Bao Zi - Steamed Buns With Gochujang Chicken Filling

Steamed buns, are a type of filled bun or bread-like dumpling in various Asian cuisines. They are a popular breakfast item and can be found in dim sum restaurants, street food stalls, and home kitchens. Baozi can be filled with a variety of ingredients, including meats, vegetables, and sweet fillings. 

This time with a Korean-style filling—gochujang chicken. The filling is a bit spicy, perfect for me, but you can adjust the gochujang paste to suit your taste.

It's a good way to use up any leftover meat, for example, from chicken soup.

Ingredients (10 Buns)

Dough:

- 4g active dry yeast

- 10g granulated sugar 

- 175 ml lukewarm water 

- 290 g bread flour

Filling:

- 350g boneless, skinless chicken thighs / breast 

- 1 tablespoon sesame oil

- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced

- 2 tablespoons gochujang paste

- 2 tablespoons soy sauce

- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar

- 3 tablespoons honey

Sauce:

- 1 tablespoon chili oil

- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

- 2 scallions (spring onions), finely sliced

- Fresh cilantro (coriander)

Instructions

1. Make the Chicken:

   - Cook, bake, fry, or use leftover chicken meat, according to your preference.

   - Let the meat cool and then shred it with forks.

   - Add all the seasonings and stir until combined.

2. Make the Dough:

   - Combine flour, yeast, salt, and water. Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes until soft and smooth.

   - Transfer to a greased bowl, cover, and let the dough rest for an hour.

   - Once risen, deflate and divide the dough into 10 pieces.

   - Roll each piece into a ball, flatten, and use a rolling pin to roll into 10cm circles.

   - Place chicken filling in the center, pleat, and seal.

   - Lay the buns on parchment paper, keep distance to prevent sticking together.

3. Steam the Buns:

   - Rest the buns, covered, for 30 minutes.

   - Steam over boiling water for 10 minutes until puffed.

   - Let rest, covered, for an additional 5 minutes to prevent collapsing.

4. Serve:

   - Garnish with chili oil, sesame seeds, scallions, and cilantro if desired.

   - Freeze leftover buns and steam to heat them up when desired.

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Lu Rou Fan 滷肉飯 - Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice

Lu Rou Fan (滷肉飯) is a beloved Taiwanese dish consisting of braised pork served over steamed white rice. The pork is slowly cooked with soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, garlic, and a blend of aromatic spices such as star anise and cinnamon, resulting in a savory, slightly sweet sauce. The dish is typically garnished with chopped green onions, fried shallots, or pickled vegetables, adding texture and flavor. Known for its comforting and rich taste, Lu Rou Fan is a popular and hearty meal in Taiwanese cuisine.

Ingredients:

- 500g Pork, cut into smaller pieces

- 150g onion, chopped or shallots

- 3-4 Cloves garlic, minced

- 20ml Light soy sauce 

- 40ml Dark soy sauce

- 30 ml Cooking wine 

- 30ml Oyster sauce 

- 10g Sugar 

- 1 tsp Five spice powder

- 1 tsp White pepper

- 600ml Water

- 6 Hard boiled eggs (optional)

Instructions

1. Prepare ingredients:

- Cut pork into pieces.

- Peel and finely mince the garlic cloves.

- Place the eggs in a pot of cold water. Bring to a boil and let them cook for 8-10 minutes. Remove the eggs and place them in a bowl of ice water to cool. Once cooled, peel the eggs and set aside.

2. Cook:

- In a pot, add enough oil to cover the bottom. Heat over medium-high heat and add the minced garlic and onion. Fry until fragrant and slightly golden, about 1-2 minutes.

- Add the pork to the pot. Stir fry over high heat until the pork is browned and some fat has rendered out, about 5-7 minutes.

- Add the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, cooking wine, oyster sauce, sugar, five spice powder, and white pepper. Toss the pork to evenly coat with the seasonings.

- Pour in water. Cover the pot and bring to a boil.

- Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 45 minutes, or until the pork is tender and the flavors have melded together.

- If using hard boiled eggs, add them to the pot during the last 10 minutes of cooking. This will allow the eggs to absorb the flavors of the sauce.

- Taste the dish and adjust seasoning if needed. Add more soy sauce or salt if necessary.

- Remove the pot from heat. Serve the pork and eggs over steamed rice, spooning the sauce over the top. Enjoy!

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Bok Choy-shaped Dumplings With Pork Filling

Dumplings are a beloved staple in Chinese cuisine (and not only), celebrated for their versatility, deliciousness, and cultural significance. They are typically made with a thin dough wrapper filled with a variety of ingredients, including meat, vegetables, seafood, and sometimes even sweet fillings. Dumplings can be cooked in various ways such as boiling, steaming, pan-frying, or deep-frying, each method imparting a unique texture and flavor to the final product.

You can find dumplings in many shapes, such as half moons, ovals, boats, and triangles, but not only these. There are also many skillful cooks who have gone further, creating shapes like bok choy, Chinese cabbage, cherry blossoms, and many more. I also prepared bok choy-shaped dumplings, and I must say they aren't as difficult to prepare, although they do take plenty of time. And look really cute!

Ingredients (20 Dumplings)

Wrappers:

- 150g flour

- 90 ml hot water

- Pinch of salt

- 1 tsp matcha powder or food coloring

Filling:

- 220g minced pork

- 80g spring onion, finely chopped

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 1 tbsp light soy sauce

- 1/2 tsp pepper

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 tbsp cornstarch

- 1 tbsp sesame oil

Instructions

To Prepare the Filling:

1. Season the pork in a mixing bowl.

2. Mix in the chopped garlic and spring onion.

3. Leave in the fridge until ready to use.

To Make the Dough:

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix flour, hot water, and a pinch of salt.

2. Knead the dough for 2-3 minutes until smooth.

3. Divide the dough into two equal portions. Save one portion for the white base part.

4. For the green dough (Pak Choi leaves part), add 1 tsp matcha powder/spinach powder/desired food coloring and knead to combine.

5. Rest the doughs in a covered container for 30 minutes.

To Prepare the Two-Color Wrappers:

1. Roll both doughs into two 20cm ropes.

2. Use a rolling pin to flatten the green dough rope lengthwise.

3. Wrap the white dough with the green dough, pinch, and slightly roll it on the working surface to seal the gap.

4. Divide the dough into 20 pieces.

5. Press each mini dough into a small disc and roll it into a thin wrapper (about 4” width) with a rolling pin. Dust and set aside.

To Assemble and Steam the Dumplings:

1. Place a dumpling wrapper on your palm and add 1 tsp of filling in the center.

2. Bring up the sides and gently pinch and squeeze with your thumb and index fingers to seal the dumpling top.

3. Repeat with the rest of the filling and wrappers.

4. Bring water to a boil in a wok or large saucepan over high heat.

5. Line a bamboo steamer or plate with parchment paper.

6. Place the dumplings on the steamer/dish and steam for 8 minutes over high heat with the lid on until they are fully cooked.

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Carpathian Mountain Cake with Mangoes - Karpatka z Mango

Karpatka is a traditional Polish dessert that consists of two layers of choux pastry filled with a rich, creamy custard. The dessert gets its name from the Carpathian Mountains, as the top layer of pastry, which puffs up and becomes irregular and rugged during baking, is said to resemble the mountain range. The custard filling is typically made with milk, sugar, butter, and sometimes vanilla, creating a smooth and luscious contrast to the crisp pastry. Karpatka is often dusted with powdered sugar before serving, making it a visually appealing and delicious treat.

I used cream cheese in the filling and added mangoes as they are currently in season.

Ingredients

Cake:

- 100g flour

- 150g milk

- 50g oil

- 3 eggs

Cream:

- 300ml milk

- 250g cream cheese

- 1 egg

- 80g sugar

- 35g cornstarch

- 100g mangoes 

Instructions

Cake:

1. Prepare the Cake:

   - Place the oil and milk in a saucepan.

   - Bring to a boil. 

   - Add flour and stir until the ingredients are combined into a smooth mass. 

   - Set aside to cool.

2. Preheat the Oven:

   - Preheat the oven to 200°C. 

   - Line a rectangular baking form (25 cm x 35 cm) with parchment paper.

3. Mix the Batter:

   - Transfer the cake to a bowl. 

   - Add the eggs and mix until you get a smooth batter.

   - Spread the batter evenly in the baking form. 

4. Bake the Layers:

   - Bake for 20-25 minutes until the cake is golden brown. Do not open the oven during baking.

   - Remove the baking form from the oven once cooled down. 

Cream:

1. Prepare the Pudding:

   - Blend together milk, sugar, corn starch and egg.

   - Pour onto a saucepan, stir constantly and cook the pudding until smooth and thick. 

   - Set aside to cool, cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming.

2. Prepare the Cream:

   - Beat the cream cheese until fluffy.

   - Gradually add the pudding mixture, one spoonful at a time, and continue beating until the cream is light and fluffy.

Assembling:

1. Prepare Mangoes:

   - Peel and cut the mangoe to desired size.

2. Assemble the Cake:

   - Cut the cake in half

   - Spread part of the cream evenly over the first layer. 

   - Press the mangoe into the cream and cover with the remaining cream.

   - Cover with the second baked layer.

   - Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Serving:

1. Finish and Serve:

   - Before serving, dust the Karpatka with powdered sugar.

   - Cut into portions and serve.

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Shanghai Pan-fried Buns - Sheng Jian Bao 生煎包

Shen Jian Bao (生煎包), also known as Shanghai pan-fried buns, are a type of Chinese bun characterized by their crispy bottom and soft, fluffy top. These buns are traditionally filled with juicy pork, often mixed with gelatinous broth that turns into a delicious soup when cooked. The buns are pan-fried until the bottoms are golden and crispy, then steamed to cook the filling and soften the top. They're typically garnished with sesame seeds and scallions and are known for their savory, juicy flavor and delightful texture contrast.

Ingredients (15 Buns)

Wrappers:

- 200 g all-purpose flour

- 5g sugar

- 3g dried instant yeast

- 110 ml lukewarm water

Filling:

- 220 g minced pork

- 20g spring onion

- 4g ginger, minced

- 2 teaspoon light soy sauce

- ½ teaspoon Shaoxing rice wine

- ½ teaspoon sesame oil

- ¼ teaspoon salt

- 1 pinch ground Sichuan pepper

- 5 tablespoon water, about 35ml

For Frying:

- 1 tablespoon cooking oil

- 240 ml water

Garnish:

- Toasted sesame seeds

- Spring onion

Instructions

Prepare the Dough

1. In a large bowl, mix flour, instant yeast, and sugar.

2. Pour in water little by little while stirring with a pair of chopsticks or a fork.

3. Knead with your hand until a smooth, elastic dough forms. Cover the bowl with a wet kitchen towel.

4. Leave the dough to rise in a warm place until it doubles in size. This will take between 40 minutes to 1.5 hours, depending on the room temperature.

Mix the Filling

1. Put all the ingredients for the filling into a large bowl.

2. Swirl constantly in the same direction while gradually adding water or chicken stock spoon by spoon into the mixture.

Shape the Buns

1. Knead the risen dough on a floured work surface until it returns to its original size.

2. Divide the dough into 20 equal portions. Roll each piece into a disk-like wrapper.

3. Hold the wrapper in the palm of one hand. Place some filling in the middle. Use the other hand to fold the edge anticlockwise by pinching with thumb and index finger until the bun is completely sealed.

4. Leave the buns to rest for 15 minutes before frying.

Fry the Buns

1. Heat up oil in a frying pan over high heat. Place the buns in the pan.

2. When the bottom part becomes golden brown, pour in water then cover with a lid.

3. Uncover when the water evaporates completely. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds and finely chopped spring onion over.

4. Cook for another 30 seconds or so to crisp up. 

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