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Tash

CHAR SIEW BAO

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Hi girls,

I am wondering whether any of you have got tried and tested recipes for char siew bao? My HB is craving for it, and I'd love to make some for him. I DID look up the Net for recipes, and there are just SO many recipes out there, so many variations to it, and some with not so good reviews.

If possible, I'd like a recipe for the steamed version, but if you have the recipe for a baked one, thats okay too. Actually, the filling doesnt seem too hard to make.

Its just the bun. I think its hard to make the fluffy type of white buns, most of the recipes I've seen (with pictures) result in doughy, tough kinda buns.

If you have mums/grandmums/MILs who can make this, I'd be so so grateful if you can share the recipe.

For those who dont know me, I'm not in Malaysia, and thus, cannot run out and tapau some char siew bao. :(

Many many thanks for your input.

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tash, not sure about char siew filling. i normally just make steamed kosong pao, sweet potato pao or coconut pao. if u're interested in the dough, i think should be the same recipe. i used agak-agak method. basically, half a pack of flour (if u prefer wholemeal, mix 50% wholemeal & 50% white flour, needs white flour to be fluffy) & 1 teaspoon instant yeast + honey water or sweet potato juice (i normally mix this 5 mins beforehand to make sure the yeast is active)

Mix everything together & knead with room temperature water until the dough doesn't stick to your hands. then add a little bit more water so the dough is slightly damp & slightly sticky, leave it aside to rise in a warm place. best to make in the afternoon so the dough rises faster. it takes about 1-2 hours in msian weather.

Once u see the dough is doubled in size, punch down, knead a few times into a huge ball then pinch the quantity u want & shape into pao shape & put yr filling. Place each pao onto a square piece of baking paper. Leave aside to rise again until u see it doesn't have wrinkles (normally about 20mins) then steam. normally just 10-15 mins steaming depending on the size of yr pao.

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Thank you so much Happi! Do you mind giving specifics? How many ml of water, flour etc? :P

Mabel, I await with bated breath!

I neeeeeed char siew bao! :lol:

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u're welcome tash. sorry ya, not sure what's the ml for water... i just agak-agak & make coz i know the texture i expect. if u're used to making bread dough, its the same method. normally knead around 20+ mins so the gluten will form, if u find cannot knead easily, then add water bit-by-bit. u should have a round, slightly sticky dough after 20-30 mins of kneading.

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Okies...for steamed pau...this is a recipe from Amy Beh...

Pau dough

20gm fresh yeast or 10gm instant yeast

2 tbsp lukewarm water

1 tsp sugar

500gms Water Lily flour (Hong Kong flour)

4 tsp double action baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Syrup, mix:

250ml tepid water

6 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp corn oil

Crumble fresh yeast into lukewarm water together with sugar and sprinkle a little flour over the mixture to active it. Allow to stand for 15 minutes before using.

If instant yeast is used, mix it with the sifted flour together with the baking powder and salt.

Sift flour and double action baking powder into a large mixing bowl and stir in the salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the yeast mixture and mix lightly. Pour in the sugar syrup and cover with the flour. Mix well.

Add corn oil and blend well until combine into a dough. Knead dough well until soft and smooth before leaving aside covered for 1 to 1.5 hours or until it doubles in bulk.

Punch down and remove dough onto a lightly floured table top. Shape into a long roll and cut into even pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and flatten before wrapping it with the filling. Pleat edges to seal and place on a round greaseproof paper. Leave to rise for 15 minutes. Steam pau over boiling water for 12 to 15 minutes.

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BBQ Meat Filling

700gms of pork meat cut into long strips following the grain

Seasoning

7 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp soy sauce

2 cloves garlic, finely diced

1 tsp Chinese rose wine (optional)

Combine

1 tsp honey

1 tsp thick soy sauce

Pinch of red colouring (optional)

Combine seasoning in a mixing bowl and add the meat before mixing thoroughly with your fingers until the meat is well coated and sticky. The meat should then sit in the fridge for 6 to 8 hours.

Just before roasting, brush the meat with the honey and soy sauce mixture. Put the strips of meat on the wire rack and roast for 10 minutes at 200 C. Turn the meat and roast for another 10 minutes. Reduce the heat slightly and cook until well-done. Baste the meat from time to time whil e roasting.

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BG, don't worry. very easy to make the pao dough, if u want easier ask yr HB to knead! heheh... sometimes i ask HB to knead also coz he's stronger can mix the dough faster. if u've made bread dough before, its the same method.

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Tepid - The temperature of mixture of two parts of cold water to one part of boiling water, about 80°F.

Lukewarm - At a temperature of about 95°F. Lukewarm food will feel neither warm nor cold when sprinkled on or held to the inside of the wrist.

In English, they mean the same actually, but cooking wise, slightly different. XD

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TQ sooo much Mabel! :) Have you tried this recipe before?

Alamak, they require Hong Kong flour, bet I can't find it here. I wonder whether plain flour can be used. I'm sure it wont be nice and fluffy.

Many other char siew recipes that I found on the net requires Hoisin sauce which I do not have, I'd love to try this one out.

Also, do you have any idea which cut of meat is best for this? Belly perhaps?

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Happi,

Wow. You must be quite the seasoned cook/baker, since you can agak agak like that, and make bread and all that. *Salute*

I'm gonna get arms like a wrestler once I start kneading :lol: The thing about kneading and "playing with flour" is this; when you have a tiny kitchen, it makes things so much messier and harder coz you don't have a dedicated space to work with. Nevertheless, I'll try and make do, perhaps use the dining table too. Phew, I can already imagine the mess that I will make! <_<

----------

BG, perhaps you can surprise your HB by making it all from scratch yourself! :D

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I'd use lean pork - healthier. :)

Actually, you don't have to follow the recipe to the T...you can add some variation. I have yet to try this but here's what I found out from the Kuali site...

Hong Kong Flour

Hong Kong flour is an all-purpose flour that is highly bleached. Pau that is made with Hong Kong flour will turn out whiter than those made with normal flour. Hong Kong flour is most suitable for making steamed pau. It is available at specialist cake shops or in large supermarkets

So you can use all purpose flour in replacement. It's just whether you want your pau to be super white or not.

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yup, meiteoh is rite. u can use plain flour to make the paos. the HK pao flour will just be super-bleached & super-white, not very healthy. if making at home, just use healthier alternatives.

no la tash.. just so happened tried making pao's & bread so once u make it a few times u'll know what texture to expect. my 1st bread attempt was rock-like! don't worry, u'll get the hang of it soon. homemade tastes a lot better & its guilt-free eating coz u know what's inside! :)

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Mabel,

haha tepid water, I tot is some special water :P ok .. got it :)

Tash,

from scratch ah? mmm .. if I do it at HB's place is no surprise liau, unless I do it at my parents' place. mmm .. let see how, but I really wish to try.

I had hongkong flour at home, don't mind to use it. mmm .. using hongkong flour not healthy ah??

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normally when the dough rises it looks big & fluffy. just make yr hand in the shape of a fist, box the dough! heheh... it'll collapse. then knead a bit into a round blob then pinch the dough off the huge blob & shape as u like. :) u'll need to dust yr hands with flour before u do this, the dough will be very sticky.

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Mabel, does Amy Beh's cookbook specify how many paus the said recipe will yield?

Since it will be rather tedious, I would want to make more of it in one go. Thanks!

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No leh...I think it varies from person to person. I wouldn't suggest making a lot the first time you try a new recipe unless you trust your skills. It's a bit risky because if the recipe doesn't turn out to your liking, you might end up wasting it.

Anyway, here is a tip if you want to cut down on the tedious bit. Prepare the meat beforehand and freeze it. That way, whenever you want to make paus, you just take it out the night before and the next day, it's ready... Alternatively, you can bake the meat in large quantities and freeze to use another time. That's what I do with my potsticker fillings.

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I think I will make more char siew filling than the pau dough first, coz the char siew can be eaten with other stuff, and I suspect it will "disappear" rather quickly. :rolleyes:

Actually, I memang planned to do it that way, freeze and use.

So far, the stuff I've whipped up have been succesful, maybe thats why I was getting rather adventurous with quantities :P

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