Greek style yogurt would work well too, or take your favorite plain yogurt and drain it in a cheesecloth to thicken it.

Dumplings

1 package wonton wrappers

1 large leek or 2 small leeks, trim off the roots and the course dark green part of the tops, chop leeks finely.

1 handful cilantro (optional)
1 teaspoon dried chili flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten and mixed with a teaspoon of water

Using the filling very sparingly, I was able to use up almost an entire package of wonton wrappers. If you want to use up the whole bag and make more substantial aushak, I would multiply this recipe by 1.5. Combine all the ingredients except the wrappers and the egg. Let rest for ten minutes, then gently squeeze out the liquid. Put a teaspoon of filling on a wrapper, dab the edges of the wrapper with a thin layer of egg, fold the wrapper onto itself to form a triangle, and press firmly to seal.

The best way to ensure a tight seal is to press down one side of the triangle and then gently roll your palm over the aushak starting with the sealed side and over to the unsealed side. As you roll your palm over the aushak, gently squeeze out the air from around the filling, being careful not to squeeze more liquid out of the filling. Seal the other side of the triangle. Set on a lightly floured baking sheet, and repeat until you run out of filling. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap until ready to cook. You can also freeze the aushak on the tray, then put them all in a zip loc bag in the freezer for a few months.

Boil two quarts of water, slightly salted (a teaspoon or two should do it). Turn the water down to a gently rolling boil, and cook the aushak until translucent. If you're boiling fresh aushak made with thin wonton skins, it should take only two or three minutes. Frozen aushak will take up to five minutes. To serve, heat the meat sauce but not the yogurt sauce. Drain the cooked aushak and arrange them on a warm plate. Dab all over with both sauces (or make stripes) and serve immediately.