The Wheels On The Buuz Go Round And Round

NATIONAL DISH OF MONGOLIA - Buuz

Ah Mongolia! What do I know about you? Well nothing much other than yaks, nomads and Ulan Bator. Well we can now add one more thing to that...Buuz (pronounced as if you were going to scare someone, but then suddenly morphed into a bee at the end).

Dumplings (of any kind) are AWES! Cheap and flavourful they are a must with any trip to Chinatown. The best I've had were in Chinatown New York City-style. The chefs placed frozen broth at the base of the dumpling so when it is steamed the broth melts and makes the meat succulent as! However, not every restaurant can boast great tasting dumplings and things can still go wrong. Bad meat, bad seasonings and not enough special sauce (heaven forbid!) So my worry began early before my first foray into dumpling making, let alone Mongolian cuisine.

So imagine my surprise when setting down to make today's video and my camera wouldn't work. DAMN YOU TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES!!! And as my friend Lady Cara always says, "Time is time, but we'll never have that time again!", so I persevered and continued being all Mongolian the best I could. Now that you have been warned, enjoy, or as they say in Mongolia, Сайхан хооллоорой (Saihan hoollooroi)!



Here's the full recipe:
http://www.indobase.com/recipes/details/buuz.php

Difficulty:       4 

Appearance:  3 

Taste:             3 

TOTAL:       10

Now this recipe also wasn't very difficult, the longest time being spent dealing with the dough. And you can let your artistic and creative side out by experimenting with Dumpling Designs (perhaps a design company that serves dumpling - GENIUS!)

When cooking the meat you can add various herbs for desired flavour, I only added garlic for a more traditional depiction but apparently sprouted fennel seeds are customary as well.

With all occurring obstacles, my fears were assuaged for in the end the Buuz was delicious. The lamb was tender and made more succulent by the adding of a few drops of water before steaming. Now we didn't have any special sauce, but I had some Okonomiyaki sauce in the fridge which is certianly a close second. Just don't tell the Mongolians...