my camera batteries were dead when we decided to start making dinner, so this recipe had to be photographed on the iphone.
it’s too bad really, because these dumplings are so delicious they deserve to be properly photographed.
oh well.
instead of trying to make the photos pretty, we figured we’d give you an exclusive behind the scenes view of making dinner. fascinating, i know.
note how close the computer is to the stove. i get yelled about this frequently (the camera is usually equally close).
jason has some very good ideas about starting a blog of his own. he’s thinking about a blog where he takes photos of me taking photos of food and then blogs about the amount of dishes that he had to wash as a result of the recipe. it would be written in recipe form, like this.
this recipe resulted in:
- 2 pots
- 1 pan
- 3 bowls
- 2 plates
- a reasonable amount of silverware
- 3 wooden spoons
it was totally worth it.
and it was totally worth it. these dumplings are unique in that the meat is actually on the outside. inside the wonton wrappers is just scallions with some seasoning, but when paired with the flavorful lamb and the yogurt sauce, the dish is to die for.
making dumplings from different cultures is always fun and seems to be the type of recipe that jason gets excited about participating in and not just eating.
he took the lead in the pelmeni we made quite some time back. for this dish, he created an assembly line for making the dumplings. i went for more of a small batch artisan approach, assembling one at a time and making sure they were perfect.
in the end we dumped them all together so i have no proof that mine held together any better.
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1½ lb ground lamb
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1½ teaspoon paprika
- 1½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 lb scallions, white and green parts chopped
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 package wonton wrappers
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- ½ cup greek yogurt
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped
- In a large dutch oven or pan, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add onions and saute for 5-6 minutes, until translucent. Add in garlic for an additional minute. Next, add in lamb, breaking up into small chunks. Cook until meat is well browned.
- Add tomato sauce, paprika, coriander, 1½ teaspoons salt, and pepper to pot. Mix well, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes stirring frequently.
- Meanwhile, in another large pan, heat remaining olive oil. Add scallions, red pepper flakes, and 1½ teaspoons salt. Cook down until scallions are tender.
- Set up a workstation to assemble the dumplings. You'll need a clean workspace, a small bowl of water, the wonton wrappers and scallion mixture.
- Place a wonton wrapper on your workspace, dip your finger in water and wet two conjoining sides of the wrapper. Add a tablespoon of the scallion mixture to the middle, then fold the non-wet corner onto the wet corner of the wrapper. Pinch the sides firmly together and then take the two long ends and fold them in, pinching them together as well (refer to the photograph of the dumplings if this doesn't make sense). Repeat until you've used up all your filling.
- Once dumplings are assembled, put in freezer for about 10 minutes to firm them up before cooking. Meanwhile, boil a large pot of water with the vinegar.
- While the dumplings are in the freezer, make the yogurt sauce. Combine yogurt, sour cream, garlic salt and mint and mix well. Set aside.
- Once dumplings are frozen, toss them in the boiling water, about 10-12 at a time, for 4 minutes.
- Serve the dumplings with the lamb kofta on top with a dollop or two of the yogurt sauce.
recipe adapted from food52.
[…] afghan dumplings with lamb kofta and yogurt sauce – if i’m going to pick a dumpling, it’s going to be this one. they just stand out […]
writes one year blog anniversary and my top ten | Things I Made TodayThis was absolutely delicious. I followed the instructions just about word for word other than the fact that my butcher was out of lamb today so I had to substitute ground sirloin. Next time it will be lamb for sure — and there will most definitely be a next time! Thank you for the wonderful recipe :)
writes JenMade these for the second time the other night, and it remains one of the best dishes I’ve ever made. Totally worth the time they take to make…though for a quick meal, I’m considering the lamb mixture + scallion mixture over rice or noodles. Maybe swapping out the lamb for beef to make it a bit more economical.
writes Whitney1citizen
writes 1capitulation