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Khuushuur
Fried mutton pasties
Mongolia's crisp fried mutton pasties, the food of the Naadam festival
Khuushuur are the flat, crescent-shaped pasties sold hot from stalls at Naadam, the July festival of wrestling, archery and horse racing, and fried in Mongolian homes all summer: thin dough round a filling of minced mutton, onion and garlic, fried until blistered and crisp. People hold them in a napkin and bite through to the juicy filling. The mistake is rolling the dough thick; it should be thin so it crisps quickly while the meat cooks. Chef's tip: press out all the air before sealing, or the pasties balloon and burst in the oil.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 ⅛ lb plain flour
- 1 cup warm water
- ½ tsp salt
For the filling
- 1 ⅓ lb lamb or mutton mincewith some fat
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 3 garlic clovescrushed
- 1 ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 3 ½ tbsp cold water
- 4 ¼ cups vegetable oilfor frying
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Knead 1 ⅛ lb plain flour, ½ tsp salt and 1 cup warm water into a soft, smooth dough for 6 minutes. Cover and rest 30 minutes.
36 minStep 2: Mix 1 ⅓ lb lamb or mutton mince, 1 onion, 3 garlic cloves, 1 ¼ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, ½ tsp ground cumin and 3 ½ tbsp cold water well.
Step 3: Divide the dough into 18 pieces and roll each into a thin 12 cm round. Spread 2 tablespoons of filling over half, leaving a border, fold over, press out the air and seal by pressing and pleating the edge.
Step 4: Press each pasty flat with your palm so the filling is an even 1 cm thick.
Step 5: Heat 4 ¼ cups vegetable oil in a deep frying pan to 350°F. Fry 3 at a time for 3–4 minutes a side, until golden and blistered and the filling is cooked through to 160°F. Drain on kitchen paper.
25 minStep 6: Serve hot with pickled vegetables.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 26 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 30 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does khuushuur take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- 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 onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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