I basically followed this recipe for the dough and most of the way for the filling.
Here's what the first half dozen looked like before steaming
They turned out much nicer than I expected. The dough was fluffy and had a similar texture to the pork buns I have had in the past. I think I'm about 80% of the way to where I would want to be and I think I know how to improve the next batch. Major improvements would include more tender dough and more filling in each bun, these were a little on the skimpy side because I was afraid of them exploding as they steamed. Knowing that the result is at least edible was a huge weight off my shoulders. I took a few to a friends house for a dinner party and they were well received. I think I'm going to stuff the next batch with ground chicken, miso paste, green onions and pepper.
Solid 7.5/10, will definitely be making again.
I have a rice cooker that has a steamer basket/functionality. The recipe says to steam them for 12 minutes, I found 16-17 worked better for the consistency of the dough I made. They are definitely less hard to make than they seem. I suspect it's one of those things that's easy to do, difficult to do well.What sort of steamer did you use?
I'll have to check my rice cooker.... Nice call on the time. Mine's near the end of its life so might have to up my steam time. All about this. My list of dishes I can make generally fall under this category so i can get the most mileage out of devoting my time to making them over the course of cooking. Best example was taking an extra 30min to knead my latest sweet bread by hand made all the difference in its fluff.They are definitely less hard to make than they seem. I suspect it's one of those things that's easy to do, difficult to do well.