Fennel Buns
- Ingredients -
Dough: High-gluten corn flour, lukewarm water
Filling: Fennel, oyster mushrooms, cooked chickpeas, rehydrated wood ear mushrooms, carrots
Seasoning: Powdered salt
Dipping Sauce: Tomato sauce (Xinjiang tomato paste + date paste + a little water, blended)
- Steps -
1. Prepare all filling ingredients.
2. Finely chop oyster mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, and carrots. Place them in a food processor with some of the chickpeas and pulse until slightly chopped. Cut fennel into small pieces, add to the processor, and continue pulsing until finely chopped. Squeeze out excess moisture, then add the remaining chickpeas.
3. Knead high-gluten flour and cornstarch with warm water into a slightly soft dough. No resting required—use immediately.
4. Roll out dumpling wrappers thicker in the center and thinner toward the edges. This creates elasticity, preventing the finished buns from tearing.
5. Add powdered salt to the filling just before wrapping and mix well. Adding salt too early causes the filling to release moisture.
6. Place a wrapper into the mold. Fill the mold cavity completely with filling and press firmly with a spoon to ensure a plump, rounded, and full-bodied bun. Close the mold halves together—the serrated edges will seal and create a decorative scalloped rim.
7. Cover all wrapped buns with a cloth to prevent the surface from drying out.
8. Fill a pot with water, place the steamer rack and cloth inside, then arrange the buns on top. Since the wrappers are thin, steam for 10 minutes after the water comes to a boil. Let sit covered for an additional 5 minutes before removing the lid.
9. Serve the thin-skinned, generously filled fennel buns on a plate.
10. Enjoy. This meal is truly sumptuous, elevating low-fat vegan cuisine to new heights with a grand gathering of vegetables, fruits, beans, and grains: cucumber skewers, raw spaghetti squash noodles, blanched green kale with oyster mushrooms, fennel buns with Xinjiang tomato sauce, fresh edamame (young soybeans with higher fat content than low-fat beans—great for growing children, but adults should eat less), and molded black rice squares.
- Tips -
1. Vegan fillings tend to crumble easily; adding beans helps bind the mixture after blending. In this recipe, wood ear mushrooms and carrots serve primarily for color—use sparingly to avoid overpowering the fennel flavor. Recommended base filling: vegetables + low-fat beans + mushrooms (for umami, a natural MSG substitute).
2. Pair cooked meals with a proportion of raw foods like vegetable salads or kimchi. All cooked foods promote inflammation to varying degrees; raw foods balance and reduce inflammation while providing natural enzymes that conserve the body's reserves.
3. Avoid eating fruit with cooked meals. Fruit digests quickly while cooked foods digest slowly—combining them hinders digestion. Generally, eat fruit before meals and wait at least half an hour before consuming cooked foods. Raw vegetables can be eaten with fruit; raw vegetables can be eaten with cooked foods. It's best to have raw fruits and vegetables as a separate meal, spaced well apart from other cooked foods.
4. Soft dough for dumplings and noodles: The dough for dumplings and buns should be softer, making it easier to shape and seal the wrappers later.