Duck In Fowl Play (Part 6) - Sticky five spice duck and water chestnut steamed buns

Sticky five spice duck and water chestnut steamed buns

Sticky five spice duck and water chestnut steamed buns

The flavour combinations dough

·         240g (2 cups) cake flour

·         12,5ml (2½ tsp) baking powder

·         30ml (2 tbsp) castor sugar

·         5ml (1 tsp) salt

·         180ml (¾ cup) warm water

·         30ml (2 tbsp) vegetable oil

Filling

·         5ml (1 tsp) ground cinnamon

·         5ml (1tsp) ground cloves

·         5ml (1 tsp) fennel seeds

·         2 – 3 star anise

·         5ml (1tsp) black peppercorns

·         5ml (1tsp) sea salt

·         2 duck breasts

·         250ml (1cup) hoisin sauce

·         Handful of fresh coriander, chopped

·         1 spring onion, chopped

·         70g tinned water chestnuts, finely chopped

·         Chilli sauce, to serve

·         1 chilli, seeded and sliced, to serve

How to do it

1.    Preheat the oven to 180°C.

2.    Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add the castor sugar and salt. Gradually add the combined water and oil to form a soft, pliable dough.

3.    Turn out on a lightly floured work surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, 8 – 10 minutes. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

4.    For the filling, make Chinese five spice by grinding together cinnamon, cloves, fennel, star anise, peppercorns and salt until fine.

5.    Rub half of the spice onto the duck breasts. Place duck skin-side down in a cold pan and cook over medium heat until golden, 4 – 5 minutes per side. Roast duck in preheated oven until medium-well done and just pink inside, 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before chopping finely.

6.    Stir in the hoisin sauce, coriander, spring onion, chestnuts and remaining Chinese five spice.

7.    To assemble steamed buns, divide dough into 10 portions. Cover with a tea towel to prevent dough from drying out.

8.    Working with 1 portion at a time, roll dough into a 12cm round. Place a spoonful of duck mixture into the centre of each round. Draw the edges up to form buns and pinch the tops together.

9.    Pour water into a wok or deep frying pan until it is one-third full. Bring to a boil over high heat. Line a bamboo steamer with baking paper and place over the wok (make sure it doesn’t touch the water). Place buns in the steamer, cover and steam for 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Serve immediately with chilli sauce and sliced chilli.