25 Feb. 2016Mongolia has just finished celebrating Tsagaan Sar, the quintessential festival you simply cannot miss during your time in Mongolia. Many say it marks the arrival of spring; I'd like to confirm this, given that we do notice temperatures warming up. But don't be fooled (as I've learned firsthand)—you still need to bundle up!

So, let me share with you the recipe for those famous buuz, the signature dish of Tsagaan Sar, prepared by the thousands in every household. Yes, it may sound exaggerated, but imagine 50 people stopping by your home over three days! Proper preparation is therefore essential to welcome your loved ones. Most families spend two weeks cooking between 2,000 and 3,000 buuz. These dumplings are kept frozen before the highly anticipated event. Of course, with such quantities, a simple freezer wouldn't be enough to store these little dumplings. So why not take advantage of the -20°C your balcony or storage closet naturally offers.

Prepare yourself to "feast" for a full three days and savour these delicate steamed dumplings.

For those with a sweet tooth, here's the recipe with images:

Quick Summary:

For the dough:

• 250 g flour
• 1 pinch of salt
• 150 ml lukewarm water

Mix together the flour, salt, and water in a bowl until you obtain a homogeneous and elastic dough. Let the dough rest for about fifteen minutes.

For the filling:

• 300 g thinly sliced beef or mutton
• 1 finely sliced onion
• 1 garlic clove
• Salt
• Pepper

Finely mince the garlic and onion and mix everything together in a bowl until the ingredients are evenly combined. Season generously with salt and pepper, with the option to add a few extra spices. Add a little water to make the mixture juicier.

For those who aren't fond of meat, it's entirely possible to replace it with vegetables, cheese, fruits, or even seafood.

Making the buuz:

Now comes the trickiest part of the recipe!

1. Cut the dough into small pieces about 2cm thick and form small balls. First flatten them with the palm of your hand, then use a rolling pin. Roll out the dough thinly to obtain a circle approximately 7cm in diameter.
2. Place a teaspoon of filling in the centre of the circle and pinch the edges of the dough with your fingers.

Cooking the buuz:

Steam them for about fifteen minutes (20 to 25 minutes if they're frozen). A small tip to prevent them from sticking to the steamer basket: oil it beforehand. After cooking, fan the buuz with a lid or newspaper to give them a beautiful glossy appearance.

Generally, buuz are served as is with various salads. However, you can serve them with tomato sauce, soy sauce, or Chin Zu sauce as accompaniments. So, during Tsagaan Sar, if you have the chance to visit families, it's very likely you'll eat a lot, and I mean a lot of buuz. Yes, with each family you visit, you'll be offered this famous dish, and you won't be able to escape it. Like me, you may end up eating thirty or so in a single day... enough to be alarming.

So, we can only wish you a hearty appetite—SAIHAN HOOLLOOROI. Charlène NomadaysAs the SEO copywriter from Nomadays' very beginning, who later became content manager and head of communications, Charlène has accompanied the adventure since its inception with passion and loyalty. After spending seven years living across Asia—from China to Thailand, passing through Mongolia and South Korea—she has made travel a way of being in the world. A lover of words, nature, and human connection, she strives to convey in her writing a sensitive, committed, and responsible vision of tourism. For her, each article is a bridge between curiosity, respect, and wonder.