hi guys,
These steamed buns filled with sweet red bean paste are super tasty and are great to have as a
sweet snack or dessert. Best of all, they are actually pretty easy to make.
First, you'll need some basic dough ingredients, red bean paste, and some sort of steaming
apparatus.
Vegan red bean paste can usually be found in Asian grocery stores and online but if
you like, you can make your own. Click here for the recipe or check the description box
for the link.
The dough is very similar to the plain Mantou or Chinese steamed buns recipe that I posted
a while ago.
However, instead of sugar, today I'm using sweetened condensed soy milk. The condensed
milk gives the buns a milkier aroma and, personally, I just like it better this way. If you don't
have sweetened condensed milk, you can make your own from this recipe, or simply leave
it out and use the original Mantou recipe. It'll still be delicious.
So now, we have combined the yeast, sweetener and warm water and let it bloom so that we
know the yeast is active.
Now add in a half cup of all-purpose flour and whisk it in. Repeat with another half
cup. Adding the flour slowly like this helps to achieve a smoother dough.
Then, add another half cup. This time, a whisk isn't going to work so I'm using chopsticks.
Add another half cup and stir in.
Repeat this with a final half cup of flour and you should be getting to this dough stage.
Use your clean hands and form the dough ball. Fold the dough in on itself and press down
to knead. You may turn the dough out onto a firm surface and continue kneading to get
a smooth dough. It's going to be sticky at first and you may add a little sprinkling
of flour here or there to help you along, but try not to add too much.
After about 5 minutes of effort, your dough should be fairly smooth. Place it back in
the mixing bowl and cover it.
Let it rise in a warm, draft-free location for about an hour or until the dough has doubled
in size.
When the dough looks like this, it's ready.
Sprinkle some flour around the edges of the bowl so that the dough is easier to remove.
Scape the dough out and onto a lightly floured surface.
Roll it gently into a log shape and divide it into eight to ten even pieces.
Pick one piece and flatten it into a circle shape. I'm using my trusty beer bottle rolling
pin, but you can even use your hands for this. You want the middle of the circle to end up
a bit thicker, while the edges should be a bit thinner.
Place some red bean paste in the center, then go around the edge of the dough, pinching
together until the bun is closed up.
This takes a bit of practice and I'm not really that great at it. If you find the pleats too
tedious, you can always pinch together at the top like a purse, then turn that side
down so that you have a smooth bun top.
Repeat with all of your dough and place them on a floured surface so they don't stick.
To prevent the buns from sticking to the bamboo, I cut out little circles of parchment paper
for the buns to sit on. Bamboo leaves are commonly used as well but I couldn't get a
hold of any.
The buns should have puffed up a little by now. Carefully place them in your steamer,
keeping in mind that they will expand, so give each one lots of room.
Then steam on medium high heat for 10 to 15 minutes. If you decided to make smaller buns,
go for less time. If you have larger buns, go for a little longer.
[Time and temp vary due to climate and altitude. For your first time, steam only a few buns
at once so that you can tweak the timing to your location and needs.]
When the time is up, remove the steamer from the heat but keep the lid on for 5 minutes
or so. This will keep the top of the buns smooth and puffed up. If you remove the lid
too soon, the tops will get wrinkly and the texture is affected.
And that's it. The buns and filling will be super hot so be careful. The bread should
be soft, fluffy and easy to pull apart. If your bread is stiff, that means it was
steamed too long so reduce the steaming time next time. If it's doughy, then it's undercooked
so turn up the heat or steam for longer next time.
You can also use the same technique with different fillings so use your imagination and go for
it! Please let me know if you try this recipe or put your own unique spin on it.
I really hope you enjoyed this video and get to try this recipe sometime. Thank you so
much for watching. I would really appreciate a thumbs up if you liked it. And subscribe
for more easy vegan recipes and meal inspiration ideas every week.
Bye for now!