Name: Ashak
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Afghan
Ingredients: For the dough: 2 cups all-purpose flour; 1/2 cup warm water; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 egg; For the filling: 2 cups gandana (Afghan chives) or scallions, finely chopped; 1 green chili, minced; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/4 tsp black pepper; For the lamb sauce: 250g ground lamb; 1 medium onion finely diced; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 1/2 tsp cumin; 1/2 tsp coriander; Salt and pepper to taste; 1/2 cup water; For the yogurt: 2 cups full-fat plain yogurt; 2 cloves garlic, minced; Salt to taste; To finish: dried mint, chili flakes

Afghan boiled dumplings stuffed with gandana (Afghan chives) and scallions, served on garlicky yogurt and spiced minced lamb sauce, finished with a shower of dried mint. Delicate, bright, and aromatic.

The Cultural Story

Where mantu are Afghanistan's celebration dumpling, ashak are its everyday poetry — a dish defined by the perfume of gandana, the Afghan chive whose flavor lands somewhere between green onion and garlic. The filling is vegetarian: finely chopped gandana, scallions, and chili, raw, mixed with salt. The complexity comes in the layering: a base of garlicky yogurt, the boiled dumplings on top, then a ladleful of spiced ground lamb sauce, then dried mint and chili. Every bite contains three temperatures and four textures. Ashak is believed to have originated in the Kabul region and spread through Afghan diaspora cooking worldwide. In Afghan-American communities, it is one of the dishes most associated with home and memory — the thing requested at reunions, the dish grandmothers make when family arrives. The dough mirrors mantu's, but ashak are boiled rather than steamed, giving the wrapper a softer, silkier texture.

Ingredients

For the dough: 2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
For the filling: 2 cups gandana (Afghan chives) or scallions, finely chopped
1 green chili, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
For the lamb sauce: 250g ground lamb
1 medium onion finely diced
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup water
For the yogurt: 2 cups full-fat plain yogurt
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt to taste
To finish: dried mint, chili flakes

Instructions

1Make the dough: combine flour, salt, egg, and water. Knead 8 minutes until smooth. Rest covered for 30 minutes.
2Make the filling: toss finely chopped gandana or scallions with chili, salt, and pepper. Squeeze out excess moisture if the chives are very wet.
3Make the lamb sauce: cook onion in oil until golden. Add lamb and brown. Add tomato paste, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, and water. Simmer 10-12 minutes until reduced and fragrant.
4Make the yogurt: whisk yogurt with garlic and salt until smooth.
5Roll the dough to 2mm. Cut into circles with a 3-4 inch cutter.
6Place 1 teaspoon of filling in the center of each round. Fold in half and press edges firmly to seal into a half-moon shape. Crimp with a fork.
7Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook ashak in batches for 4-5 minutes until dough is cooked through.
8To assemble: spread yogurt generously on a platter. Arrange boiled ashak on top. Ladle lamb sauce over. Shower with dried mint and chili flakes. Serve immediately.

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