How to make Afghan leek dumplings
This recipe has its start with a gift card to an online food delivery website graciously provided by my employer. Deciding on a restaurant to order from was a no-brainer. I had the Helmand, a local restaurant specializing in Afghan cuisine, on my list since moving to Baltimore about a year ago.
Choosing what to order? For that I leaned on The Washington Post’s review of the restaurant from 2003 to help narrow down my options. I figured anything still existing on their menu after nearly 20 years has stood the test of time and was worth trying.
Luckily, I was nudged to try aushak, a dish the restaurant describes as “ravioli filled with leeks, served on yogurt and topped with ground beef and mint.” It was simply sublime.
I am an absolute allium fanatic. I believe you are, too, and might not know it yet. Sauteing onion at the beginning of countless recipes is when I most often get the “wow that smells delicious” comments from anyone near my kitchen.
Aushak might be your path to realizing your affinity for alliums.
Restraint – a quality with which I am not intimately familiar – is key to this recipe.
My instinct was to unleash the entire arsenal of spices when tackling this classic dish. My partner wisely advised me to steady my hand. This is typical of our relationship, as I am most often the one with questions and his palate supplies most of the answers. I often overcomplicate what I am tasting, while he is somehow able to distill a flavor to its core elements. “I think the filling is seasoned with salt and just lets the leeks shine,” he said. I concede, less is more here.
Experimenting with the dumpling wrappers proved to be the most challenging part of re-creating this dish. After a couple of false starts, I reverted to a dough-making technique that lets a food processor do most of the work. But I recommend making it even easier on yourself: Simply buy frozen dumpling wrappers.
The rest of the recipe comes together in relatively quick steps. A saute of scallions and leeks mellows out their bite and brings out their natural sweetness, resulting in a filling perfectly suitable for those delicate little wrappers.
Top the boiled dumplings with a meat sauce spiked with coriander and paprika, plus a refreshing and zingy seasoned yogurt, and you’re left with a deeply complex, unexpect- ed crowd-pleaser.
Now, I know what you’re thinking – that sounds like a lot of work. So here’s my advice: Read the recipe from start to finish and see what you can break up into smaller segments. Both the filling and the meat sauce here can be made a day ahead and refrigerated overnight.
I do, however, recommend trying to clear your calendar for the afternoon and diving in. You’ll be surprised at how meditative the process of hand-filling dozens of dumplings can be.