Spicy Turkey Steamed Buns

Turkey is once-a-year meat for me, although the leftover certainly lasts me through the winter. After I stuff myself with more than enough Thanksgiving fixin's, more than the stuffed turkey for Thanksgiving itself, I tend to crave sharp, spicy food. After years of going through the same routine, I also know that if I don't get to work soon after Thanksgiving, I'll most likely find a frozen ziplog bag full of a rock-hard lump of something barely recognizable at the bottom of the freezer next summer. Luckily, the thought of kimchi-spicy turkey wrapped in hot steaming buns got me excited enough to open my first packet of the leftover turkey.

Spicy Turkey Steamed Buns

Yields: 6~8 steamed buns

INGREDIENTS:

Bun Dough

1 packet (7g) Active dry yeast
2/3 C lukewarm water
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour (plus 1~2 tablespoons as necessary)
2 T sugar
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 T neutral-tasting oil, such as canola oil or sunflower seed oil
(plus a few drops for kneading)

Spicy Turkey Filling

1 C Cooked turkey (or chicken), mix of white and dark meat, chopped
1/2 C          Kimchi, preferably aged and tart, chopped
2 t              Gochujang (고추장 - Korean red pepper paste)
2 t                 Toasted sesame oil (참기름)
1 t              Gochu garu (고추가루 - Korean red pepper flakes)
1 t                 Fresh ginger, grated

DIRECTIONS:

1. Stir in dry yeast in lukewarm water to break down lumps. Set aside.

2. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt for dough in a separate bowl.

3. Add the yeast liquid into dry ingredients and knead with hands until a ball is formed, about 5 minutes. If the dough is too wet (i.e., sticks to your hands after you bring together the flour and knead for a couple of minutes), knead in 1~2 tablespoons of flour, 1 tablespoon at a time.

4. Add oil and knead until a smooth ball is formed, about 5 minutes. Cover with plastic and let it sit in a warm place until the dough doubles in size, about an hour. You can speed up this step by placing the bowl on top of a pot with hot water. Make sure the bowl is not touching hot water.

5. In the meantime, mix all ingredients for the spicy turkey filling. Taste and adjust seasoning. I almost wanted to eat the filling by itself. Seasoning for the filling should be stronger than if you'd eat it by itself. Set aside.

6. Set up a steamer. You need a steamer that sits on top of a pot (as supposed to a steamer tripod that sits inside a pot). A bamboo steamer that sells for $10~$20 does the job. Add water to about 1/2 of the pot and bring up to a boil.

7. Also prepare 6-8 paper cupcake liners or about the same size of parchment paper pieces.

8. Once the dough doubled in size, knead it down to remove gas. Put a few drops of oil on your palm so that the dough won't stick to your hands. Divide the dough into 6 pieces (shown in pictures here) - one of which can almost be a meal, or 8 pieces for a snack size.

9. Shape the dough into a ball, flatten it then press the edges to make it thinner than the middle part. Place about 2 tablespoons of the filling in the middle. Carefully bring the edges together and seal. Place the sealed part down touching the paper liner. Repeat with the rest of the dough balls.

10. Bring the water in the pot to a boil again. Place the steamer on top of the pot. Steam for 15 minutes with the lid on while the water is consistently boiling over high heat. After 15 minutes, buns should be almost double the size with a smooth surface. Remove from heat and let them sit for 5 minutes with no lid. Be careful touching the steamer, it's very hot.

Enjoy it while it's warm!