Flavorful Steamed Buns

Flavorful Steamed Buns

　　In Ili, steamed buns come in various cooking styles—baked, pan-fried, and steamed—each method yielding a unique flavor. The most common varieties are baked buns, pan-fried buns, and thin-skinned buns. The fillings are typically made with lamb or beef, onions, and salt, seasoned with an appropriate amount of cumin, pepper, and other spices. Pan-fried buns use fermented dough to wrap the filling, then the buns are shaped and placed one by one in a heated, oiled skillet. Broth is poured over them, dry flour is sprinkled on top, and the lid is tightly closed. They are cooked in just over 10 minutes. Their characteristics are: golden and shiny, soft and tender with a refreshing taste, rich yet not greasy. Both baked buns and thin-skinned buns use "dead dough," which is dough kneaded with salt water, shaped around the filling. However, the dough for baked buns is rectangular, making it easier to stick and bake inside a tandoor oven, while the dough for thin-skinned buns is shaped into cones and steamed in a steamer basket. Using the same ingredients, the different cooking methods create distinct and unique flavors. (Ili Kazakh)