So, I got this idea in my head, you know? Wanted to try making some of those asian desserts myself. Seemed easy enough watching videos online. Big mistake maybe.
First up: Mango Sticky Rice
Thought I’d start with something classic, mango sticky rice. Went out and bought the special sticky rice, coconut milk, palm sugar, mangoes. Felt pretty prepared.
Washing that rice felt like forever. Then soaking it. Instructions said a few hours, I probably left it too long. Anyway, steamed it up. First problem: came out kinda hard in some spots, mushy in others. Not that nice chewy texture I was hoping for. Definitely not like the restaurant stuff.
Then the coconut sauce. Mixed the coconut milk, sugar, bit of salt. Heated it up. Tasted okay I guess. Poured it over the patchy rice. Sliced the mango. Looked alright from a distance.
But eating it? Nah. The rice texture was just wrong. Mango was good, can’t mess that up. But the main part, the rice, was a letdown. Spent the whole afternoon on it too. Kind of annoying.
Next attempt: Red Bean Buns
Okay, maybe sticky rice wasn’t my thing. Thought I’d try some simple red bean buns. Like the fluffy steamed ones. Got the flour, yeast, sugar, and a can of red bean paste. Cheating with the paste, I know, but making that from scratch? Forget it.
Mixed the dough. Proofed it. It actually rose pretty well, felt optimistic for a minute. Divided it up, rolled it out, put a scoop of red bean paste in, pinched it shut. This part was tricky, getting them sealed nicely. Some looked okay, others were a bit lumpy.
Set up my steamer. Put the buns in. Steamed them for like, 15 minutes? Took one out. Looked… okay? Kinda yellowish, not pure white. And smaller than I thought they’d be.
Tasted one. The bun part was dense. Really dense. Not fluffy at all. More like a brick. The red bean paste inside was fine, obviously, since I bought it. But the bun itself? Terrible.
- Maybe the yeast was old?
- Did I knead it too much? Or not enough?
- Steamer not hot enough?
Who knows. Honestly, after these two tries, I felt pretty done. It’s way more work than it looks. And the results were just… sad. Think I’ll stick to buying them from the bakery down the street. They know what they’re doing. Way less mess too.
