13012 Serves 8 Wed Aug 06 08:17:39 -0700 2008 Wed Feb 04 06:39:57 -0800 2009 Licensed http://www.chow.com/recipes/13012 Wed, 04 Feb 2009 14:39:57 GMT Ashak is a special-occasion dish in Afghanistan; it originated in the northern provinces of the country. The traditional filling in Afghanistan uses Chinese leeks (gandana in Afghani), but we prefer the milder and sweeter common leek. This dish also employs a drained yogurt “cheese” called chaka, which is made by draining plain, natural yogurt through cheesecloth for an hour, to eliminate the whey and some of the bitterness of the yogurt. Drained yogurt is usually available from Greek or Middle Eastern grocers, should you not wish to make chaka.

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Put the flour in the workbowl of a food processor. Add the egg, 1 teaspoon [5 mL] of the salt, and the oil while the processor is running. Add the water slowly until a dough forms.

Remove the dough to a floured surface and knead until smooth, about 2 minutes. Allow the dough to rest for 1 hour. (The dough can be made one day in advance, wrapped in plastic film, and stored, refrigerated.)

Sauté the leeks with the cayenne, salt, and garlic in the oil over medium heat until the leeks soften. Reserve. (The filling can be made one day in advance.)

Roll out half of the dough on a lightly floured surface until very thin, keeping the remaining dough covered with plastic film. Cut the dough into 3-inch [8-cm] rounds.

Place 1 tablespoon of the leek filling onto a dough round, lightly brush the edge with water, and fold over into a half-moon shape. Seal the dumpling seam carefully, crimping with the back of a fork. Repeat until all dough rounds are filled.

Place the formed dumplings on a parchment-lined sheet pan (do not allow the dumplings to touch, or they may stick together). Repeat the process, using the second half of the dough. Cover and refrigerate until needed. (The dumplings may be made several hours in advance.)

Stir the minced garlic and salt into the drained yogurt. Mix well and reserve at room temperature until service.

For the lamb sauce, sauté the onion in vegetable oil until lightly browned. Add the garlic and ground lamb and cook until the lamb is browned. Stir in the coriander, ginger, salt, pepper, tomato, tomato sauce, and lamb stock.

Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, or until thickened. An oily layer may separate to the top of the sauce. The oil may be spooned off or the sauce may be chilled and the layer removed. Reserve the sauce until service.

Bring the water, vinegar, and salt to a slow boil. Lower the dumplings into the water and simmer for 10 minutes, periodically turning them to cook evenly. Gently remove the dumplings with a slotted spoon and keep warm for service.

Spread some of the yogurt sauce onto a plate. Add 4 dumplings and top with additional yogurt sauce.

Sprinkle with mint and ladle some of the meat sauce over. Garnish with fresh mint leaves. Serve immediately.

]]> http://www.chow.com Arthur L. Meyer 50 Main 4 cups [960 mL] all-purpose flour

]]> 1 egg

]]> 1 tablespoon [15 mL] salt

]]> 2 tablespoons [30 mL] vegetable oil

]]> About ½ cup [120 mL] water

]]> 1 pound [450 g] leeks, tender parts only, washed thoroughly, and minced

]]> ½ teaspoon [3 mL] cayenne

]]> 1 teaspoon [5 mL] salt

]]> 1 tablespoon [15 mL] garlic, minced

]]> 2 tablespoons [30 mL] vegetable oil

]]> 3 garlic cloves, minced

]]> 1 teaspoon [5 mL] salt

]]> 2 cups [480 mL] natural yogurt, drained 1 hour through cheesecloth

]]> 1 large onion, finely diced

]]> 6 tablespoons [90 mL] vegetable oil

]]> 2 garlic cloves, minced

]]> 1 pound [450 g] ground lamb

]]> 1 tablespoon [15 mL] finely ground coriander

]]> ½ teaspoon [3 mL] ground ginger

]]> ½ teaspoon [3 mL] salt

]]> ½ teaspoon [3 mL] black pepper

]]> 1 large tomato, seeded and diced

]]> ½ cup [120 mL] tomato sauce

]]> 1 cup [240 mL] lamb stock

]]> 7 cups [1.7 L] water

]]> 1 teaspoon [5 mL] cider vinegar

]]> 1 teaspoon [5 mL] salt

]]> 2 tablespoons [30 mL] mint, chiffonade

]]> Fresh mint leaves, for garnish

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