Hujiao Bing, or the Taiwanese Pepper Bun, is a kind of baked bun originating in Fuzhou City, the capital of the Fujian province of China. It is a street food that has become popular in Taiwan and can be found throughout Taiwan in night markets or mini food stalls.
The common ingredients are flour, milk, an internal dough shell leavening agent, as well as meat protein, usually pork or beef, marinated with sugar, soy sauce, white pepper or black pepper, and inside filling scallions.
The outer shell of the dough is made with flour, water, and a leavening agent such as yeast or baking powder. Often, lard, butter, or oil is added to the dough to make the bun extra crunchy and flaky when baked like a croissant. The outer shell dough is then rolled individually, similar to a dumpling wrapping, into a thin, circular shape.
TAIWANESE BEEF PEPPER BUN
- Author: Romae Chanice Marquez
- Recipe Category: Snacks / Appetizer
- Cuisine: Chinese Origin, Taiwanese Style
In this recipe, the main ingredients of filling are beef. The beef is thinly sliced or ground. Many vendors use ground or sliced meat to give a bite to the bun, but typically, ground meat is used because when cooked, it creates more juice. The whole preparation and cooking time is about 40 minutes. This recipe is suitable for four people.
In this recipe, the main ingredients of filling are beef. Photo credits to: https://choochoocachew.com/hujiaobing/.
Taiwanese Beef Pepper Bun Ingredients
- 1 pound of ground beef
- 3 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons of sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon of rice wine
- 1 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon of honey
- 2 teaspoons of ground white pepper
- 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper
- 3 cups of thinly sliced green onions (about 2 bunches)
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon of water
- 1/2 cup of sesame seeds
For the dough,
- 2 teaspoons of active dry yeast
- 1 cup of warm water
- 3 cups of all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons of cooking oil
Taiwanese Beef Pepper Bun Instructions
Step 1: In a large bowl, add the beef, soy sauce, sesame oil, sherry, ginger, sugar, white pepper, and black pepper and mix well until well mixed. Cover and relax.
Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, blend the yeast with warm water. In a stand mixer with a dough hook, mix in the flour and oil and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic (5 to 10 minutes).
Step 3: Form the dough into a ball and scrape the dough ball with a little water. Cover the dough ball loosely with a towel and let it rise for about 30 minutes in a warm place.
Step 4: Heat the oven up to 400° F. Take the filling of beef from the fridge and set aside.
Step 5: Punch the dough down and break into 10 small balls of equal size and put them on your lightly floured table. Flatten the dough balls to about 5 inches wide in circles.
Step 6: Extend over the filling the sides of the dough circles to enclose, then pinch to seal. Make sure your dough is well sealed; you don’t want to escape any filling. Form into a bun shape and put side-down seam on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or lightly dusted with flour.
Step 7: Whisk together the egg and water in a small bowl when all your buns are shaped. Place the sesame seeds on a large plate. Use the egg mixture to clean the tops of the muffins and dip the buns in the sesame seeds to cover the tops only.
Step 8: Bake the buns for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top is golden brown, and cook through the beef.
Taiwanese Beef Pepper Bun Additional Information
- Per serving has 199 calories, 19g of carbohydrates, 8g of fat, and 12g of protein.
- This recipe started gaining popularity outside of Taiwan when it was featured on tourist programs such as Anthony Bourdain’s The Layover.
- This recipe serves around 4 people.
- The cook/prep time is about 40 minutes total.
About Taiwanese Beef Pepper Bun Recipe
On the thin dough, the marinated meat is spread. In traditional recipes, a handful of sliced green scallions are then covered with the dough on top of the food.
To give the bun a strong scallion flavor, the scallions must be added in a separate phase – but never mixed in the meat filling.
The sealed end is on the bottom, unlike with other buns. The bun’s top is then sprayed with water and sprinkled with white sesame seeds.
Conclusion
The cooked pepper bun has a crunchy, thin, cracker-like crust. It will drip beef juices when bitten down on. This is one of the main reasons why it’s gaining more popularity everywhere today. For more international recipes, click here.
Featured Image: @pursuitofyumminess / Instagram, @kekocooks / Instagram