Did somebody say fish buns!? Yup, it is indeed our most awaited Sri Lankan fish bun recipe! This took me a while as it wasn’t easy to crack the code for the perfect dough. But after a couple of bun disasters in my kitchen, I was able to come up with my own little fun twist in making this bun. So, don’t forget to check out the tip section on my recipe.
Why this recipe? Dedicated to my beloved father who I lost 4 months ago. Fish buns were one of his favorite evening snacks and he has been longing to try one of mine for a very long time. So, this one’s for you thathi.
Ingredients:
For the dough:
2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour or bread flour
1 ¼ tsp salt
3 ½ tbsp butter
1 egg
¾ cup of milk
2 ½ tbsp sugar
1 tsp instant yeast
For the filling:
3 tbsp of cooking oil
1 spring of curry leaves
3 cloves
3 cardamom
1 cup of chopped onions
3 green chilies
140g canned mackerel
2 boiled potatoes
½ tsp salt
1 tsp PEPPER
½ tsp turmeric
2 tsp chili flakes
½ a lime
For the egg wash:
1 egg yolk
3 tbsp milk
Directions:
1: Filling
• Boil 2 big potatoes until they are incredibly soft in a small pot by adding enough water to cover them. Once done, remove the skin, mash the potato into big chunks, and set it aside.
• Add 3 tbsp of oil into a pan over medium heat and add in the following ingredients gradually once the oil is hot: -
1. Finely chopped 12-14 curry leaves
2. Crushed cardamom
3. Crushed cloves
4. 3 finely chopped green chilies
5. 1 cup of thinly sliced onions – mix everything well until the onions become translucent
6. ½ tsp turmeric
7. 1 tsp pepper
8. ½ tsp of salt or to taste
9. 2 tsp of chili flakes – combine everything well
10. Drain all the liquid in the mackerel and mix it with the rest of the tempered ingredients while breaking the mackerel down into small pieces.
11. Lastly, add the partially mashed boiled potatoes into the mixture and combine well until all the ingredients are incorporated. Squeeze a slice of lemon before removing it from the stove.
12. Check for salt and adjust, if necessary, as per your liking. Combine well and set it aside to cool down.
2: Preparing The Dough
• Add 1 tsp of yeast and 2 ½ tbsp of sugar into a ¾ cup of lukewarm milk (100-110 ℉) and mix well. Cover and set it aside for 10 minutes allowing it to foam.
• Add 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour or bread flour into a mixing bowl, along with 1 ¼ tsp salt, 1 egg, and the yeast mix and knead well on a countertop (approx. 20 mins) or in the mixer (approx. 10 mins) until well combined.
• Next, add the 3 ½ tbsp butter gradually into the mixer and knead the dough for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and stretchy.
• Cut the dough into 8 pieces or 12 depending on the size of the bun you prefer and shape them into balls, and set them aside.
3: Stuffing The Dough
• Take a ball of dough and flatten it using your hands or a rolling pin on a flat surface, making sure the middle is slightly thicker than the outer corners.
• Ensuring the smoother side of the dough goes down, place around 4 – 5 tsp of filling mixture in the middle (I usually make a couple of balls from the mixture way ahead so that it makes this step more straightforward and faster) and start folding it to a triangular shape as shown in the video.
• Pinch all the edges together to seal the dough and flip it upside down so that the smooth and perfect side is facing up, and shape it into an ideal triangle using your hand as a stencil.
• Arrange all the triangular-shaped fish buns on a baking sheet and allow them to rise for about an hour. DO NOT OVERPROOF (as it will break in the oven while baking)
4: Finale
• In the meantime:
- Preheat the oven to 375 ℉
- Mix one egg yolk and 3 tbsp of milk in a small bowl for the egg wash
• Apply the egg wash on the triangular buns once it’s doubled in size and bake it for about 15-18 minutes in a 375 ℉ preheated oven, placing it on a lower rack (not the lowest). Remove the fish buns from the oven once they are golden brown on top. Times may vary depending on the oven, so keep an eye on the buns if you are making them for the first time.
• Once the fish buns are out of the oven, brush the top with butter, cover it with a towel, and set the buns aside on a cooling rack to cool before serving. (Remove the buns immediately from the baking tray as soon as it is out of the oven to prevent them from getting burnt)
TIPS
1. Do not overboil your potatoes for the filling, as it will make the filling very soggy.
2. For the softest dough, use whole milk as it produces phenomenal texture and flavor. And yes, you can substitute milk with water.
3. It is important to activate your yeast before adding it to the dough mix. Yeast and sugar are a couple in the bread-making process. Therefore, mix the yeast with sugar in a cup of lukewarm milk on its own before adding it with the rest of the ingredients. (This process will also save you from adding old yeast to the dough mix)
4. If you are kneading by hand, knead the dough for approx. 20 minutes. If you are using a mixer, knead it for approx. 10 minutes until the dough is soft and stretchy. Do not over-knead, as it will lead to a dry, dense, and crumbly bread.
5. When flattening the dough balls, ensure the middle is slightly thicker than the edges so the buns won’t be too thin when baked.
6. Don’t try to stuff the dough with too much filling, as you will stretch the dough to seal it, which will lead to a crispier bread with too much filling than a fluffy bun.
7. Do not serve right out of the oven, as the filling will be too hot, and the bread will be a little hard too. Cover it with a kitchen towel and set it aside to cool for 10 mins or until it softens before serving.
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