Versatile and scrumptious hirata buns that go with any filling of your choice – the buns themselves don’t need to be baked so it can be made even if you don’t have an oven!
You will need to think of a way to steam the buns though – I don’t have a steamer so used a makeshift one: take a large pot and fill with about 2-3 inches of water. Place a small steel bowl upside down and place a plate on the base of the bowl. Now cover the pot and bring the water to a boil. Place the buns on the plate to steam them! This worked very well for me.
Ingredients (Makes 6 medium sized buns)
For the buns
300 g plain flour
170 ml luke warm water
3 g instant yest
35 g sugar
3 g baking powder
1 tsp salt
For the filling
You can of course use any filling of your choice – I used a spicy tofu filling for which you will need:
400 g firm tofu, cut into cubes
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp peanut butter – I find that this adds a really nice nutty/creamy texture to the sauce!
2-3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp korean chilli paste
1 tbsp chilli sauce – you can adjust this based on how spicy you want the filling to be!
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp white wine vinegar
A splash of red wine (optional)
Method
Make the dough
Sift the dry ingredients in a large bowl and gently add the water to form a sticky dough, with no lumps.
Cover the dough and let it rest for at least 1 hour or until the dough doubles in size. During this time, you can make the filling.
Make the filling
Mix all the sauce ingredients to form a thick sauce/marinade and let the tofu cubes rest in the marinade for half an hour.
Then place the tofu cubes on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake it at 180 degrees centigrade for 15 minutes, until the tofu becomes firm/crispy on the edges. The filling is ready! You can also pan fry the tofu pieces if you like.
Divide the dough into 6 portions.
Lightly flour a surface and roll the dough balls into an oval shape about 6 inches long and half a centimetre thick. Place the oval on a piece of baking paper.
Apply a few drops of sesame oil on the rolled out oval and then fold halfway to form a “D” shaped bun. The sesame oil will prevent the flaps of the bun from sticking together.
Steam the buns for 12-13 minutes – they will look like the picture below when cooked.
Let the buns cool for a few minutes, then stuff them with your filling and they are ready to be devoured! I added some thinly sliced red peppers along with the spicy tofu and sprinkled with sesame seeds (just for a little crunch) but you can of course add any salad/toppings of your choice!
Bake a Break 