Steamed Tuna Bao Buns

Instructions

Stir the yeast and honey into about 8 oz of the warm water and milk. If you are using instant yeast, skip this blooming step and go straight to the flour.

Sift in the all-purpose flour, rice flour and tapioca starch. Most of the mix should be all-purpose flour, though the exact proportions are not fixed.

Add a little salt and sugar. Use an oiled spatula to bring the dough together, adding more flour until it starts to hold its shape.

Knead the dough, which will be sticky, working in more flour as you go. Oiled hands make this easier. Add a little oil if needed, no more than 1 tbsp, and keep kneading until the dough turns elastic.

Put the dough in a covered, food-safe plastic container big enough for it to expand, and leave it somewhere warm. Check after about 2 hours. It is ready when a poked dent does not spring back.

For the filling, mix the tuna, small pieces of pineapple, peanuts and seasoning powder until the tuna becomes a paste. Add a little barbecue sauce so the mixture is moist but not wet. Stir in 1 tbsp pineapple juice if you want it sweeter, and mustard to taste. Leave it uncovered to rest for about 2 hours.

Pull off a piece of dough slightly larger than a golf ball and flatten it in your hand, keeping it fairly thick. Put filling in the middle and pinch the edges closed, searching "folding bao" if you want a guide. Plain buns can be shaped as short logs.

Set the buns in a steamer over boiling water and steam for 10 to 12 minutes. Serve hot.