[Buuz in Mongolia]
I traveled to Mongolia on vacation in August 2017. Speaking of Mongolia, many of you may recall “Suho and the White Horse,” which appeared in elementary school textbooks in the past. Although I was not able to see the “matouqin,” the musical instrument in the story, with my own eyes, I was able to enjoy the wide expanse of land, starting from Ulaanbaatar, the capital city where about half of Mongolia's population lives, to the literally endless plains, the animals such as goats and sheep I sometimes encountered, the first ger I stayed in, the first drink I had, and the first time I rode a camel. It was truly precious to have encountered so many “firsts” in one trip as an adult. We tend to think that as we get older, we naturally have fewer opportunities to encounter new things, but this trip made me realize that just by getting out of my everyday life for a little while, I can come into contact with a world that I still don't know as much as I would like.
What surprised me when I ate in Mongolia was the abundance of meat dishes and their overwhelming volume. I was surprised by the large chunks of meat in the soup, and when I asked my guide about it, he told me that such meat dishes were an important source of stamina for Mongolians, who have traditionally traveled long distances. In Mongolia, where winters are severely cold, lamb is a very useful food to keep the body warm. In fact, this was the first time I learned about the delicious taste of mutton, which is not something we usually have much opportunity to eat in Japan.
In Mongolia, a traditional dish called “buuz” is prepared in large quantities at each household during the Lunar New Year and served to guests. It is said that it is mainly made with lamb, but this time I decided to make it with a combination of beef and pork, which are more readily available. Finely chopped onions and plenty of garlic are added, and seasoned with salt, black pepper, and a few spices. Wrap it in a handmade skin and steam it for 15 minutes over high heat in Yamaichi's Chinese Seiro to complete the dish. The freshly made, hot buuz brought out the deliciousness of the meat and skin so well that I couldn't help but finish it in one go.
I also encountered a wonderful Mongolian restaurant in Hakata, which I visited on a business trip the other day. Ordos Aili is a famous restaurant run by the owner, who is from Ordos City in Inner Mongolia, and is now in its 14th year. The menu features a variety of homemade dishes, and you can also enjoy juicy buuz with beef and vegetables. If you have a chance to visit Hakata, please come and visit us.
Yamaichi's Chinese Seiro
https://www.shokunin.com/en/yamaichi/seiro.html
Ordos Aili
https://www.ordos-fukuoka.com/
Wakamatsu Showroom
https://www.shokunin.com/en/showroom/wakamatsu.html
References
https://youki.co.jp/recipes/recipes-detail/?991 (recipe)
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%B9%E3%83%BC%E3%83%9B%E3%81%AE%E7%99%BD%E3%81%84%E9%A6%AC
