Aushak is the other Afghan dumpling, and it is put together the opposite way round from mantu. The filling is green: gandana, a mild flat-leaved allium somewhere between a leek and a chive, chopped fine and softened with salt and a little chilli. The dumplings are boiled instead of steamed, and the meat goes on top, as a thick lamb and tomato sauce spooned over a layer of garlic yoghurt, with dried mint scattered last. Folding them takes a long time, which is why families make aushak together, working through an afternoon and then eating at one table. Gandana is hard to find outside Afghan grocers, so this version uses spring onions, chopped whole and cooked down until soft and sweet. Shop wonton wrappers stand in for the hand-rolled dough, as they do in plenty of Afghan kitchens outside Afghanistan.
INGREDIENTS
- 3 tbsp olive oil (for the meat sauce)
- 1 large onion (finely chopped)
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- 450 g lamb mince
- 240 g passata
- 1½ tsp paprika
- 1½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1½ tsp salt (for the meat sauce)
- 450 g spring onions (trimmed (in place of gandana))
- 1 tbsp olive oil (for the filling)
- 1 tsp salt (for the filling)
- ½ tsp chilli flakes (optional)
- 25 square wonton wrappers
- 1 tsp vinegar
- 250 g plain yoghurt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt (for the yoghurt)
- 1 tbsp dried mint
METHOD
- Warm 3 tbsp oil in a pan over a medium heat and cook the onion until soft and translucent. Add the garlic for a minute.
- Add the lamb and cook it through, breaking it into small crumbs.
- Stir in the passata, paprika, coriander, black pepper and 1½ tsp salt, turn the heat to low and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring often, until thick.
- Chop the spring onions very fine, whites and greens together; a food processor helps.
- Warm 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan, add the spring onions, 1 tsp salt and the chilli flakes, turn the heat to low and cook for about 10 minutes until completely soft. Leave to cool.
- Wet two adjoining edges of a wrapper, put a teaspoon of filling in the centre and fold into a triangle, pressing the edges firmly shut. Bring the two long points together and pinch them to make a small ring.
- Bring a large pan of water to a gentle boil and add the vinegar. Cook the dumplings in batches for about 4 minutes, or as long as the wrapper packet says.
- While they cook, stir the garlic powder and ½ tsp salt into the yoghurt.
- Lift the dumplings out with a slotted spoon and lay them on a warm platter. Spoon the yoghurt over, top with the meat sauce and scatter with dried mint. Serve straight away.
