But because khuushuur is eaten so much, it can be difficult to want to eat it all the time. It's a nice treat, and Mongolians are always happy when I tell them that I like to eat khuushuur!
However, it's not for everyone. For my friends that are vegetarian, it's difficult because Mongolians are proud of khuushuur, and see it as one of their national foods. Because meat is so essential to the Mongolian diet, it's hard to not eat meat if you live outside of a big city. They may not be able to eat meat because of dietary or cultural reasons, but they also don't want to offend their Mongolian hosts by not eating it.
What would you do in this situation?
To make khuushuur, you need finely chopped mutton (or beef), flour, water, salt and a little chopped onion or garlic if you want.
First, you make the dough and roll it into thin circles. Then, you place meat, salt and onion or garlic inside. Next, you fold the now-filled dough in half, pinching the edges to make a neat half circle shape. After, you fry the khuushuur in cooking oil, flipping them on both sides until the outside is crispy. Wait for them to cool down, and hooray, you're ready to eat!
Mongolian food tends to be pretty fast and easy to make. When you don't have many fancy cooking tools and you may need to travel, it's important to make simple, quality foods. Everyone helped to take care of the animals, children, and home in Mongolian households. So, women had to balance cooking with the many needs of a busy household!
