Cookbook:Steamed Tuna Bao Buns

Steamed Tuna Bao Buns
Category	Dumpling recipes
Difficulty

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Steamed tuna bao buns are a type of steamed dumpling from American-Asian cuisine. They are made with a simple yeast leavened dough and steamed until soft and fluffy. They can be eaten plain or stuffed with a variety of fillings. This recipe uses a tuna and pineapple filling.

Ingredients

Dough

• All-purpose flour
• Rice flour
• Tapioca starch (or potato starch)
• ½ packet dry active yeast
• 1 tbsp honey
• Milk, warm (~100°F)
• Vegetable oil
• Salt
• White granulated sugar
• Lukewarm water (~100°F)

Filling

• Canned tuna
• Canned pineapple in juice, cut into small pieces
• 1 tbsp canned pineapple juice
• Barbecue sauce (your choice)
• Seasoning powder (hot paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, ground ginger, ground star anise)
• 1 pinch Vegeta seasoning (optional, has MSG)
• 1 tsp spicy mustard
• Shelled whole peanuts

Procedure

Dough

1. Add active dry yeast and honey to around 8 oz warm water and milk. If using instant yeast there is no need to bloom the yeast.
2. Sift in a mix of all purpose flour, rice flour, tapioca starch. It should be mostly AP flour, but the exact mixture is not precise.
3. Add a little salt and sugar. Begin to combine the dough with a oiled spatula, continue adding flour until it starts to come together.
4. Begin kneading—it will be sticky—and continue adding flour. Oil on hands will help.
5. Add a little oil if it is needed (not more than 1 tbsp) and continue kneading until the dough is elastic.
6. Place the dough in a covered food-safe plastic container large enough to accommodate the expanding dough.
7. Allow dough to rise somewhere warm. Check on it in around 2 hours—once it doesn't bounce back when poked, it is ready for filling.

Filling

1. Combine tuna, pineapples, peanuts, and seasoning powder, and mix until the tuna has a paste-like consistency. Pineapple pieces should be small.
2. Add a little barbecue sauce; it should be moist but not too wet.
3. Optionally add 1 tbsp pineapple juice, which will make it sweet.
4. Add mustard according to taste.
5. Let rest, uncovered, for around 2 hours

Assembly

1. Take a piece of dough slightly larger than a golf ball and flatten in your hand. Don't make this too thin.
2. Add filling and fold closed by pinching around the edges (google "folding bao" for help with this step). For plain bao they can be log-shaped.
3. Add to steamer with boiling water, and steam 10–12 minutes.
4. Serve hot.