Mongolian buuz
Description
The meat for buuz is finely chopped by hand, and only a small amount of onion is used relative to the amount of meat. The Mongols are a nomadic, herding people, not farmers. Therefore, meat has always been more abundant than vegetables. In Mongolia, wild leek—mangyr—is often added to buuz; it has a distinctive flavor, both onion-like and garlicky. So add a clove of garlic to the filling, finely minced. The dough for buuz is made firm, with water and no egg (which nomads wouldn't have had), and is almost unsalted. In general, Mongolian cuisine is characterized by moderate salt use and the near absence of spices. A little black pepper is quite sufficient. The pure taste of fresh, high-quality meat, fattened on the vast steppe, is the dish's main delight! The buuz dough is rolled not too thin, with edges rolled thinner than the center. This is essential for preserving the dough casing during steaming. For buuz, this is a crucial point! That's why, before placing the prepared buuz into the steamer, their bottoms are dipped in fat or oil. All of this is done to preserve the meat broth inside the buuz! And buuz are eaten in a special way—first slowly, so as not to burn yourself, you drink or suck out the broth through the opening on top, then bite the buuz from the side and drink the remaining broth. Only then do you eat the entire buuz. And, of course, only by hand—no forks! Buuz are also shaped in a special way. The round shape of buuz, with a mandatory opening on top, symbolizes the yurt—the dwelling of nomads, the very foundation of nomadic life. The dough is pinched around the filling with small pleats. Skilled women often shape buuz with 33 pleats—this is the highest level of mastery.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Actually, it's quite simple. Knead a stiff dough by gradually adding warm water to sifted flour that's been lightly salted. Let the dough rest well under an upside-down bowl. For easier handling, you can add a little vegetable oil to the dough.
- 2
Step 2
For easier chopping the minced meat into small cubes, use slightly frozen meat. The meat must be fatty; otherwise, add some chopped tail fat.
- 3
Step 3
Chop the onion into small cubes by hand as well.
- 4
Step 4
Mix the minced meat with onion, lightly season with salt and pepper. If desired, add a crushed garlic clove. Mix the mince well, pressing it with your hands. Do not add water to the mince, otherwise it will be difficult to shape the buuz.
- 5
Step 5
Cut off a piece of dough, roll it into a thick sausage, and cut it into rounds. Roll each round into a thin patty, making the edges thinner than the center. Place the filling in the middle of the dough circle, shaping it into a small mound or, better yet, a round ball.
- 6
Step 6
Press the filling with your thumb and start pinching the dough around your finger, gathering it into pleats, rotating the dumpling and pulling the dough around the filling. In the end, remove your finger, leaving a small hole open. The result should resemble a yurt. Despite having lived in Transbaikalia for many years, I can't shape buuz beautifully, but I can make them quickly!
- 7
Step 7
Dip the bottom of the ready buuz in vegetable oil and place them on the steamer trays. Steam the buuz for 25-30 minutes from the moment the water starts boiling.
- 8
Step 8
Buuza is usually served with green tea with milk, and they are eaten without additional sauces. Eruul mendii tolloo! – Enjoy your meal!