Coriander Buns

Mr. Yeast and I have been on talking terms for quite a while. We, in fact, have been getting along like a house on fire. The list of yeast breads that I want to try out keeps on getting longer and the only thing that is stopping me at the moment is the cold weather. It takes ages for the dough to rise at these temperatures and I’m sure that in a couple of weeks’ time, I’ll be back to making my own bread.

Sometime ago, when I was visiting my parents, I made these beauties. The first batch was gone in no time and Amma put the second batch away before anyone could lay their hands on them. She said they needed to savour them even after I’d come back to Gurgaon.

Ingredients:

For the dough:

1 cup Flour
1/2 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/2 tbsp Oil

1 1/2 tbsp Yeast

1 1/2 tbsp Sugar
3/4 tsp Salt
1/4 cup Boiling water
1/4 cup Milk

1/4 cup Coriander Leaves, chopped

1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder

1/2 tsp Chilli Powder

For the filling:
1 large Potato, washed and chopped finely
2 Onions, finely chopped
1/4 cup Cauliflower, finely chopped
2 tbsp Carrot, finely chopped
2 tbsp Beans, finely chopped

1 tbsp Oil

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

1 tsp Chilli Powder

1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder

1 tsp Cumin-Coriander Powder

Salt to taste

For the Topping:

1 tbsp Sesame Seeds

For the dough:

Take a huge mixing bowl and place the oil, salt and sugar in it. Add boiling water and mix until the sugar dissolves. Add the milk now to bring the mixture to room temperature. Add the yeast and mix well. Add the flours, coriander leaves, turmeric and chilli powders and knead into a dough. Place the dough in a greased vessel and cover it with a damp muslin cloth. Allow to rise until double in size (roughly 45-50 minutes).

Knead the dough for a minute and then divide into 10 equal portions.

For the filling:

Heat the oil, add the asafoetida and cumin seeds. When the cumin crackles, add the chopped onions and fry for a minute before adding the other vegetables, salt, chilli, turmeric and cumin-coriander powders. Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes.

To Proceed:

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Take a portion of the dough and spread it on to your palm. Place some stuffing in the centre and bring the edges and seal. Roll in the sesame seeds and place on a greased baking sheet or tray. Repeat with the other portions.

Allow to rise for 50-60 minutes and then bake for 12-15 minutes.

The addition of spices to the dough made this an interesting variation from the Masala Buns I'd made in the past. The colour of the buns was really "to die for". And my brother thought we'd brought these buns home from the bakery down the street. I take that as the best compliment.