"Monk" Steamed Buns

"Monk" Steamed Buns

　　If you’ve ever been a guest of the Tibetan people, you’ll find that on their low-legged Tibetan tables, there’s no shortage of dishes like hand-grabbed meat, fried dough twists, various pastries, and milk-based drinks—but if you had to name the star of the meal, it would be the "monk" steamed buns. These buns are about the size of xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), characterized by having soup inside and being made with unleavened dough. Because monks in monasteries loved making these buns, they came to be known as "monk" steamed buns.

　　The fillings of monk steamed buns come in a wide variety and are quite distinctive. For example, meat buns include yak meat filling, roe deer meat filling, venison filling, wild rabbit meat mixed with bear fat filling, and rock sheep meat with rock sheep suet filling... "Vegetarian" buns might have ginseng fruit filling, buttered tsampa filling, mixed mushroom filling, fiddlehead fern filling, or yuangen (a type of radish) filling... Mixed-type buns include pork with mushroom filling, pork with wood ear filling, pork with Chinese cabbage filling, and pork with Chinese chive filling...

　　Additionally, the shapes of the buns are wonderfully diverse and eye-catching. The "cherry-mouth" bun is one of the more common styles. This shape is not only easy to make but also elegant and pleasing to the eye. Especially, the round little mouth in the center of the bun can stimulate diners to open their appetites and enjoy a hearty meal. In terms of shape, there are triangular, round, and cylindrical buns; in terms of size, there are both large and small ones. Large buns can hold an entire bowl’s worth of filling; small buns are almost as tiny as a thumb.

　　In fact, Tibetan steamed buns are different from steamed buns in the general sense. On the surface, they look like buns, but they’re essentially steamed dishes, just wrapped in dough. When eating the buns, it’s important to note that once you bite a small opening, be careful not to let the delicious and high-quality "bun soup" spill out in vain. The correct way is to pick up a bun, carefully bite a small hole in it, then pucker your lips and sip out the "soup" inside before eating the bun itself.