45mDragon Ball
Dragon Ball Festival Takoyaki
Comfort Food Mains · Medium
Dragon Ball Juicy Steamed Buns (DBZ: Kakarot)
- Prep
- 2h 30m
- Cook
- 18m
- Total
- 2h 48m
- Serves
- 10
- Difficulty
- Medium
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot treats food as stat fuel — and Juicy Steamed Buns are an early one-star win on the cooking list. The in-game recipe calls for beast meat and onion; nothing else is spelled out on the item card.
We match the game’s beast-meat idea with ground beef plus ground lamb (all beef works), onion, and rehydrated shiitake. The dough uses a modest 45 g cornstarch and only 1 tbsp oil so the wrappers stay elastic enough to pleat — not the heavy oil load some fan bao recipes use.
Timing is honest: about 45 minutes of active work, plus a 2-hour passive first rise and a 20-minute second proof after shaping. Steaming takes 18 minutes. One serving on this page is one bun (~265 kcal in our nutrition estimate).
Ingredients
Recipe ingredients
- 1 tbsp
- 2 tbsp
- 3 dried caps
Pantry staples
Salt, oil, butter, and other basics you likely already have — scaled with servings above.
- Active dry yeast1½ tsp
- Water · warm, for dough¾ cup (180 ml)
- Neutral oil · dough1 tbsp (15 ml)
- All-purpose flour · dough2¼ cups (280 g)
- Cornstarch · dough plus filling binder45 g + 1 tbsp
- Baking powder · dough2 tsp
- Granulated sugar · ¼ cup dough, 2 tsp filling¼ cup + 2 tsp
- Kosher salt · 2 tsp dough, 1 tsp filling2 tsp + 1 tsp
- Ground beef · beast meat stand-in¾ lb (340 g)
- Ground lamb · optional; use all beef if unavailable½ lb (225 g)
- Yellow onion · finely chopped½ medium
- Scallions (green onions) · finely chopped4
- Fresh ginger · finely minced2-inch piece
- Garlic · minced2 cloves
- Sesame oil · filling1 tsp
- Fish sauce · filling1 tsp
- Chinese five-spice powder · filling1 tsp
- Black pepper · filling2 tsp
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Instructions
- 1
Yeast sponge
Stir 1½ tsp active dry yeast into ¾ cup (180 ml) warm water with 1 tbsp (15 ml) neutral oil. Rest 5 minutes until the yeast looks active and foamy.
- 2
Dry dough mix
Whisk 2¼ cups (280 g) all-purpose flour, 45 g cornstarch, 2 tsp baking powder, ¼ cup granulated sugar, and 2 tsp kosher salt in a large bowl.
- 3
Knead and first rise
Pour the yeast mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until a shaggy dough forms. Knead on a lightly floured surface about 3 minutes until smooth. Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover, and rise until doubled — about 2 hours at room temperature (passive time).
- 4
Soak the shiitake mushrooms
Cover 3 shiitake mushroom caps with hot soak liquid and rest 20 minutes until soft. Squeeze out liquid, discard tough stems, and finely chop the caps.
- 5
Mix and portion the filling
In a large bowl gently combine ¾ lb (340 g) ground beef, ½ lb (225 g) ground lamb (all beef if lamb is unavailable), ½ finely chopped onion, 4 finely chopped scallions, the chopped shiitake mushrooms, 2 inches fresh ginger minced fine, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 tbsp Japanese dark soy sauce, 2 tbsp cooking sake (dry sherry works), 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp fish sauce, 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder, 2 tsp granulated sugar, 1 tsp kosher salt, 2 tsp black pepper, and 1 tbsp cornstarch. Mix until just combined — do not overwork. Divide into 10 equal portions (~65–70 g each) and roll each into a loose ball.
- 6
Divide the dough
Punch down the risen dough (~570 g total) and roll into a log. Cut into 10 equal pieces (~55–60 g each) and roll each into a ball.
- 7
Fill and pleat
Roll one dough ball into a 6-inch circle — keep the center slightly thicker than the edge. Place one filling ball in the middle, pleat and twist to seal, and set seam-side up on a small parchment square. Repeat for all 10 buns.
- 8
Second proof
Cover the shaped buns and rest at room temperature 20 minutes so the gluten relaxes and the buns puff evenly — do not skip this step before steaming.
- 9
Steam 18 minutes
Bring a pot fitted with a steamer basket to a rolling boil. Arrange buns on parchment at least 1 inch apart — they must not touch. Cover and steam 18 minutes over actively boiling water. Turn off heat, rest lid-on 2 minutes, then serve hot.
Pro tips
Weigh or scale: you should get ~570 g dough (10 pâtons ~55–60 g) and ~680 g filling — divide each into 10 equal portions (~65–70 g filling balls) so every bun seals cleanly. Mix filling until just combined. After pleating, rest buns 20 minutes before steam — skipping this second proof collapses the crumb. Roll wrappers about 6 inches wide with a thicker center. Steam 18 minutes over a full boil without opening the lid.
Storage & leftovers
Best eaten the day they are steamed. Refrigerate up to 2 days and re-steam 5–6 minutes. Freeze cooked buns up to 1 month; steam from frozen 12–15 minutes.
What to serve with
Chili crisp or black vinegar dip on the side. Pair with Dragon Ball takoyaki for a Kakarot watch-night spread.
Equipment
All kitchen equipment guidesFAQ
The game item only says beast meat and onion. Fan recipes often use a beef and lamb mix for a slightly gamey flavor; ground beef alone is fine if that is what you have on hand.
