STEAMED MEAT PAUS [SANG YOKE PAUS]

This is another Sang Yoke Pau which I made using Agnes Chang’s recipe for the filling. While mixing the ingredients you can smell the fragrance of it. It is also very easy to prepare. Just combine all the ingredients and chill until required. The filling is not pre-cooked before use. I believe this is why the name is Sang Yoke Pau [meaning uncooked meat paus].

Anyway, the filling is fragrant and the pau skin is soft, moist and chewy.  Nice.

Recipe adapted from Agnes’s book – Let’s Eat [slightly modified]

Ingredients For Filling

300 gm pork or chicken – coarsely minced [I used 50/50 of both meat]

100 gm water chestnuts or sengkuang [I used sengkuang]

2 shallots – peeled and grated

½ inch ginger – skinned and grated

1 stalk spring onions – diced

3 tbsp water

Seasoning

2 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tsp wine

1 tsp each of sugar and sesame oil

½ tsp of salt and msg

¼ tsp pepper

1 tbsp cornflour

1. Combine all the ingredients and add in the seasoning. Mix well until it becomes a sticky paste and the water well absorbed. Chill in the fridge for 3-4 hours before using.
2. For the pau skin, I used the Starter Dough Method recipe from my earlier post because this is a good pau skin recipe.
   

Ingredients for Pau Skin - starter dough method 
Recipe Source - No Frills Recipes
[makes 20 paus]

2 1/2 tsp instant yeast
120 ml lukewarm water [original uses 100 ml]
130 gm pau flour - sifted

• Mix ingredients together into a soft and rough dough.  Cover and leave to rest for 15 minutes.

370 gm pau flour - sifted
100 gm caster sugar [original uses 125 gm]
120-130 ml water  [original uses 100-115 ml]

2 tsp double action baking powder [original uses 2 1/8 tsp]
5 tsp shortening

Using a Dough Mixer or Hand Knead

1. Combine all the ingredients [except shortening] with the yeast dough in a mixing bowl.  Knead until well combined [about 5-10 minutes].  Then add in the shortening, continue to knead until soft, smooth and elastic.   I find the dough texture is quite similar to that of my tortoise buns [Mi Koo].
2. Shape into a ball and cover to rest for about 30 minutes [original is for 1-1 1/2 hours] or until double in size.   
3. Punch down dough and remove dough to a floured surface.
4. Divide into 20 equal portions [about 45-50 gm] and roll into balls.  
5. Flatten each ball, then roll into flat circle.
6. Wrap filling with each flatten dough.  Gather the edges and shape into pleated paus or round balls.  Place on parchment or greased proof  paper in the steaming tray.
7. Leave to prove for 45 minutes from the time you finished shaping the last pau or until double in size.  
8. Steam over high heat for 10-12 minutes in a steamer.  Off heat and leave paus for a further 2-3 minutes before uncovering and remove to cool on wire rack. 
   
   
   
   
   
   

This post is also linked to the Best Recipes for Everyone August 2015 Event (Theme: Dim Sum) organised by Fion （XuanHom's Mum Kitchen Diary) and hosted by May (厨苑食谱 @ mayck-law.blogspot.com

I'm submitting this post to Cook Your Books Event #26 [August 2015] hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours

Read More

HOME-MADE CHAR SIEW AND CHAR SIEW PAUS

This is a long post which has 3 parts. 

Part One is on making your own Char Siew. I followed Wendy's 'No bake Char Siew' recipe using her latest method. Very easy. The char siew is good. I used only 450 gm pork belly with the exact portion of seasoning from Wendy’s recipe. You can make a bigger portion to serve with rice and also for making paus.

Part Two is to prepare the Char Siew filling for making Char Siew Pau. I followed Agnes Chang’s recipe [slightly modified] with Char Siew made in Part One. The filling turns out good, very tasty yet not too sweet or salty. It is nice.

Part Three is to make the Char Siew Paus. I followed the recipe from Coco Kong’s book on Paus with slight modifications to the ingredients [reduced sugar and increased water quantity] and method.

Verdict – the pau skin is soft, moist and chewy, the char siew filling is moist, fragrant and tasty. What more do you expect from home-made paus? It is awesome minus the extra sweetness of store-bought paus. Do give this a try and discover the possibility of making good home-made paus.  You may like it.

Part One – Char Siew Ingredients

450 gm pork belly strip – skin removed [about 2 cm thickness]

2 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tbsp Chinese Rose wine [Mei Kwee Lor] 

½ tsp salt 

Enough water to cover meat pieces

3 tbsp sugar [I used brown sugar]

1. Place pork belly strips in a non-stick pan. Add in light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, salt, wine and enough water to cover the meat.
2. Bring to boil then lower heat. Cover and simmer for about 20-30 minutes. Flip over the meat to cook the other side for another 20-30 minutes or until the pork fat part is softened.
3. Turn to high heat, add sugar and let it braise until the gravy is reduced to almost thick. Keep stirring when gravy is bubbly to prevent burning. Off the heat.
4. Let the meat to cool in the wok with the gravy before slicing.
   

Part Two – Char Siew Filling for Steamed Char Siew Paus

350 gm home-made char siew [from Part One] – chopped

1 big onion or 3 shallots – peeled and chopped finely

100 ml water

1 tbsp cornflour, 1 tbsp tapioca flour and ½ tbsp plain flour [combined]

3 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

2-3 stalks spring onions – chopped

Seasoning

1 tbsp each of light soy sauce and oyster sauce

½ tbsp dark soy sauce

3 tbsp sugar [I used brown sugar]

1. Add onions into char siew sauce from Part One. Stir fry until aromatic. Add in the char siew, seasoning and water. Bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Sprinkle in the combined flour over char siew mixture, stir to mix until almost thick.
3. Off heat, leave to cool before adding toasted sesame seeds and chopped spring onions.
4. Chill in fridge until required.
   
   

Part Three – Making Char Siew Paus

Ingredients for Pau Skin

[total weight – 700 gm, makes 35 gm x 20 dough]

300 gm pau flour

100 gm wheat starch or tang mian flour

50 gm icing sugar

1 tsp double action baking powder

2 tsp instant yeast or 10 gm

30 gm shortening

20 paper liners

1. Combine both flours, sugar, baking powder and yeast in the mixing bowl of an electric mixer fixed with a dough hook. Add water gradually as you knead the dough.
2. Knead until a soft dough is formed. Add in the shortening and continue to knead till dough is soft, smooth and pliable. Shape into a round ball.
3. Divide dough into 4 equal portions [175 gm each]. Roll into a log and divide into 5 equal portions [about 35 gm].
4. Shape into balls, then flatten each ball with you palm.
5. Press the edges of the dough to thin it before wrapping the filling. Gather the edges and pleat it into a pleated pau or shape into a round ball.
6. Place on paper liner and arrange it in a steaming tray. Finish wrapping the rest of the dough and filling.
7. Set aside to proof for about 40-45 minutes from the time you make the last pau.
8. Prepare steamer and steam over rapidly boiling water for 10-12 minutes. If using a normal steamer, bring water to boil first before steaming.
9. Remove, serve immediately or cool on wire rack.

This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs Up August 2015 [Brown Sugar and Molasses]  organised by Doreen from My Little Favourite DIY and Zoe, Bake for Happy Kids hosted by Jess of Bakericious

I'm submitting this post to Cook Your Books Event #26 [August 2015] hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours

This post is also linked to the Best Recipes for Everyone August 2015 Event (Theme: Dim Sum) organised by Fion （XuanHom's Mum Kitchen Diary) and hosted by May (厨苑食谱 @ mayck-law.blogspot.com

Read More

STEAMED PORK AND VEGETABLE BAOS - CHINESE 菜肉包子

Honestly, I'm never tired of paus especially the home-made ones cos' I can choose the fillings that I like.  Given a choice, I'll go for savoury fillings but sweet ones are also good, too.  With sweet ones, I have to exercise some 'control' lest I eat too many of it. 

Anyway, this one is with savoury filling.  It's an easy to prepare pau filling with meat and vegetables.  The recipe is from this cookbook [孟老师的中式面食] which I saw from Happy Home Baking.  I managed to make 14 paus from this dough which weighs about 450 gm.  Only used half of the filling.  I think the filling is enough for 2 portions of the dough recipe.

Verdict - dough is pliable, soft and smooth, easy to handle.  The pleats stay even after proofing and steaming.  These paus are soft and light and the filling is fragrant with crunchy cabbage.

Ingredients for the Filling
[makes 14]
200 gm minced pork [with some fats]

1/2 tsp salt

3 tbsp juice/water squeezed from cabbage*

1 tbsp light soya sauce

1 tsp grated ginger

1 tsp caster sugar

1/2 tsp white pepper

2 tbsp sesame oil

200 gm cabbage

3 stalks spring onions - finely chopped

1. Wash cabbage, chop finely, squeeze out the water [with hand]. Reserve 3 tablespoons of the water*. Mix in 1 tablespoon of sesame oil to the cabbage and set aside.
2. Place minced meat in a small mixing bowl. Add salt and add in a little water [squeezed from the cabbage]. Use a pair of chopsticks to stir constantly in the same direction till the water is fully absorbed. Continue to add in the remaining water, a little at a time, stirring with the chopsticks in the same direction. With each addition, make sure water is fully absorbed before adding more water.
3. Add in soya sauce, stir with chopsticks in the same direction, mix well.
4. Add in grated ginger, sugar, pepper, stir with chopsticks in the same direction, mix well.
5. Add in remaining 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, stir with chopsticks in the same direction, mix well. 
6. Add in finely chopped spring onions and cabbage.  Mix well. Leave to chill in fridge for 1 hour.  You can prepare the filling earlier and refrigerate until required.

Ingredients for the Dough
[ dough weighs 450 gm - makes 14 x 30 gm]
250 gm plain flour [I used pau flour]
3 gm instant dry yeast [about 3/4 tsp]
30 gm caster sugar
150 ml water

1 tsp shortening or oil

1. Place all the dough ingredients [except shortening] in a mixing bowl. Knead to form a rough dough. 
2. Add in shortening and knead till smooth. Cover dough with a damp cloth and let it rest for 5 minutes.
3. Divide dough into 14 equal portions.  Shape each into a ball then flatten to form small discs.
4. Wrap the dough with filling [about 1 tbsp]. Place pau  on paper cup cases.  Proof for 40 minutes or double in size.
5. Place paus in a steamer and space them apart so that they do not touch one another. 
6. Steam over boiling water at high heat for 12 minutes.
7. Turn off the heat and leave the lid slightly open for 3 minutes before removing the whole lid. Serve warm. 
   
   
   

Notes:
Keep any leftovers in fridge [store in airtight containers] and re-steam till hot before serving.

Read More