Aushak

I absolutely love Afghan food, LOVE.  My husband is pretty neutral on it overall, I think he finds it bland but I could not disagree more.  I often find Indian food too spicy and instead prefer most Middle Eastern dishes for their perfect balance of flavors.  I've been to a few Afghani weddings and completely devour the food.  I was delighted when I read a recipe for Aushak in the book I just finished (Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl).  This Afghan pasta dish has always been a favorite of mine - it's a combination of dumplings, meat sauce and yogurt.  The recipe looked easy enough so I gave it a go.  I bought wonton wrappers from our local international grocery store.  Everything came out perfectly, though my only critique would be the scallion filling was a bit strong.  I read a few recipes that called for leeks instead, which would be a much more mild taste, and I also read a review of the recipe that suggested sautéing the scallions first.  I added more heat to both the filling and the meat sauce and I also added some lime juice to the yogurt sauce.  I also combined plain Greek yogurt with some Middle Eastern dill and cilantro yogurt dip from Trader Joe's I had lying around.  I would recommend jazzing up the yogurt with some dill if you want as it adds a nice touch.  I also doubled the amount of liquid to the meat sauce and added some red wine as it still seemed thirsty.  While not at all tedious, assembling the dumplings takes some time, so pull up a chair to your counter.  I was able to make 18 dumplings, so I have a lot of wonton wrappers left.  It was so much fun I think I'll make some pan seared dumplings tonight.  

Recipe adapted from Garlic and Sapphires, Ruth Reichl

Meat sauce
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 lb ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp diced ginger
1 cup water
1/2 cup red wine (optional)
2 tbsp tomato paste
fresh green chilis (to taste)
salt, pepper

Yogurt sauce
1 cup full fat yogurt (I used Greek)
1 clove garlic, pressed
salt, to taste
juice of 1/2 a lime or lemon

Dumplings
2 scallion bunches, green tops finely chopped (leave out the white part)
salt, pepper
pinch of red chili powder or red chili flakes
fresh green chilis (to taste)
1 tsp minced garlic
~20 or so round wonton or gyoza wrappers

Garnish
chopped fresh mint

Mix the yogurt sauce and allow to sit out and come to room temperature.  Make the meat sauce: heat oil and sautee onion for a few minutes, then add ginger and garlic, and ground coriander and fresh green chili.  Add beef and allow to brown.  Add water and wine until it is reduced.  Add tomato paste and allow to continue reducing for several minutes.  Make dumplings: combine chopped scallions, garlic, salt, pepper, chili in a bowl.  Spoon a small amount of mixture in the center of each wonton wrapper, dip finger in bowl of water and trace outer edge of wrapper, fold in half circle and press firmly.  Heat a pot of water, salt, boil dumplings for about 5 minutes, drain.  Assemble each plate by spooning some yogurt mixture, then some dumplings, then a generous spoon of the meat sauce followed by a dollop of yogurt.  Garnish with mint (optional).