Steamed Coconut Buns with Chicken and Broccoli

I recently received the Jamie Oliver 15 minute meals book as a gift. What a gift!! I am loving the quick and more importantly healthy recipes that are in it and they are all just packed with my kinds of flavour! I will be trying and testing and blogging the good ones for you. I tried this one last night. I was a bit worried about steaming buns and steaming chicken (!!) as I had never done that before but it was so exciting to see how it all just worked!

I used portobellini  mushrooms as I couldn’t get to the right shop to get the mixed mushrooms, but they worked beautifully. I laid it all out in the steamer and in the small bowls (see the definition of Dim Sum below) and my family tucked in! We loved it J

You do need one of these bamboo steamers though – it’s essential!

Steamed Coconut Buns with Chicken and Broccoli

Homemade Hoisin Sauce:
Ingredients:
4 tbsp coconut aminos
2 tbsp almond butter
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp black pepper
1.5 tsp sesame oil
½ tsp chilli powder
1 tsp honey
1 clove garlic, crushed

Directions:
1. Using either a small blender, a bowl with a whisk or just an old jar, combine all ingredients and blend, whisk or shake well until combined. Set aside until ready to use.

Steamed Chicken with broccoli:
Ingredients:
500g chicken breast or tenderloin, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, chopped into 1cm thick diagonal slices
½ cup field mushrooms, chopped
½ cup button mushrooms, chopped
1 cup snow peas, trimmed
10 stems of broccolini, or 10 large broccoli florets

Directions:
1. Cut chicken into thin strips and place into a large bowl. Cover with about 2-3 tbsps of your prepared hoisin sauce. If you have time, marinate for an hour or so, but if not it doesn't matter.
2. Add chopped vegetables to the bowl, excluding the broccoli and snow peas. Get sauce coating everything well.
3. In a large steamer, place combined chicken and vegetables. Lay snow peas and broccoli over the top. Steam for around 10-15 minutes until chicken is cooked.
4. Serve on a large plate and garnish with fresh coriander and diced chilli.

Coconut Buns:
Ingredients:
½ cup coconut milk
1 cup gluten free self raising flour
1 tbsp coconut aminos
pinch of chilli
1 tsp sesame oil
½ tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder

Directions:
1. Over medium heat set up a food steamer with a few inches of water in the bottom. Bring to the boil to create steam (ideally you would be best to use a bamboo steamer, but any steamer pot system will work).
2. Place all ingredients in a food processor. Blend until a sticky dough forms.
3. Place large scoops of the dough into muffin patty cases.
4. Place patty cases in the steamer and steam for around 10 minutes until cooked through.
5. Serve as soon as possible. These are best when still warm and fluffy.

Cucumber Pickle:
Ingredients:
½ telegraph cucumber
1 tbsp coconut aminos
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

Directions:
1. Using a vegetable peeler, peel lengthways down the cucumber to get long ribbons. Combine in a bowl with dressing. Give it a good squeeze with your hands to really get the pickle flavour infused into the cucumber

To garnish:
¼ cup toasted sesame seeds (over a low heat in a small frying pan, toast the seeds until golden brown)
large handful of coriander, roughly torn
1 red chilli, roughly chopped

To assemble the meal:
Put the buns and the chicken on large plates, and in small bowls put the rest of the hoisin sauce, the sesame seeds and the cucumber.

To eat, get in there with your hands! Rip the buns apart, dip them in the sauce, then the seeds, stuff them full of the chicken... make it your way!

This meal really will become a family favourite, and although it wasn't quite 15 minutes as per Jamie Oliver, it was probably only about half an hour to make all up. Fast, healthy, filling and affordable - what could be better?!