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1
Make and Rest the Dough
40 Mins
Room temperature, about 22°C (72°F)
Mix the flour with 3g of the salt, add the lukewarm water a little at a time, and knead for 8–10 minutes until the dough is smooth and firm. Cover with a damp cloth and rest for 30 minutes.
A firm dough rolls thinner and holds its pleats — soft dough sags and the top knot will not hold.
Done when: The dough is smooth, springs back when pressed, and no longer sticks to your hands.
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2
Mix the Beef and Onion Filling
10 Mins
Room temperature, about 22°C (72°F)
Put the ground beef in a bowl with the diced onion, garlic, black pepper, caraway and the remaining 3g of salt. Mix with your hands until just combined, then stir in the cold water one spoonful at a time until the mixture looks smooth and slightly sticky. Do not overwork it — a loose mix stays juicy.
The onion should be about two-fifths the weight of the meat — it melts into juice in the steamer and keeps the beef from drying out.
Done when: The filling holds together when squeezed but still looks loose, not like a paste.
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3
Shape the Top-Knotted Buuz
25 Mins
Room temperature, about 22°C (72°F)
Roll the dough out to about 2 mm thick and cut it into 8 cm rounds — you should get about 32. Place a heaped teaspoon of filling in the centre of each round, then gather the edge up around the filling in small pleats, pinching as you go, and twist the pleats together at the top to make a little knot, leaving a tiny opening. The finished buuz is small and round, about the size of a walnut, and sits flat on its base.
Pinch the knot twice so no seam can open in the steam, and keep the finished buuz under a damp cloth while you shape the rest so they do not dry out.
Done when: Each buuz is plump, round, and tightly knotted at the top, with the pleats standing up like a little crown.
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4
Steam Until Tender and Juicy
20 Mins
Boiling water, 100°C (212°F)
Bring 500 ml of water to a boil in the bottom of a multi-tier steamer or a large pot with a steamer insert. Brush the steamer trays lightly with oil, set the buuz on them with space between each one, and steam with the lid on for 18–20 minutes.
Do not lift the lid in the first 15 minutes — the rush of cool air can make the dough collapse and wrinkle.
Done when: The dough is tender and slightly translucent, and the centre of the filling is steaming hot, at least 71°C (160°F) for ground meat.
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5
Serve Hot, Eaten by Hand
5 Mins
Serving temperature, above 63°C (145°F)
Lift the buuz onto a warm platter and serve at once, eight per person, with nothing on top — no sauce, no sour cream. Pick one up by its knot, bite a small hole in the side to let the steam out, sip the juice, then eat the rest.
Eat the first one carefully — bite the small hole first, because the juice inside is scalding.
Done when: The buuz are glossy, hot, and soft to the touch; the filling juices run when one is bitten open.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the buuz straight from the steamer, glossy and hot, with milk tea and pickled vegetables on the side — eat them by hand, knot first, and bite carefully: the juices inside are scalding.
Mongolia
1h 10m
France
Vietnam