Easy Chinese Buns: The Wonders of Japanese Hotcake Mix

Have you tried the Morinaga brand before? I was pretty blown away by it! I've tried our Red Man version, as well as Nissin's, but none of them was as fragrant as Morinaga's. I guess they added a little vanilla extract.. Maybe?

Anyway, I got this book a while ago:

I was in a little bit of luck, and managed to find the Chinese version of the book. Not that I can't understand Japanese recipes, but the Taiwanese/Hongkong reprint is much cheaper.. For some reason..

This book contains a collection of easy recipes (by the talented Junko-san) to make decorated steamed cakes, including the Chinese buns. I've tried making a bun (yes, I made only one) yesterday, but I steamed it for too long (coz I had other things in my steamer..) and my chick bun cracked too much. Sobs!

I tried again just now for lunch. I made 2 this time, one kitty cat and one puppy. Tadah!!

Aren't they cute? And tasty too! And if you're wondering, I used chives + prawn dumplings as the fillings.