Mongolian Meat and Caraway Pockets
A traditionally nomadic people with little arable land, Mongolians have a small variety of vegetables and spices to enhance their cuisine and instead enjoy a hearty diet of mostly meat and dairy products. The creative use of a few ingredients is a hallmark of Mongolian cooking, and these very popular deep-fried stuffed pockets prove that less can be more. Cultivated in Mongolia, caraway leaves its warm yet sharp imprint on the filling, which remarkably amplifies the natural sweetness of the wheat wrapper. (If you have whole caraway, lightly toast it, then grind it in a clean coffee grinder.) Fresh mutton or air-dried meat called borts is traditionally featured in the filling, but beef or lamb is a fine substitute. The wrapper fries up to a nubby, chewy-crispness that’s hard to resist. In a pinch, stir together a spicy-sweet sauce of ketchup and Sriracha sauce or Chile Garlic Sauce (page 216), instead of the roasted tomato sauce. This filling can be used for boiled and steamed dumplings, which are called bansh and buuz, respectively.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 24 pockets, serving 4 as a main course, 6 to 8 as a snack or starter
Ingredients
Filling
Preparation
Step 1
In a bowl, combine the beef, onion, and garlic. Use a fork or spatula to stir and lightly mash the ingredients together.
Step 2
Stir together the salt, caraway seeds, pepper, oil, and water in a small bowl. Pour over the meat mixture and stir with the fork or spatula to blend well. There should not be any visible large chunks of meat. To develop the flavors, cover with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes. You should have about 2 cups of filling. (The filling can be prepared 1 day ahead and refrigerated. Bring it to room temperature before assembling the dumplings.)
Step 3
Meanwhile, form 12 wrappers from half of the dough. Aim for wrappers that are 3 3/4 to 4 inches in diameter. (For guidance, see “Forming Wrappers from Basic Dumpling Dough,” page 24.)
Step 4
Before assembling the dumplings, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Hold a wrapper in a slightly cupped hand. Scoop up 4 teaspoons (a heaping tablespoon) of filling with a bamboo dumpling spatula, dinner knife, or fork and position it slightly off-center toward the upper half of the wrapper, pressing and shaping it into a flat mound and keeping about 1/2 to 3/4 inch of wrapper clear on all sides. As you work, your hand should naturally close a bit more to keep the dumpling in shape. Bring up the wrapper side closest to you and firmly press to enclose the filling and create a half-moon (see page 26), sealing the edges well. To seal even more securely, use your thumb and index fingers to form a rope edge (see below) or press the edges together with the tines of a fork. These dumplings have more filling than others, and the pockets can stick as they sit. Lightly dust one side with flour before placing each dumpling on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the other wrappers, placing them about 1/2 inch apart on the baking sheet. Cover the finished dumplings with a dry kitchen towel as you make wrappers from the remaining dough and fill them.
Step 5
Line a platter with paper towels. To deep-fry, heat 1 1/4 inches of oil in a wok, saucepan, or deep skillet over medium-high heat to about 350°F on a deep-fry thermometer. (If you don’t have a deep-fry thermometer, stick a dry bamboo chopstick into the oil; if bubbles rise immediately to the surface and encircle the chopstick, the oil is ready.) Fry the pockets in batches, as many as can fit without crowding, for 2 to 3 minutes total, turning as needed, until richly golden and crisp with little bubbles all over. Remove from the oil and drain on the paper towels. Allow the oil to return to 350°F between batches as you fry the remaining pockets. If you like, increase the oil temperature slightly and quickly refry the earlier ones, in batches, for about 30 seconds, to restore their crispiness.
Step 6
Serve immediately with the sauce. I like to eat these by picking one up with my fingers, biting off a corner, pouring out the juices into a spoon and drinking that before dipping it into the sauce or spooning some sauce into it. Refrigerate left overs; to serve, return to room temperature, and reheat in a 375°F oven for about 6 minutes or until hot.
Master Shape: Rope Edge
Step 7
Asian cooks like to make a lovely edge for turnover-shaped pastries, which not only seals the edges well but is decorative, too. After shaping a half-moon (see page 26), press the edges together well, pressing out any air bubbles if you will be frying the dumpling. Working incrementally from one end to the other, slightly pull on the dough edge and then fold it over, twisting forward with the index finger while twisting back with the thumb. When working with rich pastries (pages 111 to 129), don’t stretch the dough. Just fold over the rim in a twisting motion.
Shaping Rope Edges
Step 8
Pull on the sealed dough edge, then twist between index finger and thumb.
Step 9
For rich pastries, don’t pull on the dough, just fold the rim using a twisting motion.
Master Shape: Closed Satchel
Step 10
This shape is used for momos, Shanghai soup dumplings, and stuffed buns.
Step 11
If you are right handed, hold the wrapper in the left hand and use your right hand to center a mound of filling on the wrapper (lefties, reverse the following directions). Place the left thumb atop the filling to keep it down as you use the right thumb and index finger to make the first pleat by pulling up on the wrapper edge and folding it over itself, pressing it to seal. Keeping the right thumb and index finger in place to steady the pleat (both thumbs are now inside the dumpling), move the left index finger clockwise along the edge to fold the rim over itself to create the second pleat. With this small motion, the left index finger passes the new pleat to the right index finger, which will take it over and press it against the first pleat.
Step 12
As you repeat this motion along the rim, the right index finger and thumb are pinching and holding the accumulating pleats together. The dumpling will rotate and an accordionlike spiral of pleats will form to gradually close the opening. When the opening is too small to fit both thumbs, move the left thumb to the wrapper edge or remove it and let it rest on the side of the dumpling to keep the dumpling in place. Finish by twisting and pinching shut the opening. If there’s excess of dough, pinch the dough edge all around to form a thin lip that better distributes the dough.
Step 13
Straighten up the sides by holding the dumpling in the crook of your hand and giving it a gentle squeeze, or setting it upright on the work surface and patting the sides. A closed satchel can be cooked and served with the pleats facing up or down. See the individual recipes for instructions.
Shaping Closed Satchels
Step 14
Make the first pleat with right thumb and index finger; keep left thumb atop filling.
Step 15
Move the left index finger along the wrapper edge, folding the rim over itself to form the second and subsequent pleats.
Step 16
Finish by twisting and pinching shut the opening.
Step 17
Pinch the edge all around to even out excess dough.
