Steam buns are always a delicious treat—from the delicate sweetness and sticky bite of the buns themselves to the rich, savory flavors of the filling. For tonight’s dinner, we’re serving up Korean-inspired chicken steam buns, complete with a wonderfully crunchy, ten-minute kimchi. In lieu of the typical shredded cabbage, we’re marinating sliced cucumber and French Breakfast radishes (an elegant heirloom variety) with vinegar and classic spices, for a pleasantly zesty kick.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 10 oz Ground Chicken
- 6 Chinese Steam Buns
- 3 French Breakfast Radishes
- 1 Cucumber
- 1 Scallion
- 2 tbsp Black Bean Sauce
- 2 tbsp Rice Vinegar
- 1 tbsp Kimchi Spice Blend (Gochugaru, Sugar, Black Sesame Seeds & White Sesame Seeds)
Instructions
Instructions
Prepare the ingredients:
Wash and dry the fresh produce. Heat a medium pot of water to boiling on high. Trim off and discard the ends of the radishes; thinly slice lengthwise. Thinly slice the cucumber into rounds. Cut off and discard the root end of the scallion; thinly slice on an angle, separating the white bottom and green top.
Make the kimchi:
In a large bowl, combine the radishes, cucumber, vinegar and up to half the spice blend (reserving the rest), depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to thoroughly combine; season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to marinate, stirring occasionally, for at least 10 minutes.
Cook the chicken:
While the kimchi marinates, in a medium pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the ground chicken; season with salt and pepper. Cook, frequently breaking the meat apart with a spoon, 6 to 8 minutes, or until lightly browned and cooked through.
Make the filling:
To the pan of chicken, add the white bottom of the scallion, black bean sauce, ½ cup of water and as much of the remaining spice blend as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 4 to 6 minutes, or until thoroughly combined and the sauce has thickened. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Steam the buns:
Rest a strainer over the pot of boiling water, making sure the water doesn’t reach the bottom of the strainer. Working in batches if necessary, place the buns in the strainer; cover with the lid of the pot. Steam 3 to 5 minutes, or until softened and puffy. Carefully transfer the steamed buns to a clean, dry work surface.
Finish & plate your dish:
When cool enough to handle, carefully open the steamed buns. Divide the filling and some of the kimchi (you will have extra kimchi) between the buns. Divide the finished buns between 2 dishes. Serve with the remaining kimchi on the side. Garnish with the green top of the scallion. Enjoy!