Japanese Curry Buns

These kind of buns are in so many cuisines with some minor variations. I have been making the Tuna Buns for a long time now. These  buns I made today are a variation of the tuna buns and are filled with curry. These are super delicious and soft. The original recipe is here

Baked Japanese Curry Buns (Yeast buns filled with potato meat curry)

Japanese Curry Buns

Ingredients for Curry:

1. 2 medium potatoes peeled and chopped
2. 2 medium carrots scrapped and chopped
3. 1-2 cups cauliflower
4. 1/2 cup fresh/frozen peas
5. handful of chopped spinach (optional)
6. 1 teaspoon each of salt, coriander powder
7. 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin powder, turmeric powder, finely chopped garlic

Ingredients for Buns:

1. 1 packet yeast
2. 1/4 cup water (lukewarm)
3. 3 cups flour
4. 2 tablespoons sugar
5. 1 teaspoon salt
6. 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted and cooled)
7. 1 cup water
8. 1 egg (lightly beaten)
9. 1 tablespoon milk
10. 1 cup panko bread crumbs ( I used Italian breadcrumbs)

In a pressure cooker , add all the ingredients for the curry and cook for 3 whistles. Let the steam escape, add the peas and simmer until it becomes thick, without any water. Let it cool

Mix the yeast and the warm water in a bowl and let sit for 10 minutes. Mix in the flour, sugar, salt, butter and water and form a dough. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise to double its size, about 60-90 minutes.
Get the dough and knead for 2 minutes. Place the dough back into the bowl and let rise again.
Get the dough down and knead for 2 minutes.

Mix the egg and milk in a bowl.
Roll out one of the pieces of dough into a 6 inch circle and place a spoonful of the curry in the center. Fold the dough into a ball. Make about 12

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Dip the buns into the egg wash and then dip them into the bread crumbs to cover.
Cover the bread with plastic and let rise for 20 minutes.
Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown. Enjoy

Pasta Salad

I am always on the look out for  kids' lunch ideas. Because, all of us moms know it...by the time they get to eat their lunch, the hot lunch isn't cold, the sandwich is all soggy and many different things the food can morph in a few hours. So this pasta recipe is great. It holds well on a cold winter day.

I put the ingredients my kid likes. The one thing YOU can add to this is pepperoni and it will be a meat pasta salad

Pasta Salad (Pasta with pizza ingredients)

Pizza pasta salad

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup fun shaped pasta cooked according to the package directions ( I got presents, Christmas tree, shooting stars pasta)...I wish I had taken a better picture...but we were running late for the school bus
2. handful of olives, 
3. handful of cherry tomatoes
4. 1/4 cup corn
5. 1/4 cup finely chopped onions + celery + carrots
6. 1 tablespoon each of mayo+ sour cream + relish
7. 1 teaspoon each of  mustard, olive oil
8. dash of pepper
9. 2 slices of your favorite cheese or from a block (I used provolone)

Cook and drain the paste according to package instructions. In the last 2 minutes add the corn to the boiling water. Drain and mix with olive oil so that the pasta do not stick to each other.

Mix all the ingredients of #6 and #7 well. 

Mix everything together and add the pepper and enjoy