The Bengali New Year with Stuffed Minced Meat Buns

Freshly Baked Stuffed Buns

The Bengali Couple

Hii..
The Best part about being an Indian is the number of festivals we celebrate..And to top it if you're a Bengali then every festival is associated with some delectable veg and NON-veg food..
(And also Saris and Round Bindis for the damsels and dames)..

This time for Poila Baishakh aka the Bengali New Year, after having a delicious lunch prepared by MIL, it was my turn for dinner. I wanted to do something different from the usual Bong Cuisine..

Well New year without Lamb/Mutton would be very dull so after some net surfing I decided to combine two recipes to make some STUFFED MINCED MEAT BUNS (Buns Stuffed with MINCED LAMB/ GOSHT KEEMA).. I clubbed it with a yummy Chicken Malai Tikka (Click for the Recipe) whose recipe I 'll share in my next post..

Baking Breads at Home have always intrigued me. Though the recipes are mostly simple yet the 'Yeast' plays an extremely important role. The bread dough rising properly while Proofing is an Eureka Moment for all bakers. The fate of the bread depends on it..

Well coming back to the recipe, I have it in two parts. The first one being the Keema Stuffing for which I have adopted the Dhaba Keema recipe by Aditya Bal. The second part is the Buns ofcourse, which I have borrowed and modified from Joy of Baking website.

STUFFED MINCED MEAT BUNS (Buns Stuffed with MINCED LAMB/ GOSHT KEEMA)

Makes: 12 Stuffed Buns

Part 1 - Minced Meat Stuffing / Keema Stuffing

Ingredients for the Keema Filling

Ingredients
1/2 Kg Boneless Mutton, Minced
1 Tablesp Oil
1 Bay Leaf  / Tej Patta
5 Green Cardamom / Elaichi
2 Teasp Cumin Seeds / Jeera
2 Cloves / Laung
3 Medium Sized Onions, Chopped
1 Tablesp Garlic, Chopped
1 Tablesp Ginger, Chopped
1 Tablesp Butter
1 Green Chilli, Finely Chopped
1/2 Capsicum, Chopped
1 1/2 Teasp Turmeric / Haldi
1 Teasp Red Chilli Powder / Lal Mirch Powder
2 Teasp Cumin Powder / Zeera Powder
2 Teasp Coriander Seeds Powder / Dhaniya Powder
Salt, To Taste
Asafoetida / Hing, A Pinch
3-4 Tablesp Milk
1/2 Cup Tomato Ketchup
3 Teasp Sugar
Juice Of 1/2 Lemon
Water

Procedure:

Keema being Cooked

1. In a pan add oil, bay leaf, green cardamom, jeera and cloves. Let them release the aroma.

2. Now add chopped onions. Saute till golden brown. Remove the bay leaf.

3. Add garlic, ginger and butter. Saute.

4. Add the green chillies and capsicum. Saute till the capsicum is wilted a bit. (For about 3-4 minutes). De glaze with some water.

5. Now add the masalas: turmeric powder, red chilli powder, zeera powder, dhaniya powder, hing and salt. Saute. Add a teaspoon of water and mix.

6. Add the mutton mince. Saute for 3-4 minutes. Add milk and mix well.

7. Add the tomato ketchup, sugar and lemon juice. Cook for 10 minutes on medium flame.

8. Add 1 cup water. Cover and cook till the water evaporates and the mutton is well done.
Keep Aside to cool down.

Part 2 - Stuffed Buns

Ingredients:

Starting with the Dough

1 cup (240 ml) Milk
2  teaspoons of Active Dry Yeast
3 teaspoons White Sugar
3 1/2 - 4 cups (455 - 520 grams) All Purpose Flour/Maida
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons (70 grams) butter, melted
1 large Egg
1 large Egg, lightly beaten with 2 teaspoons of Cream/Milk- Egg Wash


Procedure:1. In a small saucepan, or in the microwave, heat the milk until lukewarm (about 100 degrees F or 38 degrees C). Add the yeast and 1/2 teaspoon sugar and stir to combine. Set aside for about 10 minutes or until the yeast is foamy. (if Yeast doesn't turn foamy throw this mixture and try again)

Yeast Turns Foamy

2.Meanwhile in the bowl Combine the flour, sugar and salt. Once the yeast is foamy, gradually add to the flour mixture and mix until the dry ingredients are moistened.

3. Add the melted butter and a beaten egg and mix until incorporated. Continue to knead the dough (for atleast 15-20 minutes) until it is silky smooth and elastic. Add more flour if necessary. (if dough gets too sticky).

4. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, turning the dough once, so the top is lightly greased. Cover with plastic wrap  and place in a warm spot to rise until it has almost doubled in size (about 1 1/2 - 2 hours).

5. When the dough has doubled in size, gently punch it down to release the air, and divide into 12 equal pieces. Form each piece into a small round ball, flatten it and stuff it with the prepared Meat/Keema mixture and roll into a ball.

The Rise of the Bread Dough in around 2 hours

6. Place the balls on a greased tin or on a parchment lined baking sheet (They should be spaced so they have enough room to double in size.) I did 4 buns at a time. Make an egg wash of one beaten egg with 2 teapoons milk/cream, and brush the tops of the buns with the wash. Lightly spray a piece of plastic wrap with some oil, and place lightly over the buns. Place in a warm spot until almost doubled in size (about 60 minutes)- reproofing.

Stuffing the Buns and Re-Proofing with Egg Wash on Top

7. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Brush the tops of the buns with the egg wash (again), Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for about 12 minutes, or until the buns are nicely browned and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve Warm.

And the Stuffed Minced Meat Buns finally

Dinner was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone at home. We had the buns with Murg Malai Tikka and some Shorba (Soup). Before I call it a day Here's Wishing you all  SHUBHO NOBO BORSHO that is A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR and I hope the coming year brings you many many reasons to smile!! Thanks for reading!