新年快樂! Happy Chinese New Year

So I know I've been neglecting the blog for quite some time, but it was becoming the end of the year, end of the semester and things were crazy. My camera decided that it just wouldn't work anymore, although that shouldn't have stopped me from posting up recipes and cooking. I spent hours at school and minutes and home. My bill clearly reflected all of that time spent in my dungeon in the sky. But it's a new semester and new year. So to start things off, here's a little something I whipped up despite a lack of veggies and other foodstuffs.

And not to neglect those at home...

新年快樂! For all the students, 學習進步 and for all those working, 生意興隆! To everyone with blocks today, 金榜題名.

Pan-fried Buns with Turkey and Green Onions
Original recipe is Pan-fried Buns with Chives and Minced Pork (more traditional but you have to make do on the island)

Dough
1 1/4 cups of AP flour
6 tbls hot water
3 tbls cold water (or however much it takes to moisten the dough)

Filling
4 oz ground turkey (you can use pork, chicken, beef, a combination if you like - pork is more traditional)
1 green onion
1/2 inch peeled ginger
2 garlic cloves
salt/pepper
dash of sesame oil
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp soy sauce
2 leaves of cabbage (use any vegetable you like, this was the only thing I could find that was green and would go with the filling) - approx. 1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped

Onto the fun part.....

To make the dough, place the flour in a bowl. Make a small well in the center and add the hot water. Mix until small crumbs begin to form and the flour begins to moisten. Add 1 tbl of cold water at a time until all of the dough comes together and it's no longer sticky. I added about 3-4 tbls of water. Oil a bowl lightly and place the dough in the bowl to sit for approx. 30 min. This will let the dough rest before you roll again.

To make the filling, place the ground turkey in a bowl. Add cornstarch, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt and pepper. Mix well. Mince the green onion, garlic and ginger very finely (Use a garlic press for the garlic/ginger if you so desire). Don't worry if there are a few pieces that are slightly larger. Chop the cabbage into small pieces, the smaller the better (think the size of a mini M&M) If you have chinese chives, use it. It lends a distinctive taste to the buns. If you don't like cabbage, use any vegetable you like, bok choy is a great substitute. Add all the veggies into the meat and mix well, incorporating everything.

To form the buns, divide the dough into 10 pieces. Taking each piece, flatten it into a circle about 4 inches in diameter. Place 1 heaping teaspoon of filling into the center and pinch the sides together. If there's excess dough, you can trim it off. I placed it between my hands after forming the bun and rolled it a few times to get it more even before patting it slightly. Continue until you've formed all of the buns.

In a non-stick skillet/pan, heat 2 tsp of oil on medium heat. Place the buns in the pan and fry on both sides until they're nicely golden. Add 1/2 cup of boiling water, place a lid on the pan and cook until the water has evaporated.
For a quick sauce, you can combine some vinegar, garlic chili sauce and sesame oil to taste.

Breasts and Buns

Female reproduction, breast pathology, and the memory of a comment about bunless burgers begins this post about a bakery style Chinese bun reminiscent of childhood, San Francisco Chinatown on a Saturday afternoon and a classic addition to American life along with the previously mentioned burgers.

As the smell of yeast permeates the apartment, I think of how much I don't really like hot dogs or Chinese buns for that matter. But for some reason, the soft bready dough of Chinese style bakeries just calls my name at the strangest moments.Bakery Style Chinese Hot Dog Buns 腸仔包

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 tsp yeast
1 tbs granulated sugar
1/2 - 2/3 cup warm milk
1 tsp salt
2 tbs unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
Sesame seeds
8 hot dogs (I used beef)

In a small bowl, combine yeast, milk and sugar. Let sit for 5-10 minutes to proof the yeast. In another bowl, combine flour and salt. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients with one egg. Mix to combine. When the dough begins to come together, turn out onto a flat surface and knead. If the dough seems a little dry, add a little water. If the dough is too wet, add 1 tbs of flour at at time. Add the 2 tbs of softened butter cut into small pieces. Knead into the dough until incorporated and the dough is soft and shiny.

Oil a bowl and place the dough in a warm place to rise for ~90 minutes or until doubled in size. Cut into 8 pieces of equal size. Taking each piece, make into an 8-10 inch long log with the middle thicker than the ends. Wrap around the hot dog, leaving very little space between the dough so that when the 2nd rise occurs, the dough meets to close up the space and not show the hot dog.*See that gap in the dough on the top bun? Try and avoid that. ;)

Continue until all 8 hot dogs have been wrapped in dough. Let rise for another ~90 minutes in a warm place.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. As the oven is heating up, beat the second egg and brush on the tops and sides of each bun. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired. When the oven is hot, bake for 8 minutes at the preheat temperature. Turn the temperature down to 350 and bake for another 5-8 minutes.Makes 8 buns.

Vegetative Bodies

Vegetation may not be good on heart valves, but in buns, I think they sound extraordinarily good. If I were a piece of rising dough possessing a heart, I don't think I would mind getting Libman-Sacks endocarditis and covering my valves with a mixture of celery, carrots, mushrooms, ham and garlic.

After making Phenomenon's 1 Bowl 1 Hour Dinner Rolls for our weekly Regency Sunday dinner, I couldn't help but think of variations, of fillings, of making it sweet and perhaps chocolatey.

The base of these filled rolls is an amazingly easy yeasted bread. The amount of active yeast doesn't add a strong flavor but allows the rise to occur quickly and fast enough for a last minute addition to any meal when you're strapped for time and can't wait 2+ hours for the proper rise to occur. The filling is not overwhelming, a simple mix of sauteed veggies, pretty much anything you have on hand, although I think next time, a bit more garlic would make for an amazing filling.
1 Bowl 1 Hour Dinner Rolls with Veggie Filling

Dough
1 1/2 cups of warm water (110 degrees F - slightly warm to the touch out of the tap)
1 tbsp instant yeast
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
4 cups flour (I used all purpose)

Filling
2 cups of any minced, sauteed vegetables you have on hand
I used (minced, finely):
A handful of baby carrots
1 stalk of celery
3 white button mushrooms
Cured Virginia ham
garlic, salt, pepper to taste

Topping
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp dry or fresh parsley
3 tbsp olive oilIn a measuring cup or small bowl, mix together warm water, sugar and yeast. Allow to stand for about 5-10 minutes until frothy.

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Make a well in the middle and add yeast mixture and oil. Mix until combined. Then turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until soft and shiny. Form dough into a ball, placed in a lightly oiled bowl and allow to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes or until doubled in size. I preheated my oven to 200 degrees F, turned it off and let the dough rise in the warm oven.

While the dough is making its first rise, mince all of the vegetables and saute in a little oil until soft. Let cool until ready for filling. Also saute minced garlic, parsley, and oil and set aside to brush on top of the buns.When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and shape into an 8x12 rectangle. Cut into 24 pieces. I found it easier to separate each piece of dough as I cut it so that they wouldn't stick back together and become a giant ball again.

To form a bun, take one of the pieces of dough, flatten into a 3-4 inch circle, place a tablespoon of the filling in the center and pinch the sides together to seal the bun closed. Repeat until all 24 buns are formed.Lightly oiling a 9x13 pan, place the buns in rows of 4x6 to rise a second time. Drizzle garlic/oil/parsley over the top of the buns. While they rise for another 20 min or until doubled in size, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake for 13-15 minutes at 400 F (I baked them for 13 minutes, then again, it's naturally hot in the Caribbean without the addition of an oven).Devour when ready. =D