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Buuz
Steamed mutton dumplings
Mongolian steamed mutton dumplings, made by the hundred for Tsagaan Sar
Buuz are the dumplings every Mongolian family makes in their hundreds before Tsagaan Sar, the Lunar New Year, in Ulaanbaatar flats and countryside gers alike, freezing them outside in the cold to steam for the stream of visitors. A simple dough wraps a juicy filling of chopped mutton, onion, garlic and caraway, pinched into a pleated shape with a small hole at the top, and the dumplings are eaten hot, with salty milk tea. The mistake is lean meat: buuz need some fat, or the filling is dry. Chef's tip: add a few spoons of cold water to the filling so it stays juicy when steamed.
- Total time
- 115 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 ⅛ lb plain flour
- 1 cup waterabout
- ½ tsp salt
For the filling
- 1 ½ lb fatty mutton or lamb shoulderfinely chopped or coarsely minced
- 2 onionsfinely chopped
- 3 garlic clovescrushed
- 1 tsp ground caraway or cumin
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ cup cold water
- 1 tbsp vegetable oilfor the steamer
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb plain flour and ½ tsp salt, add 1 cup water and knead for 8 minutes into a firm, smooth dough. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
38 minStep 2: Mix 1 ½ lb fatty mutton or lamb shoulder, 2 onions, 3 garlic cloves, 1 tsp ground caraway or cumin, 1 ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper and ¼ cup cold water well with your hand until sticky.
Step 3: Roll the dough into a long rope and cut into 36 pieces. Roll each into an 8 cm round, thinner at the edges.
Step 4: Hold a round in your palm, add a heaped tablespoon of filling and pleat the edges round, pinching them together but leaving a small hole at the top.
40 minStep 5: Brush a steamer with 1 tbsp vegetable oil and set the buuz in it 2 cm apart. Steam over rapidly boiling water for 18–20 minutes, until the dough is glossy and the juices are clear; the filling must reach 160°F.
20 minStep 6: Serve hot. Freeze uncooked buuz on a tray; steam from frozen for 25 minutes.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 28 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
- Fat
- 23 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does buuz take?
- About 115 minutes in total: 90 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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