Curry Chicken Buns

I have long been a fan of Asian dumplings.  Unfortunately, they can be hard to find in many places across the US, which means I have to learn to make my own.  I love these curry buns, and they are one of my favorite meals.  Spicy curry chicken is wrapped in a soft, light bun and then brushed with a honey glaze, that little bit of sweetness contrasting to the spicy filling within.  They are amazing.



They are also a favorite for the rest of my family.  I have to ration them when I make them or my family will eat through all my hard work in a matter of days.  They are my oldest daughter's favorite meal, and she begs for them all the time.

Many meals are time consuming to make, but making a larger batch doesn't take much extra time so you can make yourself several meals in the time it would have taken to make one.  Unfortunately this is not one of those meals.  Since all of the buns have to be cut, rolled, filled and shaped individually, as the number you're making goes up the time required goes proportionally.  Making a single batch is a project.  Making a multiple batches is a big project!

However, we like these enough that I find it worthwhile to occasionally take a day and make a huge batch.  Like I said I ration them because if I'm going to put in all the time a work to make them, I want them to last a few months.  And right now is a perfect time to work on big food projects.  We can't go anywhere due to coronavirus.  We're home all day anyway, so we may as well bake!

This also makes a great summer freezer meal.  Since they are reheated in the microwave they won't make your house all hot.

Difficulty: Hard
Category: Simple Side
Column: EE and EF
Adapted From: Asian Dumplings - This book is seriously awesome, and I highly recommend it if you are interested in learning to make dumplings.  It's not so much a collection of recipes as it an instructional book about how to make dumplings with recipes included.  It will teach you the whole process, not just how to make one things.

Notes

• Ground chicken or turkey will both work for this recipe.  I prefer the taste of chicken, but turkey is more commonly available.  I used turkey this time because that is what I could find.  Both taste great!
• If you are making a single batch, keep the dough to filling ratio filling as is.  If you are making a larger batch, you may want to make some extra dough.  I find that it can be harder to get filling and dough used at the exact same rate when I'm making more.  Measuring errors magnify the more buns I make.  The first time I made a large batch I ran out of dough before I had used all the filling and had to make another batch of dough the next day to use the rest.  Now I just make extra dough from the outset.  If I have too much dough then I can always make panipopo (yum!) or just even plain buns to eat or use for sandwiches.  
• This time I made 7.5 batches of the filling because I had 5 lbs of turkey and I made 8 batches of dough to give me some wiggle room.  I ended up having 2 batches of the dough leftover because the scoop I was using held 5 tsp of filling instead of the called for 4, so we made buns and panipopo (a sweet, coconut roll, s personal favorite).  No one is complaining about having too much bread. 
• This recipe calls for whole spices that are toasted and then ground.  I have a small coffee grinder that I use to grind my spices, and it's great.  I don't generally recommend people buy more kitchen equipment, but if you like to cook foods from a wide variety of cultures, like I do, I highly recommend getting a coffee grinder for your spices.  A lot of traditional recipes call for grinding your own.  Small coffee grinders cost about $15 and work great as spice grinders.  
• I do not recommend trying to grind your spices with a food processor.  I have tried multiple times and it has never worked.  If you don't have something to grind spices with you can try using pre-ground spices.  You would need to use slightly less than what is called for and be very careful toasting them. They'll burn easily.  You probably want to experiment with a single batch of buns before you go all in on making a large batch to freeze.
• If you are making a large batch of buns like I did you will likely need to make multiple batches of dough.  I made 8 batches of dough by making a double batch 4 times.  A double batch is about as much as will fit in my Bosch bread mixer.

Yield: 16 buns

Curry Chicken Filling

1 1/2 tsp coriander seed
1/4 tsp cumin seed
1/8 tsp fennel seed
3 black peppercorns
1/4 tsp ground cayenne
1/4 tsp ground tumeric
1 pinch ground cloves
1 pinch ground cinnamon
1 shallot, chopped
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp water
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2/3 lb ground chicken breast or turkey
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp sugar
3 tbsp coconut milk
2 1/2 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp water
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1. Toast the coriander seed, cumin seed, fennel seed and peppercorns in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant.  Grind the seeds in a coffee or spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle.
2. Transfer the ground spices to a food processor and add the cayenne, tumeric, cloves, cinnamon, shallot, ginger, garlic and water. Process everything to a paste, scrapping down the sides occasionally.
3. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the spice paste and cook, stirring frequently until it is dark and very fragrant, about 5 minutes.  Don't skimp on this! It's important to the flavor to get everything brown and fragrant.
4. Add the chicken, salt and sugar, stirring to combine.  Once the chicken is halfway cooked, add the coconut milk.  Continue to cook for a couple more minutes until the chicken is cooked through and has released some of its juices.
5. Combine the cornstarch and water in a small cup then add to the skillet.  Stir to combine and cook until the liquid has thickened. 
6. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro.
7. This filling can be prepared a day or two in advance and stored into the refrigerator until you're ready to use it. I like to make the filling one day and then make the buns the next. 

Dough

10 tbsp whole milk

4 tbsp butter

2 tsp instant dry yeast

2 1/2 tbsp lukewarm water

1 egg

2 1/2 tbsp sugar

12 1/2 oz all-purpose flour (2 1/2 cups)

1. Melt the butter in the milk in a saucepan over medium heat.  Take off the heat and set aside to cool to 110°.
2. Place the yeast in a small bowl.  Add the water and set aside for one minute to soften. Add the milk and butter mixture and stir to combine.
3. Combine the flour and sugar in a mixer.  Add the milk/yeast mixture and mix using a dough hook until a soft, sticky, smooth dough forms.  
4. Or you can make the dough by hand by combining the flour and sugar in a large bowl.  Make a well in the middle and add the milk/yeast mixture.  Stir to combine until a soft dough forms.  Turn the dough out onto the counter and knead for 5 minutes or until smooth, soft and slightly elastic. You should not need additional flour on your counter.
5. Lightly oil a bowl and place the dough in it.  Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rise until almost doubled in volume, about 45 minutes.

Assembly

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 tbsp honey mixed with 1 tbsp warm water

1. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead a few times.
2. Divide the dough into 16 parts.  If you are making a single batch, it is easy enough to divide the dough in two then in two again until you get to 16 equal parts.  If you are making a large batch, it becomes more difficult and tedious to divide this way, so instead I cut off chunks of dough and weigh them.  Each dough ball should weigh 1.4 oz.  I also work in batches by doing just part of the dough at a time.  This prevents the dough balls from drying out, and staggers the time they need to go in the oven.  I turn 2 batches of dough into buns, set them aside to rise and bake and then start on the next 2 batches.
3. Roll the dough pieces into smooth balls. Set aside and cover with plastic wrap, a towel or the rising bowl to keep them from drying out.
4. Flatten the dough ball and roll out to about 3 inches in diameter.  Leave the dough thicker in the center than on the edges.  I roll out 12 wrappers at a time because that's how many buns I can fit on my pan.  
5. Form the buns by placing a circle of dough in a slightly cupped hand.  Add 4 tsp of filling (cookie dough scoops with the handle that pushes the filling out are great for this).  Use the thumb holding the wrapper to push the filling down into the bun while you use your other hand to pleat the dough around the top of the bun, closing it.  When you get to the end, pinch the bun closed and twist to seal.  This doesn't have to be pretty.  Just make sure the buns are closed so your filling doesn't come out. Here's a video about how to shape the buns.  Place the bun pleat side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Continue with the other buns, placing them 1 1/2 inch apart on the baking sheet.
6. Let the buns rise, covered with a clean towel for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350°
7. Bake the buns.  Brush the buns with the beaten egg and then bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown.  Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then brush with the honey water mixture.  You can eat now or let them cool completely before freezing.

To Freeze:

Let the buns cool completely on a cooling rack then transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Freeze the buns in a single layer on the baking sheet and then transfer to a bag or container for storage once they are fully frozen.  I generally put my freezer meals into vacuum seal bags for freezer storage, but for these I just use gallon-size, Ziploc, freezer bags.  I worry the the vacuum sealer would crush or squish the buns.  Plus I've found baked goods don't seem prone to freezer burn like meat does.

To Serve:

Let the buns defrost in the refrigerator overnight.  Place them in a single layer on a microwave-safe plate with a little space between them.  Sprinkle a clean kitchen towel with 3 tablespoons of water and squeeze to distribute.  The towel will have lots of dry spots.  That's okay.  Place the towel over the buns and microwave in 2 minute bursts at 70% until the buns reach an internal temperature of 140° and serve.  I highly recommend this mango slaw to serve with it.  It's one of my favorite salads and  and a wonderful contrast to these spicy buns.