These fragrant shrimp dumplings tell a family’s story

By Korsha Wilson, The New York Times

The menu at Lapis, an Afghan restaurant in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, D.C., offers tongue-in-cheek introductions to each section. The soups are “guaranteed to win over your Afghan mother-in-law (or find you one),” the signature dishes are “as formidable as Afghanistan’s mighty mountain ranges.” And the Afghan dumplings are presented with a simple phrase: “Yes, they exist.”

Among the aushak and mantoo (sometimes spelled mantu), the most popular dumpling is a comforting shrimp-filled version in a saffron cream sauce. Afghan mantoo are often filled with soft-cooked leeks (or onions) and ground beef while aushak are stuffed with the leeks and topped with the ground meat. But Lapis’ shrimp iteration is the product of the chef Shamim Popal’s journey from Afghanistan to the United States.

Pictures of the Popal family, the owners of Lapis, line the walls of the restaurant’s homey interior: formal seated portraits and photos of weddings, dinner parties and newborn babies all function as a time capsule of what life was like before the Soviet-Afghan War in 1979.

“It makes me think of the good old days,” Popal said. Born and raised in Kabul, Popal fled the country with her husband, Zubair Popal, and their three young children in 1980 before arriving in the United States in 1987. She learned to cook formally once she left Afghanistan, taking lessons in the United Arab Emirates at the Intercontinental Hotel, where her husband worked.

“I would call my mother and ask her for recipes,” Popal said. Making mantoo evokes memories of gathering with family to roll thin sheets of dumpling dough to punch into circles and top with fillings for celebrations. Thinking of her seven siblings and mother who now all live in different countries makes her emotional, she said, “because I miss them.”

Mantoo are a common sight at special occasions like weddings in Afghanistan, said Fatima, Popal’s daughter and the chief operating and financial officer of the Popal Group. Traditionally filled with ground beef or lamb, and topped or served alongside a yogurt sauce studded with dried mint, the dish speaks to the influence, in the 13th century, of the Mongols in the region that is now Afghanistan. The dish also underscores the importance of family, she added. “Afghans are known for their hospitality and our family gatherings are a minimum of 20 people.”

When Lapis first opened, Popal made fresh dough, similar to the thicker wrappers she prepared with her family in Afghanistan. But the popularity of the dish made it hard to keep up with each day’s orders, so she began using thinner, store-bought dumpling skins instead. The traditional beef and leek dumplings are served with a garlic sour cream, similar to what’s found in most Afghan restaurants. The shrimp mantoo, however, are served underneath a fragrant, rich, saffron yellow-tinted sauce, made with cream and shallots, speaking to her travels throughout Europe and love of French cooking. “It’s not traditional, but it’s my creation,” Popal said of the dish. “We didn’t have shrimp growing up in Afghanistan, but I fell in love with the flavor.”

Popal originally bristled at the idea of being the chef of Lapis. “She got upset and left,” said Fatima. “I think it was more of a fear because she was so unsure.” After sleeping on it, Popal decided she wanted to take on the challenge. “She came back the next day, fierce, with no doubt she could do it.”

“Lapis is a love letter,” said Omar Popal, Popal’s son and director of strategic projects for the family’s restaurant group. Her upbringing and memories of Kabul are felt in her cooking. “She’s really showcasing a slice of what Afghanistan used to be.”

Recipe: Shrimp Dumplings With Saffron Shallot Sauce

Recipe from Shamim Popal

Adapted by Korsha Wilson

Aushak and mantoo (or mantu), dumplings found in Afghan cuisine, are often filled with soft cooked leeks and onion or ground beef, but this shrimp-filled iteration is the product of chef Shamim Popal’s journey from Afghanistan to the United Arab Emirates and, eventually, Washington, D.C. After opening a French creperie in 2003, Popal decided to share dishes inspired by her upbringing in Afghanistan at Lapis, a restaurant in the city’s Adams Morgan neighborhood. A filling, yet light appetizer, these are meant to be prepared by and for a group, which makes light work and speaks to Popal’s own memories of making aushak in Kabul with family.

Yield: 8 servings (about 50 dumplings and 2 cups sauce)

Total time: 1 1/2 hours

Ingredients

For the Sauce:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup diced shallots (from about 2 large shallots)
• Kosher salt
• Cracked black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed saffron (see Tip)
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 3/4 cups heavy cream

For the Dumplings:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped white onion (from 1 medium onion)
• 1 pound shelled shrimp (2 cups), cut into very small pieces
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (from 2 to 3 cloves)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• Kosher salt
• Cracked black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
• 1 (12- to 14-ounce) package thin, round (3 1/4- to 3 3/4-inch-wide) dumpling wrappers (at least 50 wrappers)

Preparation

1. Prepare the sauce: In a medium saucepan over medium, heat the olive oil for 2 minutes. Add shallots, plus 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until the shallots have softened. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until the shallots are almost translucent, 2 to 3 minutes longer, reducing the heat as necessary to avoid scorching. Stir in the saffron then the white wine, scraping up any browned bits. Let reduce until nearly dry, about 2 minutes. Stir in the cream and bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set the sauce aside to cool for about 10 minutes.