Mongolian Meat Pockets (Khuushuur)
My neighbor and friend Oyuka is originally from Mongolia and naturally I asked her to share some of her recipes with me. I was surprised to learn that Mongolian cuisine is actually heavily influenced by Russian food due Mongolia’s close proximity to Russia. I searched for Mongolian food online and found a picture of Mongolian Meat Pockets (Khuushuur). Khuushuur is a type of fried meat dumpling and I knew if would be delicious. I asked Oyuka if she knew how to make them and she sent me a picture of the ones she had just prepared for her family. It turns out that this food is not only super tasty, it also travels well and is eaten out of hand. Oyuka came over and helped me to prepare them. She very patiently showed me how to shape the patties. I can promise you hers were a lot prettier than mine but as long as the pockets remain closed, it doesn’t really matter. I will definitely be making these again.
These are great for a crowd. They can be made in advance and are very economical.
The ingredients
Mince the onions
Add garlic and spices
Mix well and set aside
Prepare dough
Roll into a log
Roll until thin
Fill with meat mixture
Close
Seal well
Add to hot frying pan
Fry until golden brown on both sides
Eat out of hand
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 onion minced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 cups flour
- 2 cups water ( more or less)
- Mix all the ingredients except the flour in a bowl and set aside
- Add flour to another bowl and slowly add water while mixing the dough by hand until the dough is smooth and slightly sticky
- Remove dough from bowl and divide into four
- Take one piece of dough and cover the rest with plastic wrap so that it doesn't dry out
- Roll into a thick rope and cut and into 2 inch pieces
- Shape into a flat circle, stuff with tablespoon of meat and seal ends using a bit of water. See pictures above.
- Repeat until you use up the remaining ingredients
These look simple and tasty, ideal for hosting a large gathering.. Are they best eaten straight away or can they be prepared in advance and re-heated? If so how long before?
Hi Rachel – These are great even when prepared in advance. You can make it these up to 3 days before without compromising flavor. Thanks for reading my blog!
These are simple to make and look yummy. We found them less tasty than we expected though and we think they need a dipping sauce. Would you have any ideas? Sweet chili sauce was okay but didn’t hit the right notes. (Ketchup was more popular among the younger generation but no. Sweet chili sauce mixed with ketchup was some people’s third attempt, which also missed the mark.)
I have a lot of filling left over and I think I’m going to try making Bansh, which is the same as khuushuur except boiled in salt water instead of fried. I think I’ll toss it in toasted bread crumbs and freeze it for another time.
And because I know you are eagerly waiting to hear about my bansh, I’m back to report. Bansh are also very good. I improved on the dough by adding a bit of salt and since it was also cooked in salted water, the bansh were more flavourful than the khuushuur. I made these as a late night snack for myself so I didn’t bother with sauces or garnishes but if I had, I would have served the bansh in a broth.
Dear Dini – I want to thank you for being my #1 follower. I’m sorry I’ve been out of touch but we are moving to Paramus in a few weeks to be near my sisters and I have been neglecting this blog. I would love your recipe for bansh so I can post it on the blog. Right now most of my kitchen is packed up and we have nowhere to live yet but I have faith it will all work out before we leave. I will be working in Manhattan be”h.
Wow, that is major!! The family is coming together again, you guys (gals) are so lucky, not that I’m jealous or anything. Wishing you an easy move. Well, as easy as a cross-country move can be.
(Am I really your #1 follower? How embarrassing, I need to get a life.)
Am I reading this correctly, the dough is nothing more than flour and water?
Yup! It’s really simple but the perfect dough for the meat filling
I’m a big khuushuur fan, but since they’re easy to make in bulk I’ve been wondering about freezing them. With the buuz dumplings in Mongolia they leave them outside to freeze, but since buuz are steamed that seems easier – you can just cook them straight from frozen. Since khuushuur are fried, I’m less sure. They’re probably a bit big to try to fry from frozen, so probably need to defrost first. Perhaps part steaming, part frying could work right from frozen?
I think so!
I am lucky to have a friend from Mongolia who taught me how to make these. Thank you for the great recipe and photos. It is just like her process. I came searching because I was curious to find out what they were called. Very fun to make.
Thank you for kind comments!
I recently be-friended a charming Mongolian girl and asked her for something really traditional ‘food wise’ and this is where she led me… Looking forward to giving these a try out and will of course give a full report 🙂 – Hope the move went very well…
thank you!!
Como faço a massa? E a carne para temperá-la é somente cebola, alho, sal e pimenta?
The instructions are all there. The seasoning is very simple but feel free to add your own