香葱花卷 Steamed Scallion Flower Buns, two ways

香葱花卷 literally translates to fragrant scallion flower buns. Aka, steamed scallion buns. I kept the flower because I liked the image it evokes. It’s in the single digits here in Boston, and I am freezing. I’m downing coffee, tea, ginger soup – whatever works to keep me warm. During times like these, I crave comfort food. I’m not talking about mac and cheese or lasagna (though everyone knows I can’t say no to those either), but this particular afternoon, I was craving Chinese comfort food. I had all the ingredients, so I made scallion steamed buns. This is an easy recipe and very very satisfying. I love shaping the buns and watching them bloom and grow in the steamer. I don’t use a bamboo steamer – I think I was influenced by my parents. They’ve always used a metal steamer, sometimes with a double rack. When it came time for me to acquire my own, I automatically veered towards a meal one. Call it comfort. Call it convenience, whatever. You can use a bamboo steamer if you’d like.

There are two ways you can shape the buns. One uses a knife, the other uses a chopstick. both creates laters, although I have to say the method using a knife creates more layers, and you’ll see why.