Steamed Mushroom Buns

Soft, fluffy and a little sweet, these steamed buns are filled with a savoury mushroom filling and are perfect as an appetiser or own their own. Served with a spicy dipping sauce, I have step-by-step photos to show you just how easy these are to make.

Before we get started, I just need to take a moment and acknowledge that this is post number 200! Woah. I don’t know about you but that feels like a milestone and I need a minute to acknowledge that I am super proud of myself for what I have created with this website. Anyway, thanks for reading, now for mushroom buns.

Let’s declare 2019 the year to step outside our comfort zones in the kitchen! For me, I really just want to be able to make good food at home that I enjoy eating, thus removing my reliance on takeaway ie uber bringing me all the food directly to my door.

Sounds like a plan right??

So with this new year declaration, let’s start by making dumplings at home. Well not dumplings exactly, but steamed buns because they are super delicious and wherever there are dumplings there are steamed buns so they are basically the same thing… I was eating some variation of a steamed bun for breakfast every morning from the buffet at my hotel when I was in the Philippines and it reminded me just how good they are which led me to FINALLY give them a try in my own kitchen.

These sweet, soft doughy buns are filled most commonly with pork and a sticky sauce then steamed. But they really can be filled with anything which is why I am going with the vegetarian option today using portobello mushrooms for that meaty texture without the actual meat. The main thing we want is a rich savoury flavour to pair with the bun.

The combination of flavours in the sauce brings the salty, sweet and savoury elements together providing balance along with the extra little flavour kick of ginger and garlic. I restrained myself from adding chilli to the actual bun filling, but couldn’t help myself with the dipping sauce and I am actually really happy with it this way. I used a chilli and garlic sauce that I have a very large container in my fridge of, but a few brands do it (it’s just called chilli and garlic sauce on the label) and it can be found in the Asian grocery aisle. It’s kind of like a sambal oelek so that would work as well. I just love the chilli flavour it adds along with that little kick of heat.

How to Make Steamed Mushroom Buns

To make things easier to follow along, I have laid out step-by-step photos for you below for how to make the mushroom buns. The process can be broken down into 6 simple steps:

1. Mix the dough in a large bowl until it comes together and turn it out onto a floured surface.

2. Knead the dough until smooth and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest for 1 hour.

3. Chop mushrooms and fry until soft.

4. Add sauce and chopped water chestnuts.

5.Divide dough into 10 and roll each out into disks. Add cooled filling to the centre of each.

6.Pinch dough around filling at the top.

From here, you just add the buns to a bamboo steamer lined with baking paper to prevent sticking and steam for 15 minutes before serving with a quick and easy dipping sauce.

Now you will notice from my photos that my buns are not perfect. Some have opened at the top, others are a bit uneven. And I seriously considered making more to try and get them looking perfect for the photos. But then I realised that this is the reality, and most likely yours will not look perfect either, and that’s ok! And while I love food photography and want the pictures I publish to look good, I do get a little sick of seeing perfectly staged food so I hope you appreciate the reality in these images!

Looks aren’t everything! It’s flavour that is key and these mushroom buns certainly deliver in that regard.

One tip I do have though is to really make sure you drain the excess moisture from your mushroom mix. The liquid will make shaping the buns very messy, so just squeeze the mixture with a spoon against the side of the bowl before adding it to the dough and you will have a much better time trying to shape your buns.

So here is to trying something new in our kitchens in 2019. I hope to bring you along as I try new things, make mistakes, and hopefully learn a lot. Also where ever possible I am going to try and include step-by-step photos like I have done in the post so that you know what to expect when trying out these new recipes along side me.

Once you get comfortable making this bun dough, I think the filling possibilities are endless. My mind is already thinking about what I should try next!

What recipes are you wanting to try in 2019?

If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with #eightforestlane as I would love to see.

Steamed Mushroom Buns

Soft, fluffy and a little sweet, these steamed buns are filled with a savoury mushroom filling and are perfect as an appetiser or own their own, served with a spicy dipping sauce.

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Asian

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Resting Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 45 minutes

Servings: 10 buns

Author: Sally

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Ingredients

For the buns:

• 2 cups plain flour
• ¼ cup white sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

For the filling:

• 300 grams portobello mushrooms
• 230 gram can of water chestnuts
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine
• 1 teaspoon crushed ginger
• 1 clove garlic crushed

For the dipping sauce:

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon chilli and garlic sauce

Instructions

• Make the dough. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Gradually add in ½ cup of warm water and vegetable oil, mixing with your hands until the mixture comes together and forms a soft dough. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough for about 5 minutes until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rest for 1 hour at room temperature.
• Make the filling. Finley dice the mushrooms and water chestnuts so they form a mince like texture. Heat peanut oil in a frying pan and add mushrooms. Saute until soft.
• Meanwhile, mix together soy sauce, honey, oyster sauce, Chinese cooking wine, ginger and garlic. Add sauce and water chestnuts to the mushrooms and bring sauce to the boil. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
• Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces and use a rolling pin to shape into circles about 8 cm in diameter. Cover dough with a damp cloth while you work to prevent drying out.
• Place a teaspoon and a half of mushroom mixture, ensuring you have drained off any excess moisture, into the centre of the dough circle. Use your finger to run a little water around the edge and then gather the edges around the filling and pinch together at the top. Repeat with remaining dough circles.
• Line a bamboo steamer with baking paper and add buns 2 cm apart. You may need to do this in batches depending on how big your steamer is. Steam buns over simmering water for 15 minutes.
• While the buns are steaming, mix together dipping sauce ingredients. Adjust chilli and garlic sauce to taste. Serve buns immediately with dipping sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 180kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 864mg | Potassium: 157mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.

Have you made this recipe?Leave a comment and a rating below and tag your creations with #eightforestlane on Instagram!

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