A 90s-born woman's incredibly realistic fruit and vegetable steamed buns are leaving everyone 'with dropped jaws'.

When glancing at the steamed buns shaped like mangosteens, durians, or corn, many people would mistake them for real fruits and vegetables made by a woman named Khanh Chi.

During social distancing, many people felt frustrated from being stuck at home for too long, to the point of feeling restless. However, Khanh Chi from Thai Binh found joy in baking. This talented woman took advantage of her free time to make steamed buns with various creative and eye-catching shapes.

Who would have thought these mangosteens were actually delicious steamed buns!

Here is how to make Khanh Chi's lively corn-shaped steamed buns:

Ingredients:

- 390g all-purpose flour (10% protein)

- 60g tapioca starch

- 60g sugar

- 4g yeast

- 200ml cold fresh milk

- 55g whipping cream (whipping cream makes the buns richer and more fragrant but is not required; you can use 255ml of fresh milk instead)

- 12g cooking oil

- Pandan leaf juice (strained) for the green color of the husk

- Yellow food coloring / or yellow coloring from gardenia fruit

Directions:

Step 1: Sift the all-purpose flour and tapioca starch into a large bowl. Add the sugar and mix well, then add the yeast and cooking oil. Divide the flour and milk into two equal portions.

Step 2: Blend the pandan leaves with a little water, then strain to get the juice. Mix this juice with fresh milk to create the green color for the bun husks. You can adjust the shade of green to your liking. Pour this mixture into the first bowl of flour, mix well, and then knead for about 20-30 minutes by hand. If using a kneading machine, it's much faster—just knead until the dough is smooth and elastic; it doesn't need to form a thin membrane like bread dough.

Step 3: For the remaining bowl of flour, mix in the yellow food coloring or gardenia fruit color to achieve a beautiful, vibrant yellow hue. Continue mixing well, then knead the dough as you did in the previous step.

Step 4: Once the two dough balls are ready, you will shape them before proofing. First, divide the dough into small, rounded portions (depending on your desired size). Carefully wrap the unused dough to prevent it from drying out and place it in the refrigerator to prevent it from over-proofing or developing too many air bubbles, which would make the buns less smooth after steaming.

Step 5: First, cut parchment paper for the buns. Roll the yellow dough into a long strand, fold it over, and then roll it back into a long strand. Repeat this step 2-3 times to ensure the final product is smooth and shiny. Next, flatten the dough and shape it into a corn cob.

Step 6: Use a knife to make vertical and horizontal cuts, creating small squares like a grid in a notebook. Don't make the cuts too deep or sharp; just lightly score the surface to create the look of corn kernels. Don't tear the dough.

Step 7: For the green dough, roll it until smooth, then use a rolling pin to flatten it. Use a knife to score this dough as well, creating long, straight lines to form the veins of the corn husk. The more veins you create, the more realistic the husks will look. Cut the flattened dough in half and place the two pieces on either side of the corn-shaped bun to form the husk. You can let the husks overlap the kernels a bit for a more authentic look.

Step 8: Let the buns proof for 1 hour, then steam them. Be sure to wrap the lid of the steamer with a towel to prevent condensation from dripping onto the buns, which would make them less smooth. Steam for 15 minutes per batch.

Once the buns are steamed, let them cool a little, and they're ready to eat! What's better than a delicious, hot steamed bun?

I hope Khanh Chi's ideas will help many people "burn" time while staying at home during the pandemic. On the other hand, you'll find that food you've made yourself tastes so much better!

Good luck, everyone!

Mai Phương

Ảnh: NVCC