Steamed Beef Buns: Version 5.0

 Steamed Beef Buns: Version 5.0

(Fusion)

Recipe by Siphannay Burnes

Steamed Beef Buns: Version 5.0

    This recipe has seen some changes over the years primarily due to Robert's migraines. As we discovered a migraine trigger, we removed one ingredient and substituted it some something else. This is the end result and why we call these steamed buns Version 5.0. 

    There are some tricks that I learned from my grandmother that go into making this side look so nice. I learned that water is your best friend here and not to use cupcake paper to keep the bun from sticking to the pan. 

    Robert is working on a grilled version of this Chinese favorite so look out for that. He's got a real gift for cooking and I can't wait to see how it turns out. 

UTENSILS

    You're going to need some special things here. For us, we use parchment paper to keep the buns from sticking and you're going to need a steamer. Not one of those pressure steamers either, but an honest to God steamer. Ours is small, but it works. It's a pan with lots of holes in the bottom that is seated over another pan that holds the water. A clear lid lets me see the progress. 

    You can use whatever you want to move the buns about, but I use chop sticks dipped in water. It's really useful. 

PREP

For the Bun: 

1. Tablespoon of active, dry yeast; 

2. 2 tablespoons of sugar;  

3. 1/2 cup of warm water; 

4. 1 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour; 

5. 1/4 teaspoon of salt; 

6. 1 teaspoon of sugar;

7. 1/4 cup of flour;

8. 1/4 cup of warm water;

9. 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

For the Stuffin' 

1. One New York steak, finely chopped; 

2. Tablespoon of brown sugar; 

3. 1/2 teaspoon of hoisin; 

4. Tablespoon of soy sauce; 

5. 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

6. 3 finely chopped garlic cloves; 

7. 1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion; 

8. Dash of cumin; 

9. Dash of pepper and salt; 

10. Finely chopped jalapeño (add as much as YOU want-the idea is to off-set the sweet with the heat, but not so much that there is no sweet. This is about contrasts-not single notes); 

11. A teaspoon of scotch (If'n you want). This version is called "Drunken 5.0)3" Get it? The keys are all....nevermind. It's just called that and that is all you need to know. 

DIRECTIONS

Buns

1. Mix the yeast, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1/4 cup of flour, and 1/4 cup of warm water into a bowl. Give it a good whipping. Wa-Hiping. Then set it to the side for 30 minutes; 

2. After 30 minutes, mix in the 1/2 cup of warm water, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and the vegetable oil. Knead this all together until the dough is smooth and you can pull it apart. Like Stretch-Arm-Strong. Place the mixture until a greased bowl and let this mixture stand for 3 hours. It must triple in size; 

Meat

1. Ensure the meat is finely chopped then add the meat to a hot pan that has a couple of teaspoons of oil; 

2. Do not stir the meat often-let it cook, add oil as needed; 

2a. If you are adding the scotch, now is the time. You want to add the alcohols to the meat PRIOR to adding anything else. This will ensure the alcohol gets burned off and we are left with the flavor enhancing goodness; 

3. As soon as the meat starts to crisp, add the remaining ingredients and stir frequently. You don't want this to burn; 

4. You should be left with a fairly sticky mixture. If you're there, perfect. Give it a taste. It should be tender, sweet and hot. If it isn't, add the appropriate missing ingredient. If you're there, set this to the side and let it cool down a bit. 

Steamed Bun Prep

NOTE: Now is the time to get the steam pan ready. You want the water to be about two inches below the steaming portion where the buns will go. It should be boiling by the time you place the first bun in there. 

1. Pull the dough apart in small pieces. You should have enough to spread out to about the size of your palm or just a bit bigger. Like a teacup plate. Small and as round as you can get it; 

2. Place a small amount of filling in the dough. You know what? Life is short-you place as much as you want in there. I typically overload so that is what I'm doing here; 

3. Here's my trick-I wet my fingers and fold the dough up and over the mixture, pinching it together. It should look like a flower that hasn't opened yet; 

4. Place your newly created bun onto a piece of wax paper. You want the paper to be about the size of the bottom of the buns; 

5. Place the bun into the steamer and close the lid and keep that water boiling. The bun needs to "steam" for 15 minutes; 

6. After 15 minutes, remove the bun and here is where we lob in the fusion: We use a small amount of butter across the top of the bun, remove the wax paper, put the bun in an oiled pan with his buddies then we put them buns in the over at 425f for 6-9 minutes or until the top is toasted; 

7. Remove from the oven and garnish with chives and a small amount of cilantro; 

8. We serve this with a dipping sauce that is a mixture of hoisin and sesame oil with a dash of rice vinegar in there for zing.