Chef Nataniel Spiegel Shares Recipe for Soft Steamed Buns with Crispy Beer-Battered Fish

Chef Nataniel Spiegel presents a detailed recipe for making soft steamed buns (bao) at home, filled with crispy beer-battered white fish, quick-pickled cucumber, and rich curry mayonnaise. This dish combines Asian culinary techniques with Mediterranean flavors, ideal for a light lunch or a casual evening with friends.

The bao dough is made from white flour, water, vinegar, baking powder, dry yeast, sugar, oil, and salt, kneaded and left to rise before being shaped, folded with parchment paper, and steamed until elastic. The quick-pickled cucumbers are prepared with thinly sliced cucumbers, red chili, purple onion, thyme, turmeric, salt, pepper, rice or white vinegar, water, and sugar, steeped for at least half an hour.

For the fish, white sea bass fillets are cut into portions, dry-brined with coarse salt, rinsed, dried, and lightly floured before being dipped in a beer batter made from cold white beer, flour, salt, and yeast, then fried at 150 degrees Celsius until golden and crispy. The curry mayonnaise is emulsified from a large egg, mustard, yellow curry paste, crushed garlic, vinegar, neutral oil, salt, and pepper.

Assembly involves placing the fried fish inside the steamed bao, topped with pickled cucumber, curry mayonnaise, and fresh coriander leaves. Chef Spiegel encourages readers to try the recipe and share their results, with a chance to win a dinner for two at Lucena restaurant in Mevaseret, courtesy of Channel 7's food section.