These fresh steamed buns are a winner, the time and love that goes into them makes for a fulfilling part of a meal or snack.

Pumpkin Wholemeal Buns (Mantou)

Ingredients:

• Wholemeal self-raising flour 1 kg
• Soy milk 300 mls exactly
• butternut pumpkin med ½
• sugar 400 g
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons of oil
• yeast 1 x 7g sachet
• lemon/lime juice 1 tablespoon
• vinegar 2 tablespoons

Method:

• cut the pumpkin into small pieces and cook in a pot with some water. Mash once cooked.
• wipe down the table to prepare a dough making spot
• sift the 1 kg of flour
• set aside one cup of the flour
• heap the rest of the flour onto the table
• make a well in the middle
• dissolve the salt and sugar into the soya milk
• mix the yeast into 1/3 cup of luke warm water and set aside
• put all the rest of the ingredients into the well of flour
• gentle add the pumpkin mix into the well
• gradually mix from inside the well working outwards, slowly adding the flour to the middle as you mix outwards.
• Once the mixing is complete, sprinkle flour onto the table. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes.
• Cover the dough with a wet cloth for 30 minutes allowing it to rise.
• Divide the dough in four
• Knead the four sets separately once again for 20 minutes
• roll the dough into a sausage shape 4 cm thick
• slice the dough into sections 5 cm long
• place the sections onto a base of banana leaf or grease proof paper.
• Lay the sections onto a steam tray
• put 2 litres of water into the steamer and bring to the boil
• put the steamer trays on top and steam for 15 minutes

Mushroom Bun Filling

NOTE: the filling should be room temperature before wrapping into the dough.

Mushroom Filling

• shitake mushrooms 1 cup
• wood eared fungus 1 cup
• veg golden mushroom non-meat 100 g
• Carrot 1
• dried Peas 1 cup
• Garlic 5 cloves
• Olive oil 4 tablespoons
• soy sauce 4 tablespoons

Method:

• Wash and then soak the mushrooms for ½ hour. Drain and thinly slice.
• Wash and then soak the wood eared fungus for 15 minutes. Drain and thinly slice.
• Soak the dried peas
• Shred the carrot
• crush and finely chop the garlic
• put oil into a sauce pan. Brown the garlic, add the mushrooms and fry for 10 minutes. Add the carrots and peas, fry for another 10 minutes.
• Add the soya sauce
• cook another 10 minutes, set aside to use as the filling.

BBQ Bun Filling

BBQ Filling

• Veg Sausage 500 g packet
• Ginger 1 teaspoon
• Olive oil 4 tablespoons
• soy sauce 3 tablespoons
• BBQ sauce 3 tablespoons
• sugar 1 teaspoon
• sesame seeds 3 tablespoons

Method:

• finely dice the Veg Sausage.
• Finely chop the ginger
• crush and finely chop the garlic
• put oil into a sauce pan. Brown the ginger
• add the Veg Sausage and fry for 10 minutes.
• Add the soya sauces and sugar, fry for 5 minutes
• Add the sesame seeds mix in and turn off the heat. Set aside to use as the filling.

NOTE: You can use other kinds of Vege Protein products.

Prepare the fillings the night before to enhance the flavour.

Filling the Buns

Ingredients:

• Plain self-raising flour 1 kg
• Soy milk 300 mls exactly
• butternut pumpkin med ½
• sugar 400 g
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons of oil
• yeast 1 x 7g sachet
• lemon/lime juice 1 tablespoon
• vinegar 2 tablespoons

Method:

• cut the pumpkin into small pieces and cook in a pot with some water. Mash once cooked.
• wipe down the table to prepare a dough making spot
• sift the 1 kg of flour
• set aside one cup of the flour
• heap the rest of the flour onto the table
• make a well in the middle
• dissolve the salt and sugar into the soya milk
• mix the yeast into 1/3 cup of luke warm water and set aside
• put all the rest of the ingredients into the well of flour
• gentle add the pumpkin mix into the well
• gradually mix from inside the well working outwards, slowly adding the flour to the middle as you mix outwards.
• Once the mixing is complete, sprinkle flour onto the table. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes.

• Divide the dough in four
• Knead the four sets separately once again for 10-15 minutes
• Cover 3 portions with a wet cloth
• Take one portion, roll the dough into a sausage shape 4 cm thick
• slice the dough into sections 5 cm long
• Take one section and put the rest under a wet cloth
• With the one section of dough roll from the centre outward, turning the dough as you do so.
• Roll to a thickness of ½ centimetre
• NOTE: the filling should be room temperature before wrapping into the dough.
• take one tablespoon of filling, press it into the middle of the dough. Bring all the corners of the dough into the middle covering the filling and pinch together to make a seal.

• place the sections onto a base of banana leaf or grease proof paper.
• Lay the sections onto a steam tray
• put 2 litres of water into the steamer and bring to the boil
• put the steamer trays on top and steam for 15 minutes