Recipes

These do take a little effort to make, and they can get demolished in seconds, but most of the effort is in waiting around. Lots of waiting. But it’s worth it – these buns are soft and light, and with the spicy raw tuna it is quite literally a melt-in-the-mouth experience.

Put the flour, salt, sugar and yeast into a bowl and mix together. Make a well in the centre and add the water, then bring the dough together. If you’re using a mixer, knead for 5 minutes on a high speed, and if you’re doing it by hand, knead for 10 minutes. The dough should be lovely and shiny and stretchy. Place back in the bowl and leave to prove for 1 hour, covered, in a warm place until doubled in size.

Meanwhile cut out 10 squares of baking parchment measuring 10cm x 10cm and have two baking trays at the ready.

Roll the dough into a sausage shape and cut it into 10 equal pieces (80g each). Roll each one out to a circle 5mm in thickness and brush all over with oil. Brush a chopstick with oil too, then lay it in the centre, fold over the dough to create a semicircle and pull the stick out. Place on a piece of paper and then on a baking tray. Do this to all 10 pieces of dough, then cover with a piece of greased clingfilm and leave for 30 minutes, until doubled in size.

Depending on the size of your steamer, steam as many buns as you can at a time without overcrowding it. They should take 5–6 minutes, until springy to touch.

While the buns are steaming, make the spicy tuna. Put the chopped tuna into a bowl and add the onions, chilli, ginger, honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds and chopped coriander. Snap open the steamed buns and fill them with the spicy tuna.