As a kid I always looked forward to lunar new year because it meant I got to eat delicious food and receive money in red envelope, what’s not to love? My mom typically made all the traditional new year foods in our house and I loved going to bed on new year’s eve belly full of 珍珠丸子 and waking up to eat pan fried 年糕 in my pajamas on weekend mornings.
In the midst of long, cold, dark Minnesota winters, Chinese new year is a welcome distraction from the sub-zero temperatures, even more so in a pandemic. It’s a great reason to spend hours in the kitchen surrounded by billows of steam and bubbling pots of warming food to nourish yourself and the ones you love.
These orange shaped steamed buns are such a fun and delicious treat to make in honor of the new year. Oranges symbolize good fortune and are also conveniently a seasonal fruit in the winter 🙂 These buns are the perfect weekend project and are such a joy to eat and share with friends and family.
Recipe Notes
You can use active dry yeast instead of instant yeast. You will have to activate it in warm water/milk before adding to the other ingredients. I find that sometimes active dry yeast gives me a faster and better rise in the winter when my house is cold and dry.
For the sweet potato and pumpkin buns, adjust the quantity of liquid based on how wet the potato and pumpkin puree are. The dough should be soft but on the stiffer side– not sticky, barely tacky, and able to hold its shape when you set it on a flat surface.
Quantity: This recipe is enough to make at least 12 oranges. If you make 12, you will have dough leftover, which can just be simply shaped into spheres and steamed. I like to make large batches of mantou and freeze them for quick and easy breakfasts in the future. Simply reheat in the steamer when you’re ready to enjoy.
For steaming: I use a two tiered bamboo steamer that is 28 inches in diameter, so 12 buns fit perfectly. I put 6 buns in each tier. You do not have to use a bamboo steamer. Just make sure there is room for your oranges to grow during steaming. You can also steam in batches if your steamer is smaller.
Skin (orange dough)
100g mashed orange sweet potato
200g all purpose flour + 10g all purpose flour
3/4 tsp instant yeast
15g granulated sugar
50g warm water
pinch of salt
- Combine all ingredients except for the extra 10g of flour. Hold back on the liquid and add slowly as needed to bring the dough together. Knead until soft and smooth.
- Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1.5-2 hours.
- After the first rise, punch down the dough and knead in the extra 10g of flour until soft and smooth and slightly stiffer than before. You can also choose to add some red and yellow food coloring to boost the orange color of your dough, but this is optional.
Flesh (yellow dough)
100g pumpkin puree
150g all purpose flour + 10g all purpose flour
1/3 tsp or 1.5g instant yeast
10g granulated sugar
10g neutral flavored oil
20-30g milk (adjust quantity based on the moisture of your pumpkin puree)
pinch of salt
- Combine all ingredients except extra 10g of flour in a bowl. Hold back on the liquid and add slowly as needed to bring the dough together. Knead until soft and smooth.
- Cover and let rise for 1.5-2 hours.
- After the first rise, punch down the dough and knead in the extra 10g of flour until soft and smooth and slightly stiffer than before.
Rind (white dough)
150g all purpose flour
1/4 tsp instant yeast
10g granulated sugar
85g warm water
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp matcha powder (optional)
- Combine all ingredients except matcha powder and extra 10g of flour in a bowl. Knead until soft and smooth.
- Cover and let rise for 1.5-2 hours.
- After the first rise, punch down the dough and knead in the extra 10g of flour until soft and smooth and slightly stiffer than before.
- Take a portion (about 40g) of white dough and knead in matcha powder to make a green dough.
Assembly
Make the orange skin:
- Divide the orange dough into 12 15g pieces (reminder you will have dough leftover) and form each piece of dough into a ball, cover with a damp towel and let rest.
- Divide the yellow dough into 12 20g pieces. Form each piece into a ball and cover and let rest.
- Divide the white dough into 12 10g pieces. Cover and let rest.
- On a floured surface, roll each piece of orange dough into a flat circle about 8 cm in diameter.
- Roll each piece of white dough into a flat circle slightly smaller than the orange dough.
- Brush a piece of orange dough with water and firmly press a piece of white dough on top. Repeat until you have attached all 12. Cover to prevent the dough from drying out while you work on the inside of the orange.
Wrap the orange:
- Take a ball of yellow dough and use a bench scraper or knife to cut the ball into 4, 6, or 8 wedges, similar to cutting slices of cake or pie.
- Use your fingertips to apply a thin layer of oil between the yellow slices. Also apply a thin layer of oil on top of the white dough on your orange skin. Place the yellow slices together and in the center of the white dough.
- Pull the sides of the orange skin up and around the yellow dough gently and pinch to seal at the top. Try to seal the skin tightly around the yellow dough to avoid any air bubbles during steaming. Place the dough ball seam side down on the counter top and cover.
- Repeat steps 1-3 with the rest of the dough.
Decorate the orange:
- Use a blunt edge (like a butter knife) and press firm indentations on top of the orange that radiate out from the center, kind of like drawing an asterisk but the lines do not meet at the middle.
- Pinch off a tiny piece of green dough and use your fingertips to pull from each side to create small spikes. You don’t have to be neat or specific with this. Flatten the dough a bit and use some water to adhere it to the center of the orange where the indentations meet.
- You can get creative here and make some leaves to go on the oranges if you wish.
- Use a toothpick to randomly poke small holes in the orange to recreate the effect of real orange skin.
Steam the orange:
- Place the finished oranges in a bamboo steamer and place the steamer over lukewarm water. Let proof for 20 minutes.
- Steam on medium high heat for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit for 10 minutes before opening.
- These are best enjoyed warm and fresh out of the steamer. They keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days, freeze for longer storage. Enjoy!
新年快樂！Happy lunar new year!