Disney on My Mind

In our continuing countdown to our Disney trip, I decided to try the knockoff version of the Cheeseburger Pods from Satu'li Canteen. We've never actually tried these because our timing in that area of Animal Kingdom has always been off, but I've heard rave reviews about them, and they seemed like something we would like.

From the first I'll say, give yourself plenty of time on these, especially if you aren't experienced in making the bao buns. I was not, and while I didn't struggle to get things done, it was slow going. Generally, I followed this recipe! I didn't have enough pickles to meet the required amount, but I added what I had, and it was enough to bring in the pickle flavor.

Preparing the buns came next. I cut squares of parchment paper for each one, and then I used my Pampered Chef Baker's Roller to get them rolled out to the necessary size. After adding my filling, I worked my way around the little circle pinching the dough together. This went much better than I expected, especially since I had no experience. Some went better than others, but almost all of them stayed closed, which was a minor miracle.

For the steaming - I don't have a steamer so this got interesting! I ended up using my Dutch oven and 6 quart pan. I have Fiestaware dishes that can be used in higher heat, so I turned a serving dish upside down and put it in the bottom of each pan to elevate the food. The bottoms of the serving dishes didn't seem big enough to hold many of the pods, so I added a Fiestaware plate on top for little more surface area. Then I poured water around the bottom of the pan and brought it to a boil. Occasionally, the water at the bottom would disappear under the bowl, so I had to keep a careful eye on that. Then I added the pods (still on the parchment paper) to the plates and put the lids on. Frankly, the boiling water, serving dish, plate combo, made a terrible racket, but it did the trick!

I was stunned at how the steaming worked to change the texture of the biscuit dough. Although, it seems impossible, I think the flavor seemed a little different too. These were so good and so cute! Now, even if we don't get a chance to try these on our trip, at least we get the hype. I know they are a lot of work, but these would be fun to make with barbecued or pulled pork for a cool changeup. Maybe I'll give that a shot AFTER I buy a steamer.😅