Taste of Mongolia: Everything You Need to Know About Khuushuur
First, let’s tackle the challenges of spelling and pronunciation. Once you conquer those, all that’s left is to savour the incredible taste of this beloved dish in Mongolia. Khuushuur is Mongolia’s answer to a handheld meat pasty—a delightful circle of wheat flour dough folded in half around a filling of minced or ground mutton, sometimes beef, and deep-fried to perfection. Typically seasoned with salt and chopped onions, each bite is a flavourful experience.
Vegetarian Alternatives
For those seeking a vegetarian option, khuushuur can be filled with a medley of vegetables, with potatoes, cabbage, and carrots being the most popular choices. You can find these at roadside guanz (canteens) across Mongolia.
Forget fancy dining; the best way to enjoy khuushuur is casual. Just grab some napkins and dig in! Many Mongolians like to enhance their khuushuur with a drizzle of spicy ketchup or Maggi sauce. Priced between 800 and 1500 tugrik each, it’s an affordable and utterly delicious treat!
A Khuushuur Experience
It’s probably clear that the EL team, including myself, Jess, are big fans of Mongolian cuisine. Here’s a guest contribution from Emer Levins, who shares her love for khuushuur:
“I first encountered the word ‘khuushuur’ on the train from Russia into Mongolia. A local cross-border trader joined my carriage, and our conversation naturally drifted to the best things about Mongolia. When it came to food, khuushuur and buuz (dumplings) were his top recommendations. Admittedly, while buuz was straightforward, khuushuur took me a while to grasp. It took several tries for him to get me to understand the word, and even more attempts for me to pronounce it to his satisfaction. I remember it as ‘hore-shore.’
However, after tasting it, the pronunciation stuck with me—it’s Mongolia’s most delicious and abundant fast food! A firm favorite among locals, you’ll often find it at festival stalls and in most local restaurants across the aimags (provinces). Trust me, drivers will never turn down the offer of some khuurshuur!
So, what exactly is khuurshuur? About the size of a small pitta bread and crescent-shaped, it’s packed with deliciously seasoned mutton. Typically deep-fried, it’s best enjoyed hot. Sharing khuurshuur with friends—new or old—in a dusty van in a remote aimag or at a lively festival with a cold beer is a uniquely Mongolian experience. It comes highly recommended for anyone traveling through this expansive land!”
Making Mongolia’s Khuushuur in Action
For a step-by-step recipe guide to making Mongolian khuushuur, complete with pictures, visit Mongol Food’s Khuushuur Recipe.
Alternatively, check out ARTGER’s YouTube video on Tsuivan. They produce various documentaries on Mongolian food, culture, and travel, led by the charismatic Nargie.
Join Us in the Kitchen!
If you’re inspired to dive deeper into Mongolian cuisine—especially khuushuur—consider signing up for one of our Ulaanbaatar cooking lessons! As well; as the experience, you’ll receive our 24-page Mongolian recipe guide, including links to recipes for some of Mongolia’s most famous dishes. Alternatively, we can adjust it to an one-hour cooking lesson via Skype at a pre-arranged date and time with members of the EL team. Learn more at Eternal Landscapes Cookery Class One Day Tour.
If our informal blog posts pique your interest, why not explore Mongolia with us? Discover our range of tour experiences, including our Food of the Nomads tailor-made adventure at Eternal Landscapes Mongolia Tours.
