Meat bao

I read up on how to make bao because I wanted to use up my last packet of yeast. That's when i discovered that many Asian cultures have their own version: pau in Cantonese, baozi in Mandarin, bahn bao in Vietnamese, nikuman in Japanese and jjinpang mandu in Korean.

I've wanted to make bao for the longest time but never bothered to buy the HK flour. Now I found out that all it is, is bleached flour. The only difference is that the baos come out yellowish rather than white. But if there's less processing involved, that's a good thing.

Hence, I chose different recipes to follow, because I wanted the right filling as each cuisine tastes different, and enough flour to match my yeast. This recipe is wonderful because the dough is a joy to work with, not sticky and hardly needs proofing time.

Adapted from:

Dough: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/steamed-pork-buns-char-siu-bao

Pork filling: http://en.christinesrecipes.com/2011/01/steamed-pork-buns.html

So here's my adaptation. 

Ingredients (makes 10 man sized buns)

Dough

1 pkt yeast (about 2.5 tsp or 7g)

1 cup warm water

3 tbsp sugar

3 ¼ cup flour

3 tbsp oil

¼ tsp salt

1 ¼ tsp baking powder

Filling

250g minced pork

250g minced beef

3 chopped spring onions (I omitted)

3 hard boiled eggs, sliced into quarters

2 tbsp light soya sauce

1 tsp grated ginger

1 tsp sugar

½ tsp chicken powder

1 tsp salt

5 tbsp water

Dash of pepper

Method

1) Put the yeast into the water with the sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes to activate.

2) In a big bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir with a wooden spoon and create a well in the centre. Pour in the yeasty mixture and the oil. Stir to combine using the spoon. U get a shaggy mixture. With your hands, knead till it is all combined and leaves the bowl. Remove the dough, oil the bowl and put back the dough. Cover with cling film and tea towel and proof in a warm place for 15 minutes.

3) Prepare the meat filling. Put in all the ingredients and using your hand or a chopstick, stir in 1 direction only until gluey. Form into 10 or 12 balls, and put in the fridge to rest.

4) Pour out the dough onto a very lightly floured surface. Be sparing with the flour. Knead for 10 minutes.

5) Cut into 10 (for man sized) or 12 (palm sized) buns. 

6) Put half in the fridge, covered, or else it starts proofing before you're done! Roll out into circles of 4" (small bao) to 5" (big bao) inches in diameter. 

7) Place the ball of meat in the centre and 1 quarter of egg on top. Seal by pleating, turning the top, and crimping. 

8) Leave to proof for 10 minutes. Prepare the parchment squares and bring a pot of water for the steamer to a boil. Wrap the cover in a towel because u don't want the condensation dripping on the surface and causing a pock mark. Then start on the next batch.

9) I could only fit 5 into my steamer without touching, because they still expand in the streamer. Leave enough space, about 3 finger widths, between them.

10) Ensure you have enough water in the pot. Steam the buns once the water is on a rolling boil. Steam on high for 5 minutes, then turn down to medium high for another 10 (big) or 5 (small) minutes.

11) Turn off the fire and rest for another 5 minutes. This helps the shape stabilize. 

12) Serve hot. Cool uneaten ones on a wire rack to avoid condensation forming at the bottom and causing soggy bottoms. Reheat in a microwave, on top of a wet kitchen towel.

Other variations

Dousha bao http://www.chinasichuanfood.com/homemade-red-bean-buns/