Khuushuur (Mongolian Fried Meat Pastries)

About This Recipe

Khuushuur are the food of Mongolia's summer Naadam games — every family fries dozens at a time on outdoor griddles, the smell of mutton-fat smoke drifting across the steppe. The dough is unleavened, rolled paper-thin in 12 cm rounds. The filling — finely chopped mutton, onion, garlic, sometimes a little water to keep it juicy — is sealed inside and the edges crimped into a half-moon. They are fried flat in a generous pool of beef tallow or sunflower oil until both sides are blistered golden-brown. The first bite releases steam and a rush of meaty juice. Mongolian children eat them by the dozen; nomadic herders pack them cold into saddlebags for a day's ride.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 400 gall-purpose flour
• 1/2 tspfine salt
• 230 mlwarm water
• 500 gfatty minced mutton or lamb (20% fat)
• 1 mediumyellow onion, very finely diced
• 3 clovesgarlic, grated
• 1 tspsalt
• 1/2 tspground black pepper
• 1 tspcaraway seeds, lightly crushed (optional)
• 60 mlcold water (for filling)
• 500 mlsunflower oil or rendered beef tallow, for frying

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Whisk flour and salt in a bowl. Pour in warm water, mixing with a wooden spoon, then knead 8 minutes on a clean surface until elastic and smooth. Wrap in plastic and rest 30 minutes.

2. 2

   Mix the filling

   Combine mutton, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and caraway in a bowl. Add the cold water 1 tbsp at a time, kneading with your hand for 3 minutes until the mixture turns sticky and almost paste-like.

3. 3

   Divide and roll

   Roll the rested dough into a long rope and cut into 16 equal pieces. Working with one at a time (keep the rest covered), roll each into a 12 cm round, 2 mm thick.

4. 4

   Fill

   Place 2 heaped tbsp filling in the centre of each round, spreading it almost to the edges in a flat oval.

5. 5

   Crimp

   Fold the dough over into a half-moon. Press the edges firmly, then pleat or crimp tightly — no gaps, or oil will rush in and the filling will spit.

6. 6

   Heat the oil

   Heat oil in a wide heavy pan to 175°C — a small piece of dough should sizzle steadily and rise within 4 seconds.

7. 7

   Fry flat

   Slide in 3 khuushuur at a time. Fry 2 minutes per side until both faces are deep golden with blisters. Lift onto paper towels.

8. 8

   Serve immediately

   Eat hot, ideally with a small bowl of cold suutei tsai (Mongolian milk tea) or pickled cabbage on the side. Bite a corner first to release steam.

Variations

• •

  Add 1 tbsp shredded cabbage to each parcel for a Buryat-style version.

• •

  Use 50:50 mutton and beef for a milder filling Western palates often prefer.

• •

  Modern Ulaanbaatar cafés make a cheese-and-potato khuushuur for vegetarians.

Storage

Best eaten within 2 hours of frying. Cold leftovers refresh in a 200°C oven for 5 minutes — never microwave; the dough turns rubbery.

Frequently Asked Questions