They say mutton goes with every meal in Mongolia – yes, we are afraid that’s true! If you are able to accept the taste of mutton, the variety of food you can enjoy in Mongolia is much wider.
We spent 10 days in Mongolia with 8 days out in the grassland with Sunpath Tour and being out of the city exposes us to more traditional Mongolian dishes which we were so glad we did!
Amongst the exotic dishes, we found many familiar foods that had a western influence in someways or some dishes that are easy on foreigners’ tastebuds like ours!
Here are the foods we enjoyed in Mongolia throughout the trip:
1. Salty Milk Tea (Suutei Tsai)
This is the most common beverage in Mongolia all year round. During seasons where they don’t have enough fresh milk, some would also use milk powder as a substitute.
Although made with tea herbs, salt, water and milk, the first taste was plain saltiness but the taste will start to grow on you as I was served a cup wherever I go. Every cup is different, some tasted saltier and some tasted blander.
2. Fried Dough (Boortsog)
Almost guaranteed when you visit a ger and often served alongside Suutei Tsai! These fried dough or biscuits look like it has been around for a while but they still taste good. I like the ones filled with strawberry jam!
3. Mongolian Style Potato Salad (Niislel Salat)
The potato salad was not exactly the kind of Mongolian food we were expecting. Turns out it is such a common side dish that we had a couple of times throughout the trip. The salad also includes pickles and ham. This could be the easiest dish to start with.
4. Mongolian Barbecue Meat (Khorkhog)
We are honoured to have our local drivers to prepare the dish for us. Hot stones were heated and placed in a pot of raw meats followed by chunks of carrots and potatoes which resulted in a strong charred taste – which we absolutely enjoyed.
Our guide had the huge chunks of meat plated delicately alongside some pickles for us whereas the drivers like to devour the meat near the bones with a kitchen knife.
5. Fried Noodles (Tsuivan)
Some described this dish as the nation’s favourite dish. We literally see them everywhere and they are always served in huge servings! Every household does it differently but the essential ingredients are obviously the noodles, carrots, potatoes and meat which is usually mutton or beef. Also one of the easiest dish for foreigners to start with.
6. Meat Dumplings (Buuz)
Steamed meat dumplings in Mongolian style – either served on its own or eaten together in soup. The generous portion of mutton wrapped with thick dumpling skin are the characteristics of Buuz.
Buuz especially has a very strong mutton taste and when in soup, the soup contains lamb fats making the taste even stronger. But still, we can’t say no to dumplings. Absolutely worth a try when in Mongolia.
7. Boiled Meat (Chanasan Makh)
This is a simple traditional dish in Mongolia where chunks of meat are boiled in saltwater and then serve it directly to the customers. We see almost half the locals ordering this dish when we dine out in the town restaurants. Always a bowl overfilling with meat and consumed using only a knife.
It is very interesting and a little bit intimidating at the same time – we had to try it out of course.
7. Mongolian Barbecue
Fun fact: Mongolian Barbecue is not actually Mongolian – it was a marketing tactic started by a Taiwanese.
You can find many of these barbecue restaurants in Ulaanbaatar. First, you choose your ingredients (different type of vegetables, meat and sauces) from the spread and hand it over to the cook. They will then toss it on an enormous, round iron griddle! Watch the performance while waiting for your dish – especially how they crack the egg!
Despite having nothing to do with Mongolia, the barbecue buffet was enjoyable and delicious.
Can’t go wrong with these…
We also noticed there are some easy choices for foreigners like us. One of which is a Shepherd’s Pie lookalike where minced mutton topped with mash potato is served with a small portion of rice.
Another one is a set meal served on compartmentalized metal plates good for having a taste of everything – commonly served with rice, bread, potato salad, a side of vegetable, meat and a bowl of soup.
High-carb and high-fat for a really hearty local meal – please don’t ask why we gained weight in Mongolia.
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