Buuz

Buuz, a classic meat-filled Mongolian dumpling, is a great place to start this list of traditional Mongolian meals. It's a traditional Mongolian dish served to commemorate the Lunar New Year (Tsagaan Sar). The country is influenced by the Siberian High in the winter, so fatty Mongolian meals like buuz help inhabitants get through the harsh winters. The dumplings are normally cooked with a simple wheat dough filled with a mixture of lamb, tail fat, and additional ingredients like onions, victory onions, and caraway. Recipes vary from cook to cook.

Buuz can be found in a variety of forms throughout Mongolia. They're called "flower buuz," "sheep buzz," or "lazy buuz" because of the way they're folded and fashioned. Flower buuz, as its name suggests, resembles a flower, whereas lazy buuz is the easiest and quickest to produce. To prepare, the flour dough is cut into pieces around the size of your palm to prepare. They're rolled out flat, then filled with the meat mixture, then folded and pinched closed. After that, the dumplings are cooked for around 20 minutes before being eaten by hand.

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour, 2/3 cups boiling water, 1 lb. mutton or fatty lamb, preferably ground very coarse, 1 onion, finely minced, 2-3 cloves garlic, minced, 1 - 2 tsp pepper, 1 tsp caraway seeds, 1 tsp salt, 1-2 tbsp water, optional see note

Instruction

• Mix the flour and water together and knead until it forms a smooth dough. A food processor helps bring the dough together in about 30 seconds, but it can also be made by hand.
• Allow the dough to rest under a moistened towel for at least 30 minutes.
• Coarsely grind mutton or fatty lamb and add in remaining ingredients. Stir to incorporate. Omit the added water if you're using pre-ground meat.
• Roll the dumpling wrapper into a long snake and then cut it into 2 dozen pieces. Roll each piece into a 3 inch circle.
• Place a walnut sized piece of meat on each wrapper, and pinch the ends of the wrapper together in your desired shape.
• Steam the dumplings for about 20 minutes in a steamer basket inside a pot with a tight fitting lid (or in an instant pot with a glass lid).
  
• Serve buuz as an appetizer or a main meal.