Bansh

Bansh (Mongolian Wheat-Flour Dumplings)

Bansh are small boiled wheat-and-flour dumplings served in broth or with fried onions and sour cream, a staple of Mongolian home cooking for generations.

Prep

20 min

Cook

15 min

Total

35 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •300 g (10½ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting
• •120 g (4¼ oz) whole wheat flour, traditional; can substitute more plain flour
• •1 large egg
• •180 ml (¾ cup) water, plus 1–2 tbsp more if needed
• •1 tsp fine salt
• •2 medium onions, one for dough, one for serving
• •3 cloves garlic, finely crushed
• •1.5 L (6 cups) beef or lamb broth, or water with 1 bouillon cube
• •60 g (¼ cup) sour cream, for serving, optional but traditional
• •1 tbsp lard or vegetable oil, for frying the topping onion
• •black pepper, to taste

Steps

1. 1 Make the dough: in a bowl whisk 300 g plain flour, 120 g whole wheat flour and 1 tsp salt. Beat 1 egg with 180 ml water and pour into the flour; mix, then knead 8–10 minutes until smooth and medium-stiff. Add water 1 tbsp at a time if the dough feels dry. Cover and rest 15 minutes.
2. 2 Prepare the flavour base: finely grate 1 of the onions into the dough (this is the traditional way to add onion flavour directly) and knead it in until smooth again. Set aside.
3. 3 Shape the bansh: divide dough into small pieces and roll each on a floured surface into a thin rope about 1 cm (⅓ in) thick. Cut into 1 cm (⅓ in) bits; toss each bit in flour, then roll against the palm of a floured hand or a wooden board with light pressure to form a small pointed oval (the classic bansh shape). Place on a floured tray; you should get roughly 80–100 pieces.
4. 4 Bring 1.5 L broth (or salted water) to a brisk boil in a wide pot.
5. 5 Drop the bansh into the boiling liquid in batches, stirring gently so they do not stick. Cook 8–10 minutes from when the water returns to a boil; they are done when they float, feel springy, and a piece cut open shows no raw flour core.
6. 6 While the bansh cook, thinly slice the remaining onion. Heat 1 tbsp lard or oil in a small skillet over medium heat and fry the onion until deep golden brown, 6–8 minutes. Off heat, stir in the 3 cloves of crushed garlic and a few grinds of black pepper.
7. 7 Ladle bansh and hot broth into bowls. Top each serving with a spoonful of the fried garlic-onion mixture and a spoon of sour cream. Serve hot.