Brown sugar and ginger steamed buns with hot soy milk
Soft steamed buns sweetened with brown sugar and ginger juice, proved overnight in the fridge and steamed in the morning, with soy milk simmered with ginger.
- 35 min
- Serves 3
- Steam
- Medium
Why it suits you: Yang-deficient types feel the cold most, and after Start of Winter cold hands and feet become more noticeable. Brown sugar and ginger warm the middle and dispel cold; the dough proves overnight, so in the morning you just steam the buns and serve them with soy milk simmered with ginger — warmth that spreads from the stomach outwards.
Method
Prep 20 min · Cook 15 min- 1The night before, dissolve the brown sugar in the warm water, stir in the ginger juice and yeast, then add the flour and dates and knead for about 8 minutes into a smooth dough.
- 2Roll into a log, cut into 6 pieces and set them on lightly oiled baking paper. Cover with cling film and leave to prove slowly in the fridge overnight.
- 3In the morning, leave the buns at room temperature for 15 minutes. Put them in a steamer over cold water, steam on high for 12 minutes, then turn off the heat and wait 3 minutes before lifting the lid.
- 4Meanwhile, simmer the soy milk with the ginger over low heat. Strain out the ginger and serve with the hot buns.
Cautions
- Brown sugar is still sugar — halve it if your blood sugar runs high.
Chef's tips
- Make a double batch: steam, cool and freeze the extras, then steam from frozen for 10 minutes on busy mornings.
The TCM view
Brown sugar is sweet and warm, tonifying the middle and warming the blood; fresh ginger is pungent and slightly warm, warming the stomach and dispersing cold; red dates are sweet and warm and nourish the spleen and blood; wheat flour is sweet and warm. Soy milk is sweet, neutral and slightly cool, so simmering it with ginger balances it — a warming winter breakfast for yang-deficient types.
