Buuz (Mongolian Steamed Dumplings)

Ingredients

• 500g (1 lb) fatty minced mutton or beef
• 1 large onion, very finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 4-5 tbsp cold water or meat broth
• 2 1/2 cups (320g) plain flour
• 3/4 cup (180ml) warm water
• 1/2 tsp salt, for the dough
• vegetable oil, for brushing the steamer

Before you cook

• Stir the flour with 1/2 tsp salt, pour in the warm water gradually, and bring it together into a shaggy dough.
• Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 8 minutes until smooth and elastic.
• Cover the dough with a damp cloth and rest it for 30 minutes at room temperature.
• In a bowl, mix the minced mutton with the diced onion, garlic, salt, and pepper.
• Add the cold water or broth to the meat a tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition, until the filling feels loose and slightly wet.
• Cover the filling and refrigerate it while the dough rests.
• Roll the rested dough into a long rope about 3cm thick and cut it into 24 equal pieces.
• Roll each piece into a thin round about 8cm across, keeping the center slightly thicker than the edges.

Steps

1. Brush the base of your steamer basket with a thin layer of vegetable oil.
2. Spoon about a tablespoon of the meat filling into the center of one dough round.
3. Gather the edges of the round upward around the filling, pleating as you go, and pinch them together at the top, leaving a small open hole in the center.
4. Set the finished dumpling in the steamer pleated side up, leaving space so it doesn't touch its neighbors.
5. Repeat filling and pleating the remaining dough rounds until the steamer is full.
6. Bring a wide pot of water to a rolling boil.
7. Lower the steamer basket over the boiling water, making sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the basket.
8. Cover the steamer with its lid and steam the dumplings for 15 to 18 minutes without lifting the lid.
9. Lift the lid away from you to let the steam escape, then check that the dough looks translucent and the meat is cooked through.
10. Let the dumplings rest for 2 minutes before lifting them out, so the juices inside settle.
11. Serve the buuz hot, straight from the steamer, with a small bowl of soy sauce or vinegar for dipping.