Recipe for Nasi Lemak Bun
Courtesy of Tiffany Leong
Ingredients:
Dough
- 1 cup (200ml) coconut milk
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp (6g) instant yeast
- 3 1/4 cup (405g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (50g) sugar
- 1 tsp (5g) salt
- 3 tbsp (40g) unsalted butter
Filling/Garnish
- Banana leaves, cleaned
- 2 tsp peanut or canola oil
- 1 cup raw peanuts with skin on
- 2 cups dried anchovies, washed and drained
- 100g KampongKu Sambal Seafood Paste
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, cut in quarters
Egg-wash
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp coconut milk
Instructions:
Prepare the Dough
- In a large bowl, mix coconut milk, egg and yeast together. Let it sit for 7-10 minutes until foamy and frothed.
- Add flour, sugar and salt to the yeast mixture. Mix and knead until a dough is formed.
- Add the butter and continue kneading until dough is smooth, elastic and soft.
*If the dough is too sticky, add 1 tbsp of all-purpose flour at a time until you have a workable dough.
Proof the Dough
- Transfer dough into a lightly greased bowl and cover with a damp towel. Let rise at room temperature for 1-2 hours, or doubled in size.
- Meanwhile, prepare the garnish and Sambal filling for the buns.
Fry Peanuts and Anchovies
- In a pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, stir in peanuts and cook until lightly browned. Transfer peanuts with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels. Sprinkle a pinch of salt to the peanuts.
- Stir in the dried anchovies. Move the anchovies back and forth until golden brown and crispy. Transfer it to drain on paper towels. Sprinkle a pinch of salt to the anchovies.
- Set aside half of the anchovies to garnish your buns and use the other half for the Sambal.
Cook the Sambal
- Heat some oil in a pan and fry the KampongKu Sambal Seafood Paste until fragrant. Add in half of the anchovies from earlier and stir well.
- Simmer on low heat until the sambal thickens. Taste the sambal, if it is too spicy, add sugar accordingly to your own liking. Set aside.
Divide the Dough
- After proofing for 1-2 hours, punch dough down and transfer onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide it into 8 equal pieces and shape each piece into a ball.
- Put the divided dough balls on a greased pan. Cover the dough with damp towel and let it rest for 15 minutes.
Add in Filling
- After resting, flatten the dough and put 1 1/2 tbsp (about 30g) of Sambal filling and a quarter of the hard-boiled egg in the middle of the dough.
- Pull all sides of the dough around and wrap the filling tightly to seal.
- Pinch the seam well and put the dough back into the greased pan, seam side on the bottom.
- Cover the buns with a damp towel and allow the buns to rise in a warm place for 30-45 minutes.
Egg-wash
- Beat the egg and milk together. Set aside.
Final Steps
- Cut 3cm wide strips of banana leaves.
- Once your buns are done proofing, gently wrap your buns with the banana leaf and secure it with a toothpick.
- Brush the buns with egg-wash. Bake in a preheated oven set to 180C for 20-25 minutes.
- Serve buns with the peanuts and fried anchovies just like Nasi Lemak. Enjoy!