Khuushuur

I’ve been keen to try khuushuur, so I can say that I’ve tried the three main Mongolian dishes (along with buuz and tsuivan). Khuushuur is essentially just buuz in a different shape and fried rather than steamed. This restaurant has been described as having less greasy khuushuur so this is a good opportunity to give it a go with a tiny bit less guilt.

Mongolian food is so high in fat. Everyone says “oh, it’s because of the climate, how else would you survive in the cold?”. That’s how it got this way of course, but I’m not convinced the traditional diet is really suitable for the modern life of heated apartments.

So unless this is unbelievably good this will most likely be my first and last khuushuur by choice. Going from being a vegetarian to a carb-and-meat diet has made my insides feel very oily indeed.

They come and they’re huge! In the pictures  I’ve seen they’ve had the size and appearance of large gyoza but these ones are the width of the dinner plate!

They’ve been deep fried a golden yellow, the skin blistering into little tiny lumps. They’re fairly dry to touch on top, but I can see them starting to go soggy underneath. When I transfer one to my plate it bends slightly in the middle.

I try and cut… again, a bit mistake. The pastry and meat completely separate. It just feels so wrong to eat with your hands in such a nice restaurant!

Trying it. The pastry is very thick and requires a little chewing. A bit stodgy. The mince tastes just like buuz mince, perhaps a bit drier and more crumbly. There’s onion and garlic but as always the meaty sheepy taste is what lingers in the mouth.

It’d been described to me as a version of a meat pie… and occasionally when I find a softer piece of pastry it does taste a bit that way… but mostly it’s just solid flour pastry and mutton. Perhaps it would benefit from tomato sauce like a pie! The dish of kimchi does do it favours.

Well, there we go. Tried khuushuur. Don’t mind if I don’t eat it again! I’ll stick it buuz.

Rating:

Specifics: Mutton khuushuur from Nomad Legends Монгол клуб