Stuffed Chicken Buns ....

The world perceives me as an educated, intelligent and independent modern woman .... in short 'Aaj ki Naari'. Well I prepare business plans for my multinational clients, give presentations without fumbling a bit, carry my own baggage and fly from one part of the world to another. So these probably qualify me as an intelligent woman .... if you may think so. I am ok with it if you think otherwise too.

But coming to the term 'Independent' I have my own apprehension.Independent means getting to do whatever and whenever without any interference or intervention. In case your mind has started wandering too much let me clarify ....... I am treated equally by my husband, parents, in-laws and out-laws too. My boss takes every word of me.

A little bit of self introspection and soul searching tells me that I prefer to curb my own independence. I secretly admire that dependency. You may ask how ...... there is a laundry list of things that points at the fact that I love leaning on people around me.

Since we are all foodies let me start with an example from the kitchen. I fail to independently decide what dinner I need to prepare when the guests come over. I seek the opinion of J most of the times. Cleaning or butchering the chicken is absolutely not my cup of tea. J has to do the prep work for me before I start cooking that bird. Dependency again !

I look for his confirmation when I try that halter neck top at Macys ...... not that it makes any sense to him or would give a piece of his mind. I ask him before promising my girl friends for a night out. I tell my boss that I would discuss with my hubby before confirming on any onsite assignment. These are some stories after I got married. Not that I had all the freedom before. It was even worst .... here at least I can fight with J to get things done my way.

Mom would tell deadlines. I can't visit my friend across the street without her permission. I need the consent of my parents for going to the college picnic...... sometimes relatives too. Mom decides what dress I have to wear for my friends birthday party ...... the list just goes on.

NO, I am not complaining ...... I choose not to be independent. Too much of freedom would probably make me feel isolated and lonely. On any given day I would still want to look into the eyes of J for an affirmation for the smallest thing I want to do. Or call my parents and in-laws across the continent before taking an important decision. It is such a wonderful thing to have people around you to lean on and look up to.

And not to forget friends ..... they are also culprits. They have bugged me to post this recipe from the day they heard about it. No freedom in choosing the recipe I can post on my own blog ..... My friends decide it for me :-)

So stuffed chicken bun for all you buggers (read as close friends) there .........

I volunteer to lean on people and curb my independence.

Preparation Time 90 minutes

Makes - 6 medium size buns

This recipe preparation involves 2 steps

1. Preparing the Stuffing

2. Preparing the Dough for the buns.

For the Stuffing

I used the left over 'Chicken Fry for my stuffing. Just shredded it a little bit before stuffing it. You can find the recipe for the stuffing here.

Ingredients for the Dough

All Purpose Flour - 1 cup

Yeast - 1 tsp

Luke warm water - 3/4 cup

Sugar - 1 tsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Egg - 1

Method of Preparation

1. Take luke warm water in a bowl. Add the salt and sugar to it and dissolve. Add the yeast to this water and let it sit for 10-15 minutes till you see the froth on the top. If their is no froth then discard the water and start all over again.(The froth happens only if the yeast is active).

2. Once the yeast water is ready, add it to the flour and knead it to make a soft dough.

3. Keep the dough in a warm place for about 30 minutes. Cover it with a damp cheese cloth. You will notice that the dough will rise and double in size.

4. Punch the dough and knead again. Keep it back for about 10-15 minutes again. Cover with a damp cloth.

5. Pinch out equal size balls from the dough. Keep it on a baking tray. Grease the tray before keeping the pinched balls on it. Keep these balls aside for 10 minutes.

6. Now take the balls and make a depression such that it looks like a small bowl. Stuff the shredded chicken and ball it in.Repeat to stuff all the balls

7. Beat the egg and brush it on top of the buns.

8. Preheat the oven and bake these buns at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes or until you see the buns turn golden brown.

Serving Tips

Serve at room temperature. You can store them in an air tight container for 3 days in your refrigerator. Warm it in your microwave and enjoy.

Notes

Do not use hot water or cold water to mix the yeast. Else the yeast will die and the dough won't get fluffy. Use fresh yeast as much as possible.

Variation

You may stuff the buns with any thing you like. You can add oregano to the dough when kneading it.

Instead of egg washing the buns, brush it with milk for a vegetarian bun.