Candyfloss & Dreams

Tag: Recipes

Making Home Made Steamed Fluffy Bao Buns

Recently I found a kit from School of Wok in Sainsburys that taught you had to make Steamed Fluffy Bao Buns at home. If you don’t know what steamed buns are they are, from what I gather, an Asian bun, usually cooked in a bamboo steamer and filled with all kinds of deliciousness. I love them. My love for them began in 2019 with the Wagamama’s steamed fluffy buns and then lockdown hit and I couldn’t get them anymore. Now I know how to make them my life feels complete. It was probably one of the best things we’d ever made together at home actually. We were fully inspired by Wagamama’s menu and made a pork belly, apple, carrot and coriander filling with a siracha mayo.

How to make steamed bao buns at home with a school of wok recipe kit

The School of Wok Bao Bun kit comes with the bun mix and a BBQ mariande for the chosen meat. It also includes some rice wine for chosen pickeled vegetable. I chopped up a granny smith green apple into matchstick shapes and grated a carrot before mixing the wine vinegar with a little salt, sugar and water. I then gave the apple and carrot a mix up with the pickle liquid and kept stiring occasionally as I made up the rest of the dish. For the pork belly we smothered it in the BBQ sauce and baked in the oven, turning midway. The buns were not particularly hard to make however we have neither a wok nor a bamboo steaming basket. This lead to a pretty interesting set up. We basically had a big pan of boiling water, a heat resistant bowl with a plate on top covered in greaseproof paper. We then added a couple of buns to the plate and steamed with the lid on the pan for around 8 minutes. The School of Wok kit was really helpful and explained this as an ideal set up. As long as you have a deep lidded pan in the home then you can make these Steamed Fluffy Bao Buns!

Pork and Apple steamed Bao Buns with siracha mayo and coriander

We ended up making about 8 or so steamed buns on total, maybe a couple more, because we added too much water and then needed to add more flour to compensate. How the dough still managed to raise and steam as well as it did I do not know. I didn’t roll them out very thin either so we had a lot of different sized buns. I found the kit really easy to use and would absolutely do this again. I love trying to recreate meals at home and would love to try other fillings with the bao buns in the future. They are guarenteed to be a party pleaser, can have a variety of veggie fillings and actually don’t take too long when you know what you’re doing.

July 26, 2021
Autumn Slow Cooker Meals I Love

Autumn is the best time of year to get the slow cooker out and I wanted to share some autumn slow cooker meals I love. With the weather turning cooler I am looking to use my slow cooker for tasty, warming meals. There’s something about Autumn that just makes me want to use the slow cooker. It’s so nice coming back from the school run knowing I don’t have a dinner to prepare because I can just chuck what I need in the slow cooker in the morning and it will be tasty, tender and hot for dinner time. Having a baby in the house and not having to properly prepare meals but still have something filling and nutritious every night. This is going to be absolutely vital whilst breastfeeding too because I can make sure everyone, including myself, is fed. Here are my favourite slow cooker meals.

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Soup

I love soup and whilst some people may have a soup maker you can do delicious soup in a slow cooker easily. Any left over veggies are perfect for this so if you’re someone that loves a roast on a Sunday and has anything left over popping it into a slow cooker with some liquid broth or stock can make it into a really tasty soup. You can then leave it chunky or blend it up before serving. My favourite is tomato and red pepper with a sprinkle of chilli flakes as I feel the lovely vibrant colour makes it feel as warming as it tastes. I also really love leek and potato soup with a soft roll. Another great option is a thai style coconut chicken soup.

Stews

Stews are ideal slow cooker food because you can add in whatever ingredients you like. Beef and ale with seasonal vegetables is a firm favourite here and adding the ale early on you have the taste and the flavour but the alcohol is cooked off. Pork and apple can make another really lovely stew and for me there’s just something about pork and apples that make me think of Autumn. I’ve made this with Brothers Toffee Apple cider too which does make it quite sweet. Paired with some green vegetables and mash potato this is a delicious stew. If you fancy something a little different chicken and apricot with Moroccan spices can be something completely different too. I love this with a few herby dumplings too.

Pie Fillings

Slow cooked pie fillings are delicious for this time of year. If you want that pastry crust topping with a slow cooked pie filling you can get ready rolled puff pastry and cook off in the oven before serving. Or if you’re making a family sized pie in advance slow cooking the filling can bring out all the flavour and make the meat super tender.

Other Autumn Slow Cooker Meals

Chilli is a great one for a slow cooker as it’s super quick and easy and the longer chilli cooks the better it tastes. Curries also work really well in a slow cooker especially using sweet potato and butternut squash as it allows the vegetables to soften and take on the subtle spices of the curry. You can also make a delicious pulled pork by slow cooking it. I love pulled pork, it’s warming and makes a tasty midweek meal. Any left over can be added to rolls and sandwiches the next day too.

October 3, 2018
Our #HealthyRedMeat Challenge
This post is an entry for the BritMums #HealthyRedMeat, sponsored by the Meat Advisory Panel.

Our go to meat is usually chicken as it’s a firm family favourite however we do also enjoy red meat from time to time too. Working with Britmums and the Meat Advisory Panel I was provided with a £10 voucher to go and grab some read meat and get cooking. I felt quite inspired and wanted to make some really tasty meals for the family. I decided on our meat and purchased some lean diced casserole beef and a lovely big portion of lamb for a roast dinner. I very rarely make a roast dinner because I’m not really a fan but Evie absolutely loves them and Adam and I both enjoyed the change to our usual Sunday food.

Using the beef we made a big tasty beef stew with lots of vegetables, lentils and dumplings. I seared the beef first and then cooked up onions and garlic. I added the beef back into the onions and cooked for a few minutes before moving over to a big pan of beef stock that I had been simmering. I then roughly chopped our vegetables and added a portion of lentils. The dumplings were added fifteen minutes before I dished everything up.

Using the lamb we had a lovely big roast dinner with roast potatoes, stuffing, Yorkshire puddings, carrots, brocolli, cauliflower and a mint gravy. It was really lovely and filling and the lamb was nice and tender. I do really quite like lamb when it’s roasted and it’s not a meat we have very often. Evie wasn’t convinced but I was proud she did actually try some. The beef stew was much more to her taste. We really did go all out with our roast because all the trimmings really make it a tasty, filling and fun meal.

I’ve always enjoyed eating meat and don’t really remember a time without it. I love making chilli, burgers and burritos with mince but it was nice to try making something new this week. I am really trying to educate myself about nutrition and what we put into our bodies to act as fuel, what gives us a boost in vitamins and essential nutrients that we need to function optimally. I really believe that there should be a healthy balance of flavours, textures and colours on every plate and red meat is a good source for this. Some interesting points to consider when thinking about food and what we eat:
Red meat provides a range of important nutrients that are often low in toddlers and children – including iron, zinc, and B vitamins, selenium and potassium.

Red meat has been in the spotlight recently, and experts fear that the nutritional benefits have been overshadowed by misleading negative views. To cut through the confusion, the Meat Advisory Panel, an independent group of health and nutrition experts, is partnering with BritMums to promote red meat in the diets of children.

Dr Emma Derbyshire, a public health nutritionist and mother, says: “Including a small portion of red meat in the diet a few times a week after weaning can help to bridge nutrient gaps and so help to maintain good health through childhood and beyond.”
Do you eat a lot of red meat in your meals?
September 20, 2017
Halloween Hot Chocolate and Milkshake Mix

Okay so Halloween is still a little further down the Autumn path but I think this chocolate mix will be perfect for delicious drinks with a hint of spice. What makes it even better is this chocolate mix can be made as healthy or as decadent as you like. This chocolate mix has undergone a tasting test in this household and has thumbs up all around. It’s quick and easy to make, you can double the suggested quantities to make a huge batch up so it’s always ready for a quick fix, and you can change the ingredients as you see fit to suit your dietary needs. It’s got a gentle spice to it making it a perfect autumn warmer or cooler.

For healthy versions of the chocolate mix use chocolate protein powder, Sweet Freedom choc shot and dark organic cocoa powder. I love hazlenut milk with this chocolate mix. Let me take you through how I created my super chocolate mix.

10 teaspoons chocolate milkshake powder
5 teaspoons dark chocolate powder
8 teaspoons icing sugar
1/2 teaspoons sachet of chocolate orange powder
10 grams milk chocolate chips
10 grams white chocolate chips
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 pint of milk or dairy substitute

Alternatively you could use gingerbread or pumpkin spice for a bit of a kick. I recommend the My Secret Kitchen chocolate powders as they are amazing. Mix all the dry ingredients in a pot and then warm up the milk or dairy substitute on the hob. Add 8 tablespoons of the mixture and stir. This should simmer for around ten minutes and create a silky smooth mixture. You can drink warm or leave to cool and pour over ice for a delicious milkshake.

Fancy making an adult version for those friday nights to warm up with? Why not add a shot of baileys? The orange chocolate truffle one works perfectly for this mix.

Topping this with whipped cream, toffee sauce or honey and a little segment of Terry’s chocolate orange. Just to make it a little more special. So there it is, my ultimate chocolate powder for Halloween hot chocolate and milkshake mix.

October 1, 2016