Chinese Pumpkin Bun

Step 1

Fill a steamer with 5 centimeters (2 inches) water. Place pumpkin on steaming rack, skin side down. Cover pot and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Turn to low heat and steam until you the pumpkin can easily be pierced with a fork, about 15 minutes. Transfer pumpkin to a plate to cool.

Step 2

Scoop the pumpkin flesh from the skin and add it into a large bowl. Smash into paste. The pumpkin yielded 340 grams (12 ounces) of paste in my case.

Step 3

Slowly blend glutinous rice flour into pumpkin paste, about 2 tablespoons at a time. Whisk with a pair of chopsticks (or a fork), until flour is fully cooperated. Add more flour and keep mixing, until the flour becomes difficult to blend. Dust both hands with rice flour. Knead the dough together with one hand, until it forms a consistent and soft dough. The dough should be easily picked up by hand and should stick to the bottom of the bowl a bit. Pick up the dough and use both hands to press and knead the dough for another 5 minutes to blend the rice flour in well. The surface of the dough should be smooth and you shouldn't notice any stray flour on or inside the dough.

Step 4

Put bread crumbs in a small bowl and set aside.

Step 5

Blend peanuts and brown sugar in a medium sized bowl. Slowly add 1 tablespoon water and mix with a fork.

Step 6

Divide the dough into 4 equal parts, then divide each part into 4 small pieces. Shape each small piece into a dough ball with both hands.

Step 7

To make pumpkin buns: Hold a dough ball in one hand and use the other hand to press it into a flat, round shape, about 5 centimeters (2 inches) in diameter. Add about 1 teaspoon of peanut filling in the center of the dough. Wrap the dough around the filling and pinch the edges together, forming a ball again. Gently press the ball until it is shaped like a mini pancake, 1 - 1.5 centimeters (0.5 inch) in thickness.

Step 8

(optional) You can use red bean paste instead of brown sugar and peanuts as filling for the buns.

Step 9

Toss the buns in bread crumbs, and shake off any extra.

Step 10

Process the rest of the dough in the same manner.

Step 11

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat until warm. Place pancakes in skillet. Cover and cook over low heat for 2 minutes, until bottom side turns golden brown. Flip the buns. Cover and cook the other side over lowest heat for another 2 minutes. Check the bottom side of the buns after 1 minute. If the color has already turned brown, turn off heat cover, and allow to sit for another minute.Transfer to a plate to cool off.

Step 12

Cook the rest of the buns in the same manner.

Step 13

Serve warm. Store in air tight container in the fridge up to 3 days.