Pumpkin Ganache Mochi (Steamed)

[ Equipment: steamer. For more information about the terminology in this recipe, see Low Temperature Baking: A Journey of 3 Paths ].

With the Chinese New Year approaching (February 3, 2011) and a can of pumpkin puree sitting in my food bin, I prepared to celebrate by making a batch of spiced pumpkin ganache mochi. The traditional celebratory food is glutinous rice cake layered with red bean paste. Japanese mochi is similar but molded into different shapes and with a greater variety of fillings. I suppose I could also call them glutinous rice cupcakes. At first, I wasn't sure if a pumpkin filling would be authentic; I've never seen pumpkin in Asian markets. I discovered online that the Chinese in China have been eating and growing pumpkin for hundreds of years (since the Ming Dynasty). Chocolate, introduced into China in the 1970s and still regarded there as a foreign food, has been popular in baked goods.

The pumpkin ganache could not be simpler (nor lower in calories): just pumpkin puree and chocolate syrup. In my recipe, the chocolate syrup is Hershey's Special Dark Syrup. Any chocolate syrup should work, although the ganache may not have quite the same flavor or deep color. I spiced the pumpkin so that it would stand out more against the chocolate, the same baker's-5 spice in my oatmeal cran-raisin cookies. The harvest spice from my oat-rice soda bread (a.k.a. pumpkin spice) or even plain powdered cinnamon would be fine substitutes.

I like my pastries only mildly sweet, so the ganache has no extra sugar. However, the sugar content of chocolate syrups can vary, and some people have a preference for intense sweetness. I recommend tasting the pumpkin-syrup mixture before reducing it and stirring in the optional tablespoon of sugar if desired.

Glutinous rice and glutinous rice flour can be found in Asian markets, occasionally in the mainstream markets in the Asian foods aisles. One market near me had glutinous rice flour, but not glutinous rice. Bob's Red Mill, the ubiquitous brand for specialty flours, still does not produce glutinous rice flour. Without the flour, another method of making mochi cooks the glutinous rice and then grinds the rice into a doughy paste with a mortar and pestle. It takes LOTS of work to get the smooth texture with that method.

Once the mochi have finished steaming, they are rolled in a starch to dry up any residual stickiness. The recipe states cornstarch, but any number of other food starches could substitute: tapioca, rice, potato. Cocoa powder also works well (see the pictures at the end of the recipe). Do NOT, however, cover the mochi in powdered sugar. The moist surface of the mochis will dissolve powdered sugar into a soggy mess.

I purchased the star molds (1/4 cup capacity) shown in the pictures at Cost Plus World Market (shelved in the baking supplies section), $3 for a set of 6. I strongly recommend silicone molds, because they can literally be peeled off the sticky rice cakes. Refrigerating the mochi for a day or two will also help the unmolding process. They longer they rest, the more set and firm they become.

Makes 6 mochi
- 100 calories per mochi
- Oven Temperature: steaming

Mochi:

• 3/4 cup glutinous rice flour
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin ganache (see below)
• cornstarch or cocoa powder for dusting

Pumpkin Ganache (makes about 1/8 cup):

• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree (canned or homemade)
• 1 tablespoon Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Syrup (see text)
• 1 tablespoon sugar (optional, see text)
• 1/8 teaspoon baker's 5-spice or pumpkin spice (see text)

Pumpkin Ganache Method:




1. In a heatproof bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, chocolate syrup and spices until well combined. Taste the mixture for sweetness (keep in mind that it will get sweeter when the pumpkin reduces in the next step). Add sugar, one teaspoon at a time, if desired - tasting the mixture with each addition.



2. Place the bowl in the microwave and heat on HIGH power for about 20 seconds. Remove and stir to release steam. Repeat this step until the ganache is thick and a spoon inserted will remain standing - about 3 to 4 minutes total in an 800W microwave. The heating process will reduce the volume of the mixture almost by half. The mochi recipe requires 2 tablespoons of ganache, so do not overprocess.

Alternatively, the heating could be done in a saucepan on low heat.



3. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Mochi Method:



1. In a large bowl, whisk the flour and sugar until well combined.



2. Add water and whisk in thoroughly to make a thick batter.



3. Grease 6 molds with oil (the star molds shown have about 1/4 cup capacity).



4. Fill each mold with 1-1/2 tablespoon of glutinous rice batter.



5. Steam (water on medium boil) the batter for about 5 minutes until the batter sets.



6. Remove from steamer and fill each mold with 1 teaspoon of ganache. The ganache should not touch the sides of the mold. In the picture above, I filled them by stacking two 1/2 teaspoon mounds of ganache, because the width of the 1/2 teaspoon measure fits the molds better than my 1 teaspoon measure.



7. Fill each mold to the top with more batter. If the ganache filling sticks up over the top of the mold, lightly press and smooth it down with the back of a spoon.



8. If the filling is exposed after any smoothing in the previous step, cover with a little batter.



9. Steam the mochi for about 35 to 40 minutes until firm.



10. Cool the mochi on a rack. Then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 to 5 hours or preferably a full day. The longer they sit, the firmer they get, and the easier it will be to unmold them.



11. Unmold the mochi. Place a mochi in a small bowl.




12. Dust and roll the mochi in cocoa powder or cornstarch.




13. Plate and serve. Drizzle with chocolate syrup if desired.

Zong-Zi Wrapped Rice Dumplings (Boiled or Steamed)

[ Equipment: steamer or large pot for boiling. For more information about the terminology in this recipe, see Low Temperature Baking: A Journey of 3 Paths ].

The Chinese Dragon Boat Festival takes place on June 16 this year. They don't race dragon boats in the US, but people do celebrate by eating zong-zi (also written zhongzi and called jung in Cantonese), rice dumplings with assorted fillings, wrapped in bamboo leaves, that are boiled or steamed. In Chinatown markets, bakeries and from street vendors, zong-zi are sold year-round. Because the dumplings are wrapped, they can be held and eaten as a meal on the run (don't forget the soy sauce packets). My favorite way to eat them is in bowl with an assortment of chopped vegetables.

Although supermarkets in the US dedicate a few shelves to Asian foods, two basic components of zong-zi are still rare: bamboo leaves and glutinous rice. Asian specialty markets stock them and esoteric ingredients for the filling, but I decided to make American-style zong-zi. That is, I would make them only from ingredients that were found locally.

Instead of bamboo leaves, I used dried Mexican tamale corn husks. Banana leaves would have been great as wrappers (being large and green), but I didn't find any locally. Tamale corn husks are between a half and a third as long as the average bamboo leaf. Printed on the bag of medium grain rice (discussed next), the recommended serving per person is 1/4 cup of uncooked rice. Happily, one large corn husk will wrap that amount of rice plus a few heaping spoonfuls of filling. Smaller husks can be joined to make one large wrapper or even a super-sized wrapper.

In place of the glutinous rice, I substituted a medium grain rice (Hinode brand Silver Pearl). Because the dumplings in this recipe are boiled, the individual rice grains flow into each other and merge into a cake, with a texture very much like a glutinous rice dumpling. I have read of zong-zi made with a long grain rice, so the lack of speciality rices should not be a deterrent from making zong-zi. Sushi rice might have been a better substitute for glutinous rice. Both are short grain, sticky rices, although a couple of online sources insisted that glutinous rice is stickier than sushi rice. I didn't look for the sushi rice because I discovered a bag of medium grain rice hiding at the bottom of one of my food bins.

Zong-zi can have a variety of fillings, from meats to sweet bean pastes. My dumplings were stuffed with a savory filling made of vegetables (mushrooms, green onions and bamboo shoots) and a meat or meat alternative. Traditionally, the mushrooms would be reconstituted dried Chinese or shitake-type mushrooms. I substituted white button mushrooms that had been steam cooked for 5 minutes and roughly chopped. The bamboo shoots bring in a crunch, scent and presence of bamboo, as a reminder of the missing bamboo leaves. Chopped water chestnuts would also add crunch. The meat component can be cooked chicken or pork or a Chinese sausage or an equivalent. The "meat" in the pictures below is actually slices of vegetarian riblet, each one about the size of a mini sausage link. To bind everything together, I mixed in a few spoonfuls of prepared hoisin sauce. Hoisin sauce is sweet and tangy. For a more savory taste, oyster sauce or another thick dipping sauce would be good binding sauces as well.

The shape of a zong-zi can be the simple rectangular package or the famous pyramidal or tetrahedron forms. Because the corn husks are so small, it was much easier to wrap the rectangular shape. The tying technique shown below is efficient and traditional, but the dumplings can be tied any way that holds the husk flaps down.

Zong-zi can be steamed or boiled. However, unless the rice is pre-cooked, steaming may not evenly cook the rice inside the dumplings. Thus, for steamed zong-zi, pre-cook the rice first by steaming it for 30 minutes in a dish filled with water to cover the rice. Dumplings stuffed with uncooked rice will expand during boiling and could burst through the wrapping, but dumplings containing pre-cooked rice are more stable because the rice is already plumped.

This starter recipe makes only 2 dumplings. It's far more convenient to assemble and cook a large batch of zong-zi at a time. Double, quadruple or otherwise multiply the quantity of ingredients as desired. For the Dragon Boat Festival, home cooks may devote an entire day to preparing different varieties of zong-zi, hung all around the kitchen to dry. Large batches of zong-zi freeze well, and quickly reheat in the microwave.

Makes 2 zong-zi dumplings
- 250 calories per dumpling (varies with filling)
- Oven temperature: boiled or steamed

• Dried Mexican tamale corn husks (or dried bamboo leaves)
• 1/2 cup medium grain white rice (or glutinous rice or sticky short-grain rice)
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped white mushrooms (or shitake mushrooms)
• 1 tablespoon sliced green onion
• 1-1/2 tablespoon julienned bamboo shoots (or chopped water chestnuts)
• 2 teaspoons hoisin sauce (or oyster sauce or other thick dipping sauce - see text)
• 1 to 2 teaspoons soy sauce (see text)
• 1/8 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 mini sausage links (or equal amount of cooked meat or meat alternative about 3 inches long)
• 2 three-foot lengths of cotton kitchen twine

1. Soak rice in water for 3 or 4 hours or overnight. Drain.

Raw rice is for boiled dumplings. For steamed dumplings, the rice should be pre-cooked (see text above).



2. Soak corn husks in warm water for about an hour. Put in more husks than actually needed, in case some of them have splits, which are difficult to see when the husks are in dried form. The husks should be very pliable after soaking or they will be hard to fold.



3. In a small bowl, mix vegetables. Drain off any excess water. Add chili powder and hoisin sauce. Add soy sauce to taste, but not so much that the mixture turns runny. In a second small bowl, put the mini sausages or meat alternatives.



4. Place husk on flat surface or over a small baking cup. Husks measuring about 6 inches wide at the top and 9 inches long or larger are the easiest to wrap.

[caption id="attachment_678" align="aligncenter" width="550" caption="Overlapping Two Smaller Husks To Make A Big Wrapper"][/caption]

Two small husks (less than 6 inches wide) can be overlapped top to bottom to form a rectangle and hold one dumpling.



5. Spread two tablespoons of rice on the husk starting about 2 to 3 inches from the top and in an area about 2-1/2 x 3-1/2 inches.



6. Spoon 2 teaspoons of the vegetable mix over the rice. Put a sausage link (or other meat or meat alternative) over the vegetables.



7. Spoon 2 more teaspoons of the vegetable mix around the sausage or to cover it. Spoon 2 tablespoons of rice over the filling.



8. Fold sides of husk closed to cover the filling.



9. Fold the bottom flap over against the dumpling.



10. Fold the top flap over against the dumpling, overlapping the bottom flap. Secure the top flap with a loop of cotton twine tied in a half knot.



11. Place more loops of twine and half knots along the dumpling to secure both flaps and bring string around the bottom of the dumpling and back up over the top. The tension should be sufficient to hold the dumpling together but allow for some expansion. If the dumpling is tied too tightly, the rice could split the corn husk when cooked.



15. If needed, wrap one more loop at the top of the dumpling. Then tie the string ends together.



16. For boiled dumplings, bring large pot of water to boil and drop dumplings into the water (two dumplings will fit in a 2-3 quart saucepan) and boil on medium heat for 2 hours. For steamed dumplings, put dumplings in steamer and steam for 1-1/2 hours.



17. Remove dumplings and cool.

18. Serve by removing the string and unwrapping the husk or leaves. Sprinkle with soy sauce.

19. Refrigerate or freeze extra dumplings for later.

Slow-Rise, No-Knead Chinese Steamed Buns

[ Equipment: steamer. For more information about the terminology in this recipe, see Low Temperature Baking: A Journey of 3 Paths ].

Revised: September 24, 2010.

These steamed buns get their tang from the long fermentation of the yeast, like a sourdough, but without the fuss of attending to a starter. The basic dough process comes from the recipe for no-knead bread first reported by Mark Bittman of the New York Times and adapted from a recipe by Jim Lahey of the Sullivan Street Bakery in New York City. When I first read about no-knead bread, I fell into a depression because I did not have a high-temperature (450°F) oven to bake a loaf. At the time, I was making steamed buns with a sourdough starter. It had not occurred to me to use the no-knead dough for buns. Buns are shaped. No-knead bread dough is too wet to be shaped. The loaf is baked free-form in a dutch oven. An internet search back then didn't turn up any recipes for no-knead rolls either, baked or steamed.

After I moved to a new apartment, I never got round to reconstituting the sourdough starter. I had resolved to make steamed buns the convenient way, with packets of commercial yeast. Before I could tear open a packet, the idea popped into my head: make the buns by steaming the no-knead dough in muffin molds. The shape would not be traditional, but I would have the great flavor from long fermentation. (This idea will work for baked buns or rolls too.) The steamed no-knead buns turned out so well that I now make them at least twice a week.

In Lahey's original recipe, the proportion of water to flour by weight was almost 1 to 1 (98% hydration). My recipe stays close to that formula, perhaps a little less at 93% hydration. Hydration is important. If the dough is too dry, the buns will be dry. If the dough is too wet, the buns will need more cooking time and excessive exposure to moisture could affect the texture (coarser bread).

The yeast must be fresh. I make a batch of buns at least twice a week and a single packet of active dry or rapid rise yeast can last over a year, sealed and stored in the freezer. However, once the yeast packet (or jar) is opened and exposed to air (especially if the air is humid), the granules will lose potency over time. Buns leavened with weakened yeast may rise very slowly (more than a day) or not rise at all.

The "pinch" of yeast in the ingredients list is just that; no need to measure out any of the granules. For those who want precise measurements, I have had great success with 1/16 teaspoon of yeast granules. Both active dry yeast and rapid rise yeast will work in this recipe. Rapid rise yeast is faster, but active dry yeast is more flavorful (more sour). The first rise for doughs with rapid rise yeast should be from 12 to 18 hours and active dry yeast doughs can go for a full 24 hours. The minimum rise time for either type of dough should be 12 hours to develop the gluten and flavor. I do not recommend longer first rises than specifed, because the dough can take on a yeasty smell and could collapse. Collapsed doughs do poorly in the second rise.

Although the dough contains yeast, it also contains baking powder or baking soda. The purpose of the baking powder or soda is to neutralize acidity (Chinese steamed buns are typically not sour) and give a chewier texture to the finished bun that is characteristic of Chinese steamed buns. They can also boost the second rise, if the reaction hasn't been exhausted in the first rise. I recommend adding baking powder to doughs with rapid rise yeast and baking soda to doughs with active dry yeast. Active dry yeast doughs tend to be more acidic, and baking soda is excellent at neutralizing the acid.

In some steamed bun recipes, the baking powder or baking soda is kneaded into the dough after the first rise, but I have found that doing so can cause dark streaks in the cooked buns. My experience has been that mixing them into the dry ingredients at the beginning works just as well. If desired, the baking powder or baking soda can be omitted at the expense of a little coarsening in the texture.

Chinese steamed buns can have a variety of fillings from savory to sweet. They can be prepared in any way (steamed, fried, baked, microwaved), so long as they are fully cooked and solid, and can be divided into 6 portions. I give the recipe for my favorite egg filling. It is very simple to make from scratch, especially in the microwave. Although the pictures show a stir-fry vegetable mix (broccoli, snow peas, green beans, peppers, water chestnuts), any chopped vegetable mix should work fine, so long as the egg mixture solidifies when cooked.

The plum-bean paste filling is the same one in my mooncake recipe and must be doubled to make 6 buns.
The mini sausages in the pictures are Vienna sausages from a can. They measured just under 2 inches and fit perfectly in the muffin molds. Any other COOKED sausage of similar size should be a good substitute. Other tasty fillings include: small meatballs, vegetarian protein nuggets and sweet pastes (like peanut butter or red bean paste).

The muffin molds in the pictures were part of a silicone muffin pan. The original pan was too large to fit in my steamer, so I cut the cups out individually with scissors. Each muffin cup can has a 1/2 cup capacity. Small teacups should work too, if they will fit in the steamer. For larger buns, try putting the dough in 3/4-cup-capacity mini loaf pans.

Makes 6 buns

- 150 calories per bun with egg filling
- Oven Temperature: steaming

Bun Dough:

• 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour (7.5 oz)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch active dry yeast or rapid rise yeast
• 3/4 to 1 cup warm water (see text)
• 1/2 teaspoon double acting baking powder or 1/8 teaspoon baking soda (optional, see text)
• 1 recipe egg filling (below) or 2 recipes plum-bean paste or 6 mini sausages (see text)

Egg Filling:

• 6 potato nuggets (such as Ore-Ida Tater Tots) or cooked bite-size potatoes
• 1 large egg
• 1/8 cup water
• 1/4 cup chopped stir-fry vegetables (see text)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon chili powder

Egg Filling Method:



1. Evenly arrange potato nuggets or cooked potatoes in a small bowl. The potatoes will later serve as markers for dividing the filling.



2. In a measuring cup, whisk egg, salt, chili powder and water until frothy. Add chopped vegetables to reach the 1/2 cup mark and mix.



3. Pour egg mixture over potatoes.



4. Microwave, bake or steam the filling until cooked. Cool. Slice the filling into 6 wedges.

Buns Method:



1. In a bowl, whisk flour, salt, yeast and the optional baking powder (for rapid rise yeast) or baking soda (for active dry yeast) until well combined. Although the recipe lists the weight of the flour, the actual amount of flour is less important than the hydration (see text above and steps 3 and 4 below). I used a 2-quart plastic bowl with a lid. This bowl has straight, almost perpendicular sides, which can be marked to measure the rising height of the dough.



2. Mix 3/4 cup of warm water into flour to form a sticky dough.



3. Then add rest of water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to form a wet dough that can be easily spread out with the back of a spoon. For 7.5 oz of flour, I mixed in a total of 7/8 cup water (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons). Dough that is too dry will produce dry buns. If the dough is adequately hydrated, it should have a slightly wet sheen.

In the picture above, I spread the dough out to cover the bottom of the bowl, so that it will be easier to determine when the dough has risen double height.



4. Cover the bowl and set in a warm place to rise until at least double height. With rapid rise yeast, I recommend a rise time between 12 and 18 hours. With active dry yeast, I recommend a rise time of 12 to 24 hours.

As I said in step 3, the hydration level of the dough is important to get moist, fluffy buns. The dough's moistness can be judged from the bubbles in the risen dough. In the picture above, the top bowl contains dough that is too dry. The bubbles are bigger and more concentrated in the lower half of the dough. The dough in the bottom bowl is correctly hydrated and the bubbles are smaller and evenly distributed throughout the dough.



5. When the first rise is done, deflate the dough by gently stirring it with a spoon a few times.



6. Grease 6 muffin cups or molds. The muffin cups should be 1/2 cup capacity.



7. Half of the dough will line the bottom of the muffin cups. Dip a spoon in warm water and scoop a rounded tablespoon of dough into each cup to start and add more dough until all cups have about a 1/4 inch layer. The warm water stops the dough from sticking to the spoon.



8. Press or spoon a portion of the filling into center of each mold. The picture above shows 3 types of filling: egg, plum-bean paste and mini sausages. For the plum-bean paste, I deposited 1 tablespoon of paste per bun.



9. Cover the fillings with the remaining dough. Holding a spoon in each hand (or fork or butter knife), press and pull the dough in each mold until the top layer completely covers the filling and is merged with the bottom layer (it doesn't have to be perfect; some filling can show through).



12. Put the molds in a deep pan or bowl and cover. Place in a warm area and let rise until higher than top of mold (no more than 2 hours if the filling is perishable). I do the second rising in the steamer over WARM water with the heat turned OFF. The water vapor helps the dough stay moist.



13. Bring steamer water to a rolling boil, reduce to a medium boil and steam the buns for 15 minutes. If the buns were risen in the steamer (as I like to do), remove them before boiling the water and put them back in when the water is boiling. When ready the buns should spring back when lightly pressed.



14. Cool the buns in the molds for 10 minutes. Unmold and continue cooling on a rack. If they are not eaten within a few hours, put buns in a plastic bag and refrigerate or freeze.

Below are pictures of the buns with the different fillings: egg, plum-bean paste and sausage.