Aushak: Afghani Leek Dumplings

This is a vegetarian adaptation of an Afghani dish that i stumbled upon while browsing food porn. The original version stars a very rich meat sauce, so if you try to serve this to some Afghanis they may well be highly disappointed. This version is light and herbal, a very nice summer dinner. Some recipes call for all leeks and some for all scallions, so either is probably fine - we used a mixture.

Aushak

1 butternut squash

1 package wonton wrappers OR 1 recipe pasta dough, rolled as thin as you can get it and cut into circles
2 bunches scallions, minced
1 leek, finely chopped
1 tsp red pepper flakes

16 oz yogurt
1 lemon
some mint, sliced
some pine nuts, toasted

Start by prepping the squash: preheat your oven to 400. Chop the squash in half and rub the cut sides with a bit of oil, brown sugar, salt, and pepper, then cover with tin foil. Bake until soft but not falling apart, maybe 20 minutes? I've never timed it.

While the squash bakes, make your dumpling filling by sauteing the leeks and/or scallions with the red pepper flakes in a bit of olive oil. you don't want to turn them to mush, just cook them a few minutes to make them less crunchy. let cook, then make the dumplings by putting a bit of filling on 1/2 of each circle, folding it over, and sealing the edges with water.

When the squash is ready, take it out and let it cool for a few minutes, then carefully dice it into cubes.

Mix the lemon juice and yogurt to taste, plus a little bit of water to make it runny and sauce-like.

Boil your dumplings, layer them on a plate, and top them with yogurt sauce, cubed butternut, toasted pine nuts, and mint. Enjoy!


1. Thinly slice the green parts of the scallions only reserve white and light green parts for another use). Place in a bowl with the red pepper flakes and olive oil.
2. Get out the wonton wrappers and a bowl of water. Lightly moisten the edge of the dough with some water, then place a teaspoonful of the scallion mixture in the center and fold up the dumpling, pressing the edges firmly to seal. Place on a patter and continue to work making dumplings, until you use up all the filling or lose patience. Do not let the dumplings touch each other or they may stick, separate layers with some wax paper. Can be done 1 day ahead of time.
3. Let yogurt come to room temperature. Add the lemon juice and salt and thin the yogurt so that it is a pourable consistency. This will depend on your yogurt, but I usually add 1/2 cup up to 1 cup of yogurt. Choose a large serving platter and spread a thin swipe over yogurt over the bottom of the platter.
4. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, let it boil gently and not too vigorously. Add the dumplings, 4-5 at a time, and boil just for 1-2 minutes, or until the dough is tender. Transfer to the platter, trying not to let the dumplings crowd together or they will stick together. Drizzle a little bit of yogurt between layers of dumplings to prevent sticking.
5. When platter is full, drizzle the top with some more yogurt, and top with diced candied pumpkin, mint, and pine nuts. Serve immediately.

b) 2 lbs chopped peeled pumpkin or butternut squash, olive oil, 3/4 cup sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Cube pumpkin into 2 inch chunks, toss with oil to coat, then roll in sugar to coat. Cover dish in foil and bake in oven until tender, about 30 minutes. Use as desired in either of the recipe variations above.