Tiger Shaped Buns

For this Lunar New Year’s, I’ll be highlighting 7 recipes for dishes I look forward to the most during this special occasion. This recipe was created with Zoey, Chinese Medicine food therapist and creator of Five Seasons TCM.

Ingredients: (makes 8 buns)

For the orange dough:

• 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast

• 1/3 cup warm water

• 1 tablespoon raw cane sugar

• 1 1/4 cup (160g) all-purpose flour

• 1/2 cup (100g) pumpkin puree

For the white dough:

• 1/4 cup (30g) all-purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon warm water

• 1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast

For the black dough:

• 1/4 cup (30g) all-purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon warm water

• 1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast

• 1 tablespoon Edible charcoal

For the red dough:

• 1/4 cup (30g) all-purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon warm water

• 1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast

• 1 tablespoon ground red yeast rice

For the filling:

• Store-bought black sesame paste or red bean paste

Preparation:

1. Start with the orange dough. Dissolve sugar in warm water. Add yeast and let it dissolve. Set aside for 5 minutes.

2. Mix flour, pumpkin puree, and the yeast water with a pair of chopsticks or fork until there is no loose flour. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes until it is very smooth. You may need to add additional water.

3. Put the dough in a mixing bowl and cover it with a paper towel or cloth. Leave it in a warm place for it to rise. In winter, it may take 1 hour.

4. Repeat steps 1-3 for the white, black and red dough.

5. After all the dough has risen to twice their original size, knead again for 5 minutes to remove the air. They are now ready to be shaped into tigers.

6. Shape black sesame paste into a ball and wrap it in some orange dough. Shape it as the face of the tiger. Garnish the tiger however you want.

6. After the dough is shaped, let it rise in the steamer in a warm place for another 20 minutes.

7. Steam on high for 10 minutes!