The OC Night Market has been on my list of things to do in Orange County for the longest time. This modern food fair is inspired by Asian eats of all kinds, from sushi burritos to pork belly gua bao. Best of all, it’s a place where munching, nibbling, and sipping are entirely acceptable and in fact, celebrated!
There are several perks to taking part in an Asian food fair and free Pocky is one of them. Upon entering the market, we were greeted by a cheery red Pocky truck, with a costumed lady handing out boxes of Pejoy, otherwise known as inside out Pocky. After trying them, I’m officially convinced that regular Pocky are superior to this new invention, but nonetheless I am always thankful for handouts.
There are two main drinks to refresh with when at the OC Night Market…the first is Japanese beer and the other is tea. Many of the teas at the market are served Taiwanese style, infused with modern additions like tapioca boba and fruit jellies. These certainly aren’t your $30 per ounce variety of teas, but they are satisfying, perfectly portable, and best of all…tasty!
Here’s a view of some black tea leaves post-steeping, used for making Hong Kong Milk Tea. This Chinese twist on a British classic is one of my favorites, a balanced blend that’s bold and creamy. I tried to make small talk with the tea guy at this booth hoping to find out exactly what kind of tea leaves they used, but he was super secretive about it and refused to budge. I’m guessing a mix of Ceylon, Assam, or English Breakfast. Any ideas?
Food on a stick is popular at the OC Night Market. But unlike the deep-fried corn dogs and twinkies you find at your local state fair, Asian food on a stick tends to be low-carb. Korean beef, Thai spiced chicken, lobster balls…a skewered snack in one hand and a cup of chilled tea in the other and you’re set.
Here was my first tea choice of the day, Watermelon Green Tea, made from fresh watermelon juice and jasmine green tea. Only mildly sweet, this cooling refresher is easy to make at home and ideal for sipping on as the days longer and hotter. 
And speaking of hotter, how cute is this dim sum inspired tank top? In addition to all the fair food, you can expect many craft and art vendors at the OC Night Market. I can’t say that I would be comfortable sporting this tank around, but I can certainly appreciate the person who could.
In addition to all the regular booth vendors, you’ll also find several food trucks a the OC Night Market. It’s always great to know you can hunt down your favorite food finds long after the fair is over. Buddha Bing and Tokyo Doggie Style are a few of the food trucks that caught my eye. Non-dairy boba milk tea? Leave it to the food trucks to think of everything!
If you plan on making it to one of the future night markets, it’s a good idea to get there early. Just as the sun starts setting, you can expect seriously long lines. One of the longest lines we came across was for takoyaki, pancake-like balls made from a wheat-based batter with pieces of octopus mixed in. Takoyaki are delicious when served with hot green teas, especially savory ones like genmaicha.
Our last stop of the evening was for twice cooked pork belly buns. What set these buns apart from your everyday Chinese buns is that they are deep-fried after being steamed, and hence twice cooked. The filling inside the buns was much like char siu pork filling, except less reddish in color and also less sweet. I suppose the less sweet filling was to accommodate for condensed milk, drizzled atop the hot buns just before serving (yes, you read that right!).
If you’re a foodie coming through SoCal at the right time, you should definitely check out the OC Night Market in Costa Mesa or it’s sister food fair, the 626 Night Market in Arcadia. These food fairs typically run 2-3 times a year, and the venues continue to grow in size as they grow in popularity. Come thirsty, hungry, and with an open mind and I’m sure you’ll find some tea foods that you never even knew existed!
bao
Azuki Bunny Buns
Soft, fluffy, sweet, and classically Asian. There’s no other way to describe red bean buns. Where Americans have chocolate chip cookies, the Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans have their red bean buns. Whether it’s someone’s birthday or time for an afternoon snack, in Asian food culture red bean buns are always a welcome treat.
Maybe it’s the American in me, but I don’t find red bean buns nearly as appealing as chocolate chip cookies. After all, they’re made with–of all things–beans! Everything changed this past week when I did some tweaking on my recipe for savory steamed buns. Inspired by spring, I sought out to make an Easter bunny-themed variation, with the perfect mild sweetness and tender texture. The results are some seriously yummy buns that can easily steal the spotlight from those chocolate chip cookies.
Azuki buns are so popular that you’ll often find them ready-made in the freezer or fridge section in Asian markets. The tell-tale sign of a mediocre (or bad) azuki bun is that it’s chokingly dry and dense. And a good one? Tender and slightly chewy with just the right amount of filling.
I based this recipe on the dough used for my Steamed BBQ Pork Buns and Chinese Fold-Over Buns, with a few changes. Instead of using Hong Kong flour, which is harder to find, I use regular all-purpose flour here. I also swap out the powdered sugar for superfine sugar, which creates a chewier, slightly heavier dough that steams up with a perfectly thin skin and smooth surface.
Decorated with a pair of bunny ears and a nubby nose made from soft candies, the humble buns are instantly transformed into wagashi-like Easter treats. You can also just scatter some sesame seeds in the center of each rounded bun before steaming. The buns will look elegant and easy, ideal for no-nonsense adults who aren’t in to adorably chubby bunnies. 
Enjoy these with Japanese green teas like a pale jade gyokuo, a toasty genmaicha, or a delicate sencha like Palais des Thés Tawaramine Shincha. Any tea that’s light, grassy, and fresh on the palette is ideal with the classic Asian flavor and look of these buns. Some may say that these Azuki Bunny Buns are too cute to eat, but as you can see I clearly don’t agree!
Azuki Bunny Buns
Makes 10 buns.
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup superfine sugar
1 tsp SAF instant yeast
1 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp non-fat dry milk powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil
6 Tbsp lukewarm water + 1-2 tsp water more (if needed)
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp sweetened smooth red bean paste (koshian)
black sesame seeds, for bunny eyes
soft, pink chewy candies, for bunny ears and noses (I used Hi-Chews)
non-stick spray or oil, for coating proofing bowl
Equipment:
stand mixer with dough hook attachment
large bowl
plastic wrap
work surface
chef’s knife
Tbsp measure
large bamboo steamer
wok with slightly larger diameter than steamer OR a stockpot with exactly the same diameter as the steamer
parchment paper, cut into 2 1/2″ squares
small cupcake liners (optional)
Japanese bento grass (optional)
Directions:
1.) Place all dry dough ingredients into the bowl of a large stand mixer. Start the mixer on low, then gradually add the water and oil. About 3 minutes in, the shaggy dough should come together to form a ball. If it does not, add 1-2 tsp of water until the dough comes together. Let the dough continue to mix on low for 10 minutes, until you get a soft and supple ball of dough.
2.) Lightly spray a large bowl with non-stick spray, coating the top surface of the dough with some of the same oil. Place the dough ball in the large bowl, then cover it with plastic wrap and place it in a draft free place to rise until almost doubled in volume.
3.) After the first rise, take the dough out onto a work surface. Give the dough a few light kneadings, then portion it out into 10 equal pieces using a chef’s knife. Shape each dough piece into a ball, then flatten each ball into a disk about 3 1/2″ in diameter and fill it with 1 Tbsp of red bean paste. Gather the edges of the flattened dough disk, pinching them together to seal. Flip the filled dough ball over, then roll it into a slightly oval circle. Place this shaped bun on a small square of parchment paper.
4.) Attach the eyes of the bunnies with the slightly wetted tip of a toothpick. Place the bun into the bamboo steamer. Shape a total of 10 buns, placing them at least 1″ apart in the steamer. Cover the steamer and let the buns rise for about 15 minutes, until just slightly puffy. Meanwhile, boil some water in a wok or stockpot so that the water is at least 2″ deep in the pot. 
5.) Steam the buns for 12 minutes over water at a full boil. After the buns have finished steaming, let them cool before decorating them with soft, pink candies (I used Strawberry Hi-Chews, but you could use any soft pink candy). Cut a candy crosswise, in 1/4″ thick pieces. Shape the pieces (see below) into elongated bunny ears. Use the center pink part of the candies to make tiny balls to make the bunny noses. Attach the candies to the surface of the cooled, steamed buns using light dabs of water. Decorate these buns just before serving as the attached candies get soft and sticky after being adhered to the buns. Place the buns on cupcake liners decorated with bento grass for a festive Easter finish.
Chinese Fold-Over Buns
Chinese Fold-Over Buns are the naked version of those steamed pork buns that dim sum lovers can’t get enough of. Having a unique pocket-like shape, Chinese Fold-Over Buns eliminate the need for pre-stuffing buns, which is one of the more complicated steps in bun making. After a quick steam, these tender pillows are ready to serve with a cooked filling of your choice.
If you want the texture and look of your buns to be similar to the kind you get at a Chinese restaurant, search for some bun flour, also called Hong Kong or bao flour, at your local Asian market. Hong Kong flour is a flour that’s lower in gluten than all-purpose (AP) flour. It steams up fluffier, whiter, and brighter than buns just made with plain AP flour. Look for the flour package that has white, steamed buns on it and you should be good to go.
If you prefer to use all-purpose flour that you can find at a regular American grocery store that’s fine too. I would suggest making a blend of all-purpose and cake flours, where for every 1 cup of flour in this recipe, you use 3/4 cups of AP and 1/4 cups of cake flour. This flour blend will give you a bun texture closer to that of Chinese restaurant buns, but they still won’t be as white and fluffy as the buns made with Hong Kong flour.
These Fold-Over Buns actually take to freezing very well. If you don’t plan on eating them right away, set them aside to cool to room temperature after they’ve been steamed off and then place them in ziplock bags to place in the freezer. When you are ready to use them later, just remove them from the zip locks and steam until them until they get soft and warm throughout. You could also warm them in the microwave, but they will get a bit tougher and chewier this way.
And while we are talking about having extra buns stashed in the freezer, here are some more ways that you could enjoy these tender, soft bun pockets:
* Chinese Roasted Duck, Scallions, & Hoisin Sauce (the classic)
* Kalua Pork & Pickled Red Onions
* Store-bought Roasted Chicken & Olive Tapenade
* Korean BBQ & Kim Chee
* Teriyaki Chicken & Pickled Ginger
* Smoked Salmon & Capers
* Cucumber & Herbed Cream Cheese
* Pastrami & Sauerkraut
* Applewood Smoked Bacon & Tomato
* Roasted Turkey & Roquefort Bleu Cheese
* Fried Chicken & Sweet Pickles
* Hummus & Sun Dried Tomatoes
* Black Forest Ham & Gruyère
* Nutella & Strawberries
* Peanut Butter & Grape Jelly
Ok, you get my point. The buns are extremely versatile. They are the original version of crustless tea sandwich bread!
In my upcoming posts, I’ll be giving you even more ideas on how use this very versatile bun dough. For today, I’m pairing these beautiful buns with my recipe for Kalua Pork and Pickled Red Onions for a true taste of Hawaii. My slow cooker recipe for Kalua Pork uses Lapsang Souchong tea to give the luscious meat a gentle, smoky savoriness. The recipe takes about 5 minutes of real work and then some patience, but the results are totally worth it.
And if you don’t have patience, store-bought roasted chicken can be stuffed into these buns for a tasty and easy meal. Pair these with a hot, soothing cup of Asian tea and you’ll be enjoying the simplest of gourmet meals.
Chinese Fold-Over Buns
Makes 12 large buns.
Ingredients:
3 1/4 cups Hong Kong flour
3/4 cup water + 1-2 Tbsp more if needed
2 tsp SAF instant yeast
2 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp non-fat dry milk powder
1/4 tsp fine salt
4 Tbsp powdered sugar
2 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil
extra oil for coating proofing bowl
Equipment:
stand mixer with mixing bowl and hook attachment
large whisk
large proofing bowl
plastic wrap
work surface
bamboo steamer
wok with slightly larger diameter than steamer OR a stockpot with exactly the same diameter as the steamer
rolling-pin or scale
parchment, to line steamer
Directions:
1.) Using the bowl of a stand mixer, place all the dry dough ingredients into the mixing bowl. Use a large whisk to stir all the dry ingredients together, so that they become evenly incorporated. Place the bowl in the stand mixer with a dough hook attachment and start to mix on low-speed. Add the water and oil. Continue to mix on low-speed. If the dough isn’t coming together after 3 minutes and looks dry, gradually add 1-2 Tbsp of water until the dough comes together. Continue to knead the dough on low for an extra 10-15 minutes until the shaggy mass becomes a soft and supple ball of dough.
Pull off a piece of the dough and conduct a windowpane test, where you gently try to pull the dough out into a very thin membrane-like sheet that does not tear. If you aren’t able to do this easily and the dough breaks apart, continue to knead the dough on low-speed for 2-3 more minutes, then try this windowpane test again. Passing the windowpane test means that the dough has been sufficiently kneaded.
2.) Transfer the ball of dough to a lightly oiled bowl to proof, coating all sides of the dough with some of the same oil. Cover the bowl lightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough proof in a warm, draft free place for 30-40 minutes or until the mass has doubled in volume.
3.) After the dough has doubled in volume, punch it down and transfer it to a work surface. Give the dough a few light kneadings, then roll the dough out into a rectangle, and portion it out into 12 equal pieces (see below). You can also use a scale if you prefer. Roll out each of the 12 dough pieces into a ball.
4.) Place any dough balls that you aren’t immediately using under clear wrap to prevent them from drying out. Roll each ball into an oval shape about a 1/4″ in thickness (just eyeball it). Try to keep the thickness of the dough even throughout in each piece. Fold one half of each oval onto itself to create a half-moon looking bun.
5.) Place buns in a bamboo steamer lined with parchment, then cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let the buns rise for about 15-20 minutes in a warm, draft free place, long enough for them to have just doubled in puffiness. Meanwhile, fill a large wok or stockpot up with water to a depth of 4″. Set the water on high heat to reach a full boil.
6.) Place bamboo steamer filled with risen buns on top of wok or stockpot, place steamer lid on, and steam the buns for about 8 minutes, or until they are light, fluffy, and puffy. Your Chinese Fold-Over Buns are now ready to be stuffed with a filling of your choice, or you can even eat them plain…enjoy!
PB & J. You thought I was just kidding, didn’t ya?
Thirsty for Tea 
