Innovation- not desperation! That's what being a good cook is all about! Anyone can grab a recipe book, go out and shop for the ingredients they need and follow the rules... but for me, it is all about looking at what you have and then deciding what's the best thing you can make with them? Or the most fun and most different!
So, sure... I could have just put a topping on the roll of pizza base I had in the fridge and have made an easy supper. But I also had more of the pork loin from the other night left over and as I hadn't thought to freeze it, did not want it to go to waste.
And so I did this. Pretty cool, huh?
Although I have never eaten them, I have often seen and heard of steamed buns and always liked the sound of nice, big, soft and juicy dumplings with a juicy filling- and it seemed like a great idea this cold and rainy evening! A little fun, a lot of comfort and an easy, satisfying meal- and just one frying pan and my bamboo steamer to wash! Yep- I liked the sound of that on a week day night!
So for 8 yummy dumplings, I needed a half roll of store-bough pizza dough, around 200g of lean pork loin, 1 onion, some fresh ginger, 1 fresh chili pepper, 1 tablespoon each of Hoisin and sweet chili sauce, 1 tablespoon of 5-spice powder, some fresh parsley and some toasted sesame seeds. I added a little extra soy sauce for seasoning... and because I like it hot- some Sriracha sauce at the end for an extra kick... but I will let you decide on how you decide to enjoy yours!
Fluffy, steamy, hot, spics and irresistible! Get ready to burn your lips in your impatience- haha! Because these are best when they are piping hot!
So- let's get started and get busy chopping the pork and the onion nicely and finely... and the ginger and chili ultra fine! I used about 2" of ginger... and made sure to discard the seeds from the chili as they were suuuuper hot!
Fry the onion, pork, ginger and chili together until the pork has all turned white and the onion has become translucent, then add the stalks of the parsley, finely chopped, the sweet chili and Hoisin sauce, the 5-spice powder and plenty of freshly ground pepper.
Simmer together for 3-4 minutes, then add the finely chopped parsley leaves and a little soy sauce and water, stir thoroughly and turn off the heat. By the time it has cooled off, 7-8 minutes later, the juices will have soaked into the pork and become a smooth, slightly sticky and very yummy and spicy sauce.
Simmer together for 3-4 minutes, then add the finely chopped parsley leaves and a little soy sauce and water, stir thoroughly and turn off the heat. By the time it has cooled off, 7-8 minutes later, the juices will have soaked into the pork and become a smooth, slightly sticky and very yummy and spicy sauce.
Next step is to cut your pizza dough into squares of around 3 1/2- 4", ready to fill and pinch-together...
Simply spoon a good teaspoon of filling into the center of each square of dough and then fold the edges closed- don't worry about it being neat... but don't over-fill them or the filling will seep out and you'll regret it! Haha!
No need to fuss too much, just pluck the ends of the dough together and pinch them shut, before placing upside-down into a muffin paper, ready to steam. You may want to add a little rub of sesame oil to the dough to help it not to stick to the paper, if your wrappers are not grease-proof.
Set into their wrappers, upside-down, your little buns, dumplings, or whatever you prefer to call them are ready to be steamed for 15 minutes until they are fluffy and ready to serve...
Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds as soon as you remove the lid and the buns are still soft and slightly sticky... and rush to get them served up nice and hot! Mind your fingers now!
I gave mine a sprinkle of chopped parsley for color and a touch of freshness... but mainly because I didn't have cilantro at home, which would have been better- drat! And a nice squeeze of Sriracha sauce to make them extra hot!
And oh yes- that juicy filling was flavorful with the 5 spice and the mixture of sauces- a perfect, fun and also frugal feast! As so often... what's not to love? Go ahead- and enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment