Creating a blog was out of the question for a long time for me, as measuring everything in the kitchen was like biting into an eggshell. I enjoy cooking and don’t want to waste even a slightest bit of enjoyment in that small world of mine. But little did I know that everything will change, when my husband came home with the Oscar nominated film ‘Julie and Julia’( a real life story) where Julie Powell (part played by Amy Adams) challenged herself to make all the 524 recipes from Julia Child's cook book ‘Mastering the Art of French Cooking’ and blogging all her experiences (The Julie/Julia Project). It was an inspiring movie. A few days later when we were discussing this casually with a friend of ours over tea…everything changed dramatically…..” How about you making at least half of it in one year? Not French but your own. 262 recipes that will inspire others and present it as a blog?” For a minute my mind traveled faster than light… With an experience as a helper in my mother in laws kitchen for 6 years followed by a three year everyday struggle to satisfy the palate of my foodie husband, if I cannot do it then why should I cook? But on the other side with an experience in English literature extending no more than expanding outline stories in English grammar class when I was 18 and two small kids that come in handy at times, will a commitment for the next one year work? Anyway my ‘cook's ego’ didn’t allow me to say no...

So my friends …here I am opening my recipe book, trying to perfect and present 262 recipes in the coming 365 days….A Challenge that will of course tastes good. Come.. Have a walk with me along my journey.. Cheering and inspiring….Forgiving and tolerating…Testing and tasting….for ‘A Tasty Challenge’

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Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Beef Stuffed Buns

Recipe No: 8
As I mentioned in the Bread Sticks recipe, there are a lot of ways to use the bread stick dough. Here is one among them. Although it can be stuffed with whatever filling you want, beef is my favorite.
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Ingredients
  • Bread Stick dough…….one recipe
  • Egg……………………………1
  • Water……………………….1 Tablespoon
  • Sesame seeds………….1 Tablespoon
  • Melted butter…………..1 Tablespoon

For the filling
  • Beef…………………………..1 pound
  • Salt…………………………….1/2 teaspoon
  • Turmeric powder……….1/2 teaspoon
  • Oil……………………………….2 Tablespoons
  • Onion chopped………….1 ½ cups
  • Green Chilly (chopped)…2
  • Ginger garlic paste…………1 teaspoon
  • Tomato (diced)……………..1 small
  • Garam Masala powder…..3/4 teaspoon
  • Dark Soy Sauce……………….1 to 2 Tablespoons
Method of Preparation

To make the filling:
  1. Cut, wash and cook the beef with turmeric powder, salt and half a cup of water on a stove top. Once the water is evaporated and the meat is cooked, mince it fine and keep for later use.
  2. On a shallow saute pan on medium heat add oil followed by onion, green chilly and ginger garlic paste.  Add a pinch of salt to speed up the procedure.
  3. When the onions are translucent add diced tomatoes and mix for a minute.
  4. Add minced beef followed by garam masala and soy sauce.  Mix everything properly and check for seasonings. If it needs more seasoning add at this stage.
  5. If the mixture is too dry add one or two tablespoons of water. Mix once more, switch off the stove and let it cool.

To make the Stuffed Buns:
  1. Make the bread dough as it is mentioned in bread sticks.
  2. After doubling divide the dough into 16 equal portions.
  3. Roll out each ball four inches in diameter.
  4. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling in the middle of the dough. Lift the sides of the dough and pinch it together.
  5. Place the seam side down on a baking sheet (the smooth side facing up) and proceed with the same procedure for all the 16 portions of dough.
  6. Cover the buns with a damp kitchen towel and keep aside for 15 minutes for a final rise or proofing
  7. Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C with an oven proof dish filled with 2 cups of water in the lowest rack.
  8. Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water. This is also called egg wash.
  9. Brush the top of the proofed buns with the egg wash and sprinkle the sesame seeds. The egg wash will give the top of the bread a beautiful color and also helps the seeds stick.
  10. Bake in the middle rack of the oven until the top of the bun is light brown. Don’t over bake. This will take around 12 to 15 minutes.
  11. When the bun comes out of the oven brush it with melted butter. Serve hot.
Notes:
  • Please read the steps that I followed while baking the Bread Sticks (Especially keeping a tray of water in the oven while baking) All those are applicable here too.





Make it, enjoy the deliciousness and 
serve it to your family…with love….

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5 comments:

Liz said...

Made it replacing beef with chicken (red meat is at a distance, of late!). I didn't have dark soy sauce with me, and hence tweaked the filling recipe a bit.
I do have a question, though. How big would a bun be when it comes out of the oven? About the size of a lemon? Is the bun supposed to be slightly hard to the touch? It isn't crunchy inside though. Just making sure it puffed up right. :-)

Asha said...

Its definitely over baked. That is when it becomes hard outside. Did you read my posting on dough... I tips that I followed during the baking of Bread sticks are applicable here too...I think I made a mistake by not mentioning here.I mean about placing a tray of water while baking. I will give a link to that posting here. Again sorry for not giving the tip before.
The size is definitely slightly bigger than a normal lemon I would say the size of the largest lemon available...

Liz said...

I just went thru the steps all over again.. and found what exactly was wrong. I missed out Step 6, which is probably the most important in getting that perfect buns! Grrrrrr... The funniest part is that I have done proofing earlier without fail.. wonder what I was thinking here!! BTW, I did use the water tray (step 7), and turned the oven off after the suggested time.

Asha said...

Now you got it.... You can perfect it the next time....Take care not to over bake....

Unknown said...

Just referred your blog. it was amazing to visit and all the information you shared wast extremely useful to anyone. I am really happy if you can share chicken pickle recipe.

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