Fluffy Stuffed Tuna Buns & Curried Turkey Buns
Cook: Sharon Yam (@yamsandchips)
Prep time:5 hours
Cook time: 30 minutes
Servings: 8 buns
Course: Snack
Cuisine: Hong Kong
Difficulty: Medium
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #hkersfood - we’d LOVE to see how yours turn out on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! You might even be featured by us ;)
As a kid growing up in Hong Kong, tuna buns from the local bakery was one of my all-time favorite snacks and breakfasts. It is also something I often crave since moving to the US.
This bun is emblematic of the hybrid food culture in Hong Kong because the filling is essentially a Western tuna salad, made by simply tossing canned tuna with mayo. As a result, ingredients in this recipe can all be easily found at any grocery stores abroad.
Because we had ground turkey left in the fridge, we improvised and made a curried turkey filling as well. The curried turkey version is inspired by samosas, originally from South Asia but are commonly found in local Hong Kong bakeries. Hong Kong has a sizable South Asian community because of the city’s colonial history.
It is a time-consuming project, and definitely a labor of love. If you are bored at home over the weekends, I’d highly recommend making this! While you can knead the dough by hand, having a stand mixer will make the process go a lot faster!
Ingredients
Bun Dough
200 g all-purpose flour (about 1 ½ cups)
3 g active dry yeast (1 teaspoon)
5 g salt (1 teaspoon)
50 g sugar (about ¼ cup)
20 g dry milk powder or non-dairy milk powder (about 3 tablespoons)
1 large egg
45 ml vegetable oil (about 3 tablespoons, plus more to grease the pan)
160 ml water (about ⅔ cup)
Tuna Filling Ingredients
141g of tuna (1 small tin can)
30g mayonnaise
Black pepper (you can add however much or little you want based on your taste)
1 tbsp chopped scallions
A dash of sugar
Curried Turkey Filling Ingredients
113g ground turkey
A pinch of Kosher salt
1 tbsp cooking oil
½ tbsp curry powder, more to taste
Method
Dough
In your mixing bowl, stir together all the dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, active dry yeast, and sugar.
Combine the wet ingredients in a measuring cup or bowl: water, egg, and oil.
Attach the dough hook to your stand-mixer. Turn your stand-mixer on low with only the dry ingredients. Gradually pour in the wet mixture, periodically scraping the side of the bowl with a spatula, pushing the flour down into the center. Before you do that, make sure to first turn the stand-mixer off.
Once all ingredients are combined, leave the stand-mixer on for 6-10 minutes, until the dough is shiny but still pliable.
Remove the bowl from the stand-mixer, and cover it with a towel.
Let the dough proof for 2-3 hours. The proofing time can be shortened if you put the dough in a warm place.
Tuna FillingWhile the dough rises, mix the tuna filling ingredients together. Set aside.
If you only like the tuna filling, go ahead and double the amount listed above. If not, try out this new filling we created.
Curry Turkey FillingHeat up the cooking oil on a pan.
Brown the turkey in the pan, stirring occasionally with a spatula.
Add curry powder and salt. You may add more or less depending on your taste.
Once the meat is cooked through, transfer to a bowl. Set aside.
After your dough has risen, transfer it to a clean surface.
Divide the dough in half lengthwise, and cut it into 8 even pieces.
Roll each segment into a ball, and smash it flat into a round disc.
Spoon either the tuna or turkey filling into each disc.
Pinch the opening shut, and roll the stuffed dough into a ball.
Place the dough balls around a greased round pan--use a springform pan if you have one. Cover it with a towel, and let rise for another hour.
Once the dough has risen again, crack and whisk an egg. Brush the egg evenly on top, and add a dollop of mayonnaise on each dough ball.
Preheat the oven to 375F.
Place the pan into the oven, and bake for 28 minutes.
Serve after it has completely cooled.
Tip: Store buns in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days.
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