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Many will recognized this bun from the dim sum restaurants, filled with sweet red BBQ meat. The bun has many different variations as the Chinese migrated out and settled in different parts of the world. In the Vietnamese variation, pork still takes main stage but takes on a more savory flair. The addition of peas and carrots may have it's roots with the French colonization. I love the big fluffy pastry with a hint of sweetness in contrast to the earthy-savoriness of the shiitake mushroom in the filling.
I can imagine wives packing their husbands many little buns for lunch while they work in the rice paddies. They are easily eaten with one hand. The modern family can benefit from freezing these buns. You can individually wrap each bun and freeze them for up to 3 months. Just zap them in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute (depending on your equipment).
pastry:
4.5 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
3 tbsp oil
1.5 cup room temperature whole milk
filling:
1 lb ground pork or chicken
8-10 medium or 6-8 large shiitake mushroom diced
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp black pepper
1/3 cup frozen or canned peas
2 links Chinese sausage
3 or 6 eggs hard boiled eggs
Parchment paper cut into rounds or torn into squares
1/2 cup vinegar (optional)
Combine all the dry ingredients and mix well. Make a well in the middle and pour in the milk and oil. Incorporate the dry mixture and work the dough until it comes together. Pour the mixture out on a lightly floured surface and knead the dough until it come to a smooth texture. Shape into a ball and place it back into a bowl, cover, and place aside to rest for 1 hour.
Boil eggs until they are hard. Cut into 4's or 8's depending on how much egg you like in each bao. Reconstitute the shiitake mushroom if you are using the dried version in warm water. Dice the mushroom and onion in small pieces. The Chinese sausage can be cut into two ways:
1. slice thinly on the diagonal
2. dicing into small cubes
The traditional way is cut on the diagonal. I discovered that dicing them into cubes taste better to me. The smaller cut allows more Chinese sausage per bit and keeps the filling moist because of the fat content. If you like the taste of the sausage but not the fat, you can render the fat from the sausage first before adding it to the bao. Mix everything together for the filling, minus the eggs.
After the dough has rested, pour it out of a floured board and knead the dough some more. Half the dough and then roll it out into a log. You can cut anywhere between 8-12 pieces depending on how big you like your baos. You want to cover any pieces you aren't currently working on so it doesn't dry out. With the piece of dough in your hand, you want to roll it between your palms to make a ball shape. Flatten the ball and stretch the circular shaped dough by hand or with a rolling pin. You want to aim for a thick center and thinner edges because you will be gathering the edges together. Take a tablespoon of filling and place it in the center then top it off with a piece of hard boiled egg.
With the bao in your non-dominate hand, cup the edges of the dough upwards. With the dominate hand, pinch the dough, like you are closing a taco. Do the same on the opposite side, like you are making a hobo bag. You now should have 4 corners on the bao. Take the opposite pointy corners and pinch them together until you have a rounded pouch. Twist the top where all the edges meet and were pinched together. Place the finished bao on the parchment paper.
Heat up a steamer and add 1/2 cup of vinegar to the water when it starts to boil. Steam the buns for 20-25 minutes. When opening the steamer, please make sure that the lid isn't dripping water in the bao. Or you can place a towel under the lid while steaming to catch any evaporation.
I can imagine wives packing their husbands many little buns for lunch while they work in the rice paddies. They are easily eaten with one hand. The modern family can benefit from freezing these buns. You can individually wrap each bun and freeze them for up to 3 months. Just zap them in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute (depending on your equipment).
pastry:
4.5 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
3 tbsp oil
1.5 cup room temperature whole milk
filling:
1 lb ground pork or chicken
8-10 medium or 6-8 large shiitake mushroom diced
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp black pepper
1/3 cup frozen or canned peas
2 links Chinese sausage
3 or 6 eggs hard boiled eggs
Parchment paper cut into rounds or torn into squares
1/2 cup vinegar (optional)
Combine all the dry ingredients and mix well. Make a well in the middle and pour in the milk and oil. Incorporate the dry mixture and work the dough until it comes together. Pour the mixture out on a lightly floured surface and knead the dough until it come to a smooth texture. Shape into a ball and place it back into a bowl, cover, and place aside to rest for 1 hour.
Boil eggs until they are hard. Cut into 4's or 8's depending on how much egg you like in each bao. Reconstitute the shiitake mushroom if you are using the dried version in warm water. Dice the mushroom and onion in small pieces. The Chinese sausage can be cut into two ways:
1. slice thinly on the diagonal
2. dicing into small cubes
The traditional way is cut on the diagonal. I discovered that dicing them into cubes taste better to me. The smaller cut allows more Chinese sausage per bit and keeps the filling moist because of the fat content. If you like the taste of the sausage but not the fat, you can render the fat from the sausage first before adding it to the bao. Mix everything together for the filling, minus the eggs.
After the dough has rested, pour it out of a floured board and knead the dough some more. Half the dough and then roll it out into a log. You can cut anywhere between 8-12 pieces depending on how big you like your baos. You want to cover any pieces you aren't currently working on so it doesn't dry out. With the piece of dough in your hand, you want to roll it between your palms to make a ball shape. Flatten the ball and stretch the circular shaped dough by hand or with a rolling pin. You want to aim for a thick center and thinner edges because you will be gathering the edges together. Take a tablespoon of filling and place it in the center then top it off with a piece of hard boiled egg.
With the bao in your non-dominate hand, cup the edges of the dough upwards. With the dominate hand, pinch the dough, like you are closing a taco. Do the same on the opposite side, like you are making a hobo bag. You now should have 4 corners on the bao. Take the opposite pointy corners and pinch them together until you have a rounded pouch. Twist the top where all the edges meet and were pinched together. Place the finished bao on the parchment paper.
Heat up a steamer and add 1/2 cup of vinegar to the water when it starts to boil. Steam the buns for 20-25 minutes. When opening the steamer, please make sure that the lid isn't dripping water in the bao. Or you can place a towel under the lid while steaming to catch any evaporation.
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| I steam them anywhere |
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| Profile of deliciousness. |
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