Aushak are Afghan chive and green onion dumplings smothered in tangy yogurt sauce and a spiced meat sauce called keema. The aushak recipe I use is based on one from Gourmet Today, originally printed in Ruth Reichl's Garlic and Sapphires and attributed to an Afghan exchange student she befriended.

I love the unique combination of flavors in this layered dish. Thin-skinned dumplings are stuffed with a savory filling and served with garlicky yogurt and keema seasoned with ginger and coriander.

Notes: I suggest prepping components ahead as making the dumplings can be time-consuming. The meat sauce can be reheated with a little water, and the dumplings can be made the night before. The recipe for aushak printed in the books is great as is, though I've included my changes below: For convenience, I use an 8-oz can of tomato sauce (instead of tomato paste and water), like to saute the chives/green onions briefly (instead of leaving them raw), and use Urfa or Aleppo pepper instead of chili flakes. I love the yogurt sauce so I always make extra. I pull out this recipe when I have an abundance of garlic chives, Egyptian walking onions, and I'itoi onions in my garden.

Aushak

Serves 4

Dumplings:
1-1/2 cups of minced chive and/or scallion tops
1 Tbsp of olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp Urfa or Aleppo pepper (or red pepper flakes)
1 minced garlic clove
Round gyoza or wonton wrappers

Keema:
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
8 oz ground beef
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1 8-oz can of tomato sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Yogurt sauce:
1 cup yogurt
1 large clove of garlic minced and mashed with 1/2 tsp salt to make a paste

In a skillet over medium heat, saute garlic until golden. Add green onions/chives, salt, pepper and chile flakes and saute for 30 seconds. Remove from burner and let residual heat soften the onions/chives. Allow to cool slightly. (Per original recipe, you can mix all filling ingredients without cooking). Moisten edges of wrappers with water and place 1 teaspoon of filling in the middle. Fold over and press firmly to seal, squeezing out any air pockets. Cover and set aside or refrigerate if made ahead.
Combine yogurt and garlic paste and set aside. Thin with water if needed.
For keema, heat oil in a pan and saute onion until golden. Add beef, garlic, coriander, and ginger and cook, breaking up meat with a fork, until it is browned. Add tomato sauce and simmer for 10 minutes to meld flavors, adding water if the sauce gets too dry. Season with salt and pepper to taste and keep warm.
Bring salted water to a boil and cook dumplings for approximately 5 minutes. Drain.
To serve, layer a little garlic yogurt onto a serving dish, place dumplings on top, spoon more yogurt over the dumplings and then finish with meat sauce. Garnish with fresh or dried mint.

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Aushak