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Afghan

Aushak

Non-vegetarian

آشک · Aushak

Boiled dumplings filled with chopped leek and spring onion, served on garlic yogurt with a spiced minced-meat tomato sauce and dried mint.

Aushak is an Afghan dumpling dish from Afghanistan, ready in about 1 hour 20 minutes and made with wonton / dumpling wrappers, leek and greek yogurt. It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
A serving of Aushak
Photo: Xerxes931 / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
45 min
Cook
35 min
Total
1 h 20 min
Serves
4
Level
Intermediate
Calories
556

Ingredients

4 servings

For the dumplings

For the meat sauce

For the yogurt

To finish

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Fry the onion (opens in a new tab) in the oil until golden, add the beef and brown, then add the garlic (opens in a new tab), tomato paste (opens in a new tab), coriander, pepper (opens in a new tab), salt and water. Simmer for 20 minutes into a thick sauce.

    Food safety: Cook minced beef until no pink remains.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Rub the leek (opens in a new tab) and spring onion (opens in a new tab) with the salt for a minute, squeeze out the liquid, then mix with the chilli flakes (opens in a new tab) and oil.

    • 5 min

  3. Step 3

    Put a teaspoon of filling on each wrapper, moisten the edges, fold into a triangle (or half-moon) and press to seal.

    • 20 min

  4. Step 4

    Cook the dumplings in batches in a large pot of gently boiling salted water for 4–5 minutes until they float and the wrappers are tender. Lift out with a slotted spoon (opens in a new tab).

  5. Step 5

    Mix the yogurt with garlic (opens in a new tab) and salt. Spread half on a warm platter, add the aushak, top with the remaining yogurt and the meat sauce, and sprinkle with dried mint (opens in a new tab).

    • 3 min
    Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Afghanistan · Well documentedMore food from Afghanistan
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Dumplings · Main courses
Cooking method
Boiled, Simmered
Taste
savoury, tangy, garlicky, herby
Diet
No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · High-protein
With the listed swaps: Vegetarian (lacto-ovo), Eggetarian, Pescatarian, Flexitarian-friendly, Beef-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration
Cook more with
Wonton / dumpling wrappers · Leek · Greek yogurt · Spring onion · Red chilli flakes · Ground beef
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom greek yogurt
  • Contains: Eggsfrom wonton / dumpling wrappers
  • Contains: Wheatfrom wonton / dumpling wrappers
  • Contains: Glutenfrom wonton / dumpling wrappers

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

556 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 364 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 20%
  • Carbohydrate 38%
  • Fat 42%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy556 kcal153 kcal
Protein27.8 g7.6 g
Carbohydrate52.8 g14.5 g
Net carbohydrate49.2 g13.5 g
Sugars——
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre3.6 g1 g
Fat25.9 g7.1 g
Saturated fat6.8 g1.9 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol65 mg18 mg
Sodium1331 mg366 mg
Salt equivalent3.3 g0.9 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
636 mg
Calcium
168 mg
Iron
5.5 mg
Magnesium
60 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
63 µg
Vitamin C
13 mg
Vitamin D
—
Vitamin B12
2.1 µg
Folate (DFE)
139 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Red chilli flakes: Ground cayenne (FDC 170932) used as a stand-in for dried chilli flakes such as pul biber or Aleppo pepper.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Keep finished dumplings on a warm platter under a lid while you cook the rest.

Common mistakes

  • Not squeezing the leeks — the filling turns watery and bursts the dumplings.

Serve with

  • Serve as a special-occasion main with naan.

Storage

  • Uncooked dumplings freeze well; cooked aushak are best eaten fresh.

Variations

  • Vegetarian aushak: Top with a tomato and split-pea or lentil sauce instead of meat.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

The body of the dish

For the meat sauce

Used in steps 1, 2, 5

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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