These Buns are delicious, very easy to make and you can fill them with anything, hence their name. It is unfortunate that this time around, my steamer was a little larger than the pan placed below with the water and I charred the side of the steamer. This created smoke and mayhem amongst the neighbors...Some good did come of it though since, necessity being the mother of invention, I discovered that these can also be cooked in the microwave which saves the cook from a lot of faff.
Make the filling first. It is, as I said, pretty much composed of anything that you want it to be. This is very fluid, free form recipe - you just need a final 3 cups of filling total to properly fill the buns. In the case of the as-yet-cooked buns featured above, I chopped up the vegetables in the hydrator that looked as though they were slightly past their prime, added some ground pork, shallot, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce and a splash of both white wine and sesame oil. I cooked everything together in one skillet until the vegetables were soft and, added a tsp of cornstarch mixed into a slurry with a Tbsp of water at the end, cooking and stirring until the liquid in the pan was thick. Let the filling cool while you make the dough.
Mixed greens (like spinach and kale) with a bit of garlic and cheese would make a nice filling, as would the meat from a rotisserie chicken, chopped up and seasoned with onion and sage. I have also made tiny versions of these and filled them with chocolate chips, chopped up orange peel and diced crystalized ginger - delicious for an after school snack.
The bun dough (makes 12 small or 6 large buns)
1 Tbsp active dry yeast 1 cup warm water 3 cups all-purpose flour 4 Tbsp vegetable shortening 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt
Measure all of the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Add the water and the vegetable shortening (I used olive oil), Using your hand, mix everything together until the dough forms a bun. Keep on folding the dough over and mixing together until it turns into a cohesive, shiny dough. You may have to add a tablespoon or more extra water.
Cover with a damp towel and let the dough rise, about an hour and a half.
Place about 3 inches of water in a pan large enough to properly contain your steamer. Line the steamer with parchment paper or cabbage leaves, something that will keep the buns from sticking. Should you decide to try the microwave method, skip this step.
Divide the dough into equal portion sizes, depending on your need. Holding a portion of dough in the palm of your hand, flatten it out into a rough disk. Repeat until all of the portions are flattened.
Pick up one of the dough disks and place in the palm of your hand. Add some filling (about 1 Tbsp for a small bun, 3 Tbsps for a small one). Using your other hand, bring the corners of the dough up caddy corner and press together so that the filling is totally sealed within the dough. Place in your steamer, repeat. Make sure you leave some room between the buns because they will expand.
Turn on the heat under the pan in which you have placed the water and bring to a boil. Add the steamer and cover. Smaller buns will take about 10 minutes to steam and large ones up to 20. You will know that they are done when the dough looks fluffy and no longer doughy, just like the buns you get at Chinese restaurants.
If you decide to microwave instead of steaming, place 1/2 buns on a microwave safe plate. Put in the microwave, along with a glass or cup holding 1 cup boiling water. Microwave on high; I have found that my microwave will cook the smaller buns in 1 minute and the larger ones in 2. Since all microwaves are different, I suggest starting with one and working your way up in 30 second increments.
Original dough recipe, here.