Recipes of Mongolian Foods

Mongolian cuisine is divided into dairy and meat food. Traditional Mongolian food has two main ingredients - meat and flour, in some shape or form. The main method of cooking is being boiled together with meat, vegetables and seasonings. Special foods and dishes are offered for the festivals such as “round khuushuur” is for Naadam festival and “Buuz” /kind of bigger dumpling/ is the main dish of Mongolian Lunar New Year –Tsagaan sar.

Most important food product of the nomad people is dairy products produced by milk. Aaruul /dried curd/, urum /milk cream/, cheese, khailmag, airag /fermented mare’s milk/, yoghurts are main dairy products of Mongolia. Here are some recipes of Mongolian famous food.

Round Khuushuur (Naadam khuushuur)

The Naadam festival is the biggest festival in Mongolia and also tourist’s main attraction of Mongolia ever. During the festival, Mongolians like to eat round khuushuur which is a deep-fried meat pastry.

Ingredients:

• 300g plain flour
• 250g minced beef or mutton
• 1 round onion (small sized chopped prepared)
• 2 cloves garlic
• Salt ½ tablespoon
• Black pepper,
• Vegetable oil
• Water

Method

1. In a big bowl, pour in the flour and pinch of salt and water, mix well to make a soft dough.
2. Leave the dough on your board and cover your bowl to rest a while.
3. In the another bowl, put the minced meat, onion, garlic and pepper. Mix the salt and water in small bowl and pour into the meat mixture and mix it until combined.
4. Knead the dough and divide into 4 small balls. Then roll the balls into long line and cut into 4cm thick balls.
5. Flatten the dough into 1cm thick flat circle and 1tablespoon of meat mixture into the middle. Fold and roll it into ball between your palms.
6. Drizzle some oil on the board and start to flatten the khuushuur with rolling pin into 1cm thick and 10cm diameter round khuushuur. When you flatten the khuushuur, make sure not to push the meat out of dough. Roll it slowly and soft.
7. Pour the enough oil into the frying pan and heat over a medium. Once the oil is hot, start to fry the khuushuur until its color is golden and crispy on the outside. Fry on both side same.
8. Serve it any salad or sauce you like.

Khorkhog

One of the traditional Mongolian dish is Khorkhog and it is made by mutton and vegetables. If you go to the Mongolian countryside you will see cooking khorkhog in outside of the tourist camp.

Ingredients:

• Meat /cut the large sized with bones/
• Potato
• Carrot
• Onion
• Garlic
• Salt
• Water /4liters and cold/
• River stone /smoothly and medium sized/

Method

1. Heat the stones on the fire until red colored.
2. Pour the water with seasonings into the can and putting the meat with stones like layering and put some vegetables on the top.
3. Close tightly the can and leave the meat to cook for a hour and half.
4. After cooking is done, carefully open the can and let the vapors out.
5. Before the meal, you can hold the hot stones between the palms. Mongolians say that it is healthy to your body.