Celebrate Lunar New Year with these adorable tiger-shaped buns! This recipe explores cooking with Chinese herbal ingredients, offering colorful doughs and a delicious filling. It's a fun and creative way to play in the kitchen.
1. Start with the orange dough. Dissolve sugar in warm water. Add yeast and let it dissolve. Set aside for 5 minutes.
2. Mix flour, pumpkin puree, and the yeast water with a pair of chopsticks or fork until there is no loose flour. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes until it is very smooth. You may need to add additional water.
3. Put the dough in a mixing bowl and cover it with a paper towel or cloth. Leave it in a warm place for it to rise. In winter, it may take 1 hour.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 for the white, black and red dough.
5. After all the dough has risen to twice their original size, knead again for 5 minutes to remove the air. They are now ready to be shaped into tigers.
6. Shape black sesame paste into a ball and wrap it in some orange dough. Shape it as the face of the tiger. Garnish the tiger however you want.
7. After the dough is shaped, let it rise in the steamer in a warm place for another 20 minutes.
8. Steam on high for 10 minutes!
