Aushak - vegetarian version
I have had Aushak at an Afghan restaurant in Baltimore and local Afghan take-out, and J's friend's house, and it has been on my try-to-cook list because I usually liked foods recognized as "dumplings" and figured the concept - leek stuffed dumpling topped with spiced meat sauce and yoghurt sauce - attractive.
Although spiced meat sauce on top seems staple, I wanted to make no-meat Aushak. Then, I used split pea that provided nice meaty texture. Also, for yoghurt sauce, mixing smashed/chopped fresh garlic seems common while I dashed garlic powder in yoghurt to stay away from leaving unpleasant raw garlic taste in my mouth. Making leek dumplings was pretty easy with using store-bought wanton wrappers.
I really liked my Aushak - complex but well-balanced spiciness. And, J asked me to repeat this dish.
Bravo!
Aushak -vegetarian version
SERVES 2
2 tsp olive oil
1-2 chopped leek, white and light green part
2-3 chopped scallions
a dash of cayenne pepper
18 sheet wanton wrappers (9 per person)
1/2 cup split peas
1 1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/4 minced onion
1/2 minced garlic clove
1 tsp fresh graded ginger
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cardamon
1 cup crushed tomato
black pepper and salt for taste
1/4 cup low-fat yoghurt
dash of garlic powder
1 tbs chopped fresh mint
1. For dumpling, heat oil, low heat, saute leek and scallion with cayenne pepper until they softened without browning. After split pea sauce and yoghurt sauce (Step 2 and 3 below) are ready, wrap round 1 tsp of leek mixture with a sheet of wanton wrapper, making total 18. Boil water in a large pot and stair in dumplings, cook 2-3 min.
2. For split pea sauce, bring vegetable broth to boil, stir in split peas, heat low, cover, cook until peas become very tender. In another pan, cook onion 2-3 min, stir in garlic and spices and cook 1 min, stir in tomato and the cooked pea and simmer 10 min. Adjust taste with black pepper and salt. (more or less salt is already in broth and tomato so I usually don't add salt)
3. For yoghurt sauce, mix yoghurt and garlic powder.
4. Serve cooked dumplings topped with pea sauce and yoghurt sauce. Garnish with fresh mint.
