Happy New Year! - Stuffed Buns
Dr. Mom's Healthy Tips:
Balancing Nutrients - When combined with proteins or vegetables, the glycemic response from foods with a high glycemic index can be blunted. A 2:1 ratio of carbohydrate : protein is recommended to create this balance.
The holidays is a time when everyone comes together with laughter, joy, relaxation, bonding, and a whole lot of eating! In our family, we have built a ritual of spending some time reflecting on the past year and setting a direction for the upcoming year. While there was a lot of resistance to this practice when my kids were young, this year everyone was fully engaged. It made me realize that when children grow up and move away, any time spent together is truly cherished by all.
During residency, each resident does a series of overnight rotations. During one such rotation in the CCU, my colleague's wife sent us meat-filled buns for a midnight snack. I immediately fell in love with them and since than I have been making them with different fillings. Over the holidays this year, my daughter and I co-created this version and everyone enjoyed it!
Stuffed Buns
Total Cook Time: Approximately 2 hours
Ingredients:
Filling:
1 package ground chicken
1 cup peas
1 onion, diced
1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
1/2 tablespoon garam masala
salt**
chili powder**
** Flavor is an expression of your personality; therefore, while rough guidelines on salt and chili measurements have been given, please do tailor them to your own tastes or dietary tolerance.
Buns:
2 tablespoons oil
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour + a little extra
1 package yeast
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
Directions:
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add sugar, egg, salt, and 1 cup flour. Beat on low for 3 minutes. Add enough extra flour to form a soft dough.
Turn mixture onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes.
Place dough in a greased bowl, turn once to grease top. Cover bowl and let dough rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook chicken over medium heat until no longer pink. Add ginger-garlic paste, onion, salt, and peas. Cover and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
Add garam masala and chili powder, continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for an additional 5 minutes or until all water has evaporated.
Remove filling mixture from heat and set aside to cool.
Punch dough down and divide into 12 pieces. Gently roll out each piece into a 5 inch circle. Top each with 1/4 cup of filling and fold dough over filling to meet in the center. Pinch edges of dough to seal.
Place buns seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.
Brush buns with butter and bake in oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Serve warm and enjoy!
Optional Twists:
Alternatively, if I'm tight on time, I'll stuff frozen dinner rolls through a small hole with the filling above and cover the hole with a paste made from all-purpose flour and water.
I have also used a filling of spicy slow cooked pulled chicken breast, as one of my daughters does not like ground meat.