Kimchi & Mushroom Steam Buns

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Kimchi & Mushroom Steam Buns

Yield 15

Author Jessica Emin

Prep time

2 Hour

Total time

2 Hour

These delicious buns can be stuffed with anything, but the combination of spicy sour kimchi and sweet hoisin marinated mushrooms is ideal. This bun recipe is adapted from the awesome Momofuku cookbook by David Chang, but this version makes for a larger taco-like bun that fits more goodness inside.

Ingredients

• 3/4 Tbsp active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 2 cups bread flour, plus 2 Tbsp
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp nonfat dry milk powder
• 1/2 Tbsp kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, rounded
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 Tbsp rendered pork fat or vegetable shortening, at room temperature
• vegetable oil
• 300g baby king oyster mushroom
• 1 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
• 1/2 cup ponzu sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 Tbsp grated ginger
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion
• 1 jar Cabbage Patch Kimchi
• Kewpie brand mayonnaise
• 3/4 cup quick pickled cucumber

Instructions

Mushroom Filling

1. Clean mushrooms, and slice lengthwise into 1/2 inch strips.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together hoisin, ponzu, grated ginger, and 1/2 cup of water.
3. Add mushrooms to hoisin mix to marinate for 15 minutes.
4. Remove mushrooms from marinade and add to a frying pan over medium to low heat. Cook until tender and sticky, then set aside.
5. Add the rest of the marinade to the frying pan and bring to a simmer. Cook until it had thickened.
6. Mix the mushrooms and the reduced marinade. Set aside.

Buns

1. To begin making the buns, stir together the yeast and 3/4 of a cup of warm water in a large mixing bowl. Add the flour, sugar, milk powder, salt, baking powder, baking soda and fat. Mix with a wooden spoon until a ball forms, scraping the edges of the bowl. Transfer the ball of dough to a lightly oiled clean surface and kneed for 4-5 minutes. Oil a medium-large sized bowl with vegetable oil and place the dough inside, cover and seal with plastic wrap and let rest in a warm area until it has doubled in size. This will take about 1 hour to 1 hour and a half.
2. Punch the dough down, and place it on a clean work surface. Using a sharp knife, divide the dough into 5 equal pieces. Gently roll the pieces into logs, then cut each log into 3 pieces, making 15 pieces total. They should be about the size of a small lime. Roll each piece into a ball and set them on baking sheets. Cover them with a warm, damp kitchen towel and let them rise for 30 minutes. Cut out fifteen 6-inch squares of parchment paper.
3. Use a rolling pin to roll each ball into a 5-6 inch-long oval. They should be quite thin; below 1/4 inch. Brush lightly with vegetable oil, lay a wooden spoon across the center of the oval, and fold the oval over onto itself to form a bun. Gently pull out the spoon, leaving the bun folded, and transfer it to a square of parchment paper. Put it back under the towel, and form the rest of the buns.
4. Set up a small steamer on top of the stove. Work in batches to steam the buns, without them touching, for 5-6 minutes each or until dough has tightened and puffed up, but has not browned. Use the buns immediately, or allow them to cool completely, then put them in plastic freezer bags and freeze for up to 2 months, and use a stove top steamer for 2 to 3 minutes to reheat.

Assembly

1. Open a warm bun and drizzle with kewpie mayonnaise, add 2/3 slices of baby king oyster mushroom, a tablespoon of Cabbage Patch Kimchi, pickled cucumber, and green onion.