Char Siu Pau

Top left: proving the dough, top right: after steamed bun

bottom left: voila!  bottom right: my lil' monster made his 'nipple bun'..lol

I made it!

Just something non-crafty that I made today. They are 'char siu pau' or bbq pork buns which normally available in most of the Chinese restaurant dim sum and at our local coffee-shop.

I made them following Wendy's recipe which is quite similar to Hainanese pau-making method. The difference between the dim sum bun and this is the texture of the bun. Growing up in a Hainanese family whereby my late father used to make them using the traditional baking yeast, I can immediately tell the difference when I eat them. Dim sum bun (which use baking powder as the raising agent) texture is almost like the muffin texture, 'fluffy and powdery' and it will hardened when left in the cold for long.

For the filling, I did not follow through Wendy's step. Instead of boiling the pork, I straight away diced it and marinated overnight with the sauce. I added 1 tbsp of hoisin sauce and 1/4 tsp of sesame oil. Simply heat up a wok with 1/2 tbsp of oil and cook the diced pork for about 5 minutes before adding 1/2 cup of water+1tbsp cornstarch, covered and simmered for another 7 minutes until the gravy dried.

Recipe (yield 12)
Bun
300gm pau flour (or highly bleached flour, 8-10% protein )
60gm sugar
1/4 tsp fine salt
30gm shortening

150ml lukewarm water
2 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp sugar
(premix all these until bubble arise)

Filling (marinate overnight in the freezer)
600gm pork belly without skin (cut into small bite pieces)
3 tbsp sugar (I use brown sugar)
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 1/2 tbsp mei kwai lu chiu (Rose wine)
1/2 tsp fine salt
(I also added this)
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1/4 tsp sesame oil (added during cooking)

1/2 cup water
1 tbsp cornstarch
(for thickening and drying the sauce during cooking)

Follow Wendy's instruction here.

I like the bun. The pork taste just nice especially with the aroma of rose wine. The bun is very filling. Lil's monster immediately ate 2 pieces, gave me a thumb up and asked me to make again the next day.

Have these for dinner too and for tomorrow breakfast and tea-time.

For further reference about flour:

1. http://everybodyeatswell.blogspot.com/2013/05/different-types-of-flours-for-chinese.html
2. http://www.craftybaking.com/learn/ingredients/flour-and-grains/wheat-flour?baking911=true
3. http://www.joyofbaking.com/flour.html