This family recipe is definitely one of my kid's favorites - Cha Sui Bao (steamed bread buns filled with BBQ pork filling). Whenever we go to dim sum at a Chinese restaurant, we order this delicious steamed bun. It may seem strange to steam bread, but this is how the Chinese have always eaten it. You can also use the same recipe to bake the buns instead, you will usually find these in Chinese bakeries. The girls reheat them in the microwave for 1 minute and eat them on the way to school.
My mum made her dough with just flour and baking powder, which was the recipe her mother used - yeast was probably not as available in Guyana as it is now. She also added a dried black fungus to the pork which gave the filling an usual texture. I am a traditionalist and have spent the last year trying to find the perfect recipe. The dough has always been a mystery to me. The restaurant bao is so white and fluffy, but I've come to the conclusion that they probably use a special flour - so I've given up trying to replicate it. For a long time I used just yeast with the flour, but then I discovering that adding a small amount of baking powder seems to stabilise the dough and prevents it from deflating after steaming.
I roasted a small piece of pork shoulder the other night for dinner. I rubbed the meat with a BBQ spice rub, which I also use for my baby back rib recipe. I'll give you that recipe another time. I used some of the leftover meat for the filling, adding a mix of soy and oyster sauce. I tend not to add extra sugar to the filling, as the dough is quite sweet already. If you don't have any pork, then it's fine to use chicken instead.
The only special equipment needed for this recipe is a steamer and rolling pin.
Cha Siu Bao
Ingredients:
Dough:
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) instant yeast
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon canola oil
Filling:
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 lb cooked pork, diced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Prepare the dough: Heat the milk to about 100 degrees F, as hot as your finger can stand to touch.
- Dissolve the 1 teaspoon sugar and yeast in the milk and leave for 5 - 10 minutes. Bubbles should appear on the surface.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
- Add the yeast mixture and oil and mix until it forms a ball.
- Knead the dough for 8 - 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Shape the dough into a ball and place in a large, clean, greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- While the dough is rising, prepare the filling:
- Heat the oil in a medium pan and add the meat, soy sauce and oyster sauce. When the meat is hot, add the cornflour/water slurry and bring to the boil. The mixture should have thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste. Put aside to cool.
- Make the buns: Divide the dough into 12 (large) - 16 (medium) balls.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll a ball of dough into a 3 inch circle. Place 1 - 2 tablespoons filling in the middle and gather up the edges and pinch to seal in the center.
- Repeat with remaining dough. Place filled buns on greased baking sheet, or on small squares of parchment paper and leave to rise for another 10 to 15 minutes.
The cooked bao can be cooled and then frozen in a ziplock bag. To reheat one bao from frozen, place on kitchen paper and heat on high for 1 minute in the microwave. Enjoy!
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