Great Asian-style bun version which doesn't require any steaming equipment, but can be simply done in a pan. Serve with a simple soy, sesame and spring onion dipping sauce. Match up your chopsticks!
I am going to share a little shameful secret: I did not know how to use chopsticks until I reached the 'wise' age of 19; I had also not had any properly spicy food until then; or had the thrilling pleasure of sampling proper Asian cuisine, be it Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, Malaysian. Growing up in a relatively remote part of Italy (and having a father who will irrationally only eat Italian) meant that I was not really exposed to many world cuisines and less autochthonous ingredients - when I was growing up in the 90s our only non-Italian meal would be a Chinese takeaway. This was a rare treat in our household (I can still see dad wrinkling his nose at the menu!) and chopstick training did not come as an inclusion. My food horizons started to open when I moved off to university and arrived in the UK - my first Indian curry set me off on a path to discover more diverse flavour palettes. And YouTube quickly took care of the chopstick issue.
Ingredients:
Yields 10 buns
- 300g of plain flour
- 175g of hot water
- 200g of Quorn pieces (or other meat substitute)
- 1/2 cup of peas
- a pinch of salt
- 7 to 8 green spring onions finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic grated or mashed
- a small bunch of chives thinly chopped
- a pinch of black pepper
- 2 tsp of coconut oil
- 1 tbsp of sesame oil
- a drop of soy sauce
- OPTIONAL: a handful of sesame seeds
Method:
Start by making the dough: mix the flour and salt in a bowl and make a well in the middle. Pour the hot water into the well and ,using a spatula, combine all of the ingredients together until a dough has formed.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until the product is smoother. Place in a bowl, cover with a damp cloth and leave to rest for 30 mins.
Whilst you are waiting for the dough, you can turn your attention to the filling. In a medium frying pan, heat the coconut oil; add the garlic and the spring onions to the pan and leave to brown for a couple of minutes.
Add the Quorn pieces, together with the peas, a drizzle of soy sauce and a pinch of black pepper. As Quorn tends to absorb a lot of liquid, you can add a splash of water if things are starting to stick to the pan. Cook for about 5-8 minutes, gently stirring.
Once 30 mins have passed and the dough is ready, place it back on a floured surface and roll it into a log shape - you will need to divide this log equally in 10 portions. These will make your buns. With the assistance of a rolling pin (floured) roll out each portion of dough into a circle, leaving the middle a little thicker. Here is a helpful video of how to shape a bun (with inexplicable country music!).
Place a tenth of the filling into the middle of the bun, holding the bun in the palm of your hand. Once filled, pleat and seal your buns using your fingers and some water. Here is a video on pleating and sealing I have found quite helpful.
Gently brush a little water on the top of the bun (not the side with the pleats) and sprinkle some sesame seeds on top (for a toastier flavour, you could also lightly toast the seeds in a separate pan until the start colouring).
To cook the buns, heat the sesame oil in a large frying pan. Place the buns in the pan - once the bottom has started to brown, flip the buns and add 1/ 1.5 cups of water (you are looking for the water to cover about 1/3 of your buns) and place a lip on the pan to encourage steam. Turn the flame to medium/low. Your buns are ready to serve when the water has been absorbed.
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