Salapow Steam Buns Dia Bao Or Dim Sum Recipes

SALAPOW, STEAM BUNS, DIA BAO, OR DIM SUM

Steps:

• Mix filling ingredients in a large bowl.
• Transfer to covered container and refrigerate while making the buns.
• Cut wax paper into 24 - 3" squares.
• Put bottom of water filled steamer over high heat and cover.
• Put 2 packages of mix in bowl and add sugar.
• Mix,.
• Add flour and oil, and mix with hands in bowl, adding any additional flour as needed to keep from being too sticky.
• Knead in bowl 10 minutes.
• Cover and let rest 10 minutes.
• Knead again for 5 minutes.
• Pinch off golf ball sized pieces of dough, and flatten into 4" rounds.
• Put generous spoonful of filling in center and pinch to close.
• Place on wax paper squares and put in steamer trays.
• Put trays on top of steamer bottom, adjust heat, cover, and steam for 15-20 minutes.
• Serve in individual steamer baskets (if you are so fortunate to have them) or on platter.

BAKED BAO WITH BLACK BEAN PASTE

Steps:

• In a small bowl or cup, combine 1/4 cup lukewarm water with the yeast. Let stand for five minutes, while you do the following step.
• In a large bowl, sift or stir together 2 cups of the flour, the salt and the sugar. Add the shortenning with a pastry blender or two knives, until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
• In a microwave safe bowl or in a small saucepan, combine milk and 1/3 cup water and heat until warm, but not hot. Add the yeast mixture.
• Add milk and yeast mixture to the dry ingrediants in the large bowl, mixing well. Add the remaining flour, little by little, until mixture forms a shaggy dough. You may not need the full amount of flour.
• Using an electric mixer with dough hooks, mix the dough until it is smooth and elastic, adding more flour if necessary. (If you prefer, you can knead the dough by hand on a well floured surface - it takes 5-10 minutes).
• Grease a large clean bowl with a bit of oil, butter or shortenning, and transfer the dough to this bowl, turning it so that the grease coats the dough. Cover with a towel, or with plastic wrap, and leave dough to rise in a warm place for two hours.
• Punch down the dough, and transfer it to a well-floured surface. Using your hands or a rolling pin, flatten dough to just over a 1/2 inch thickness. Using a knife, divide dough into pieces roughly 2 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches - the exact shape is not particularly important.
• On the floured surface or in the palm of your hand, flatten the dough slightly around the edges. Place a rounded teaspoon of black bean paste in the center, then gather up the edges of the dough and pinch them firmly together, making certain that the filling is sealed inches.
• Place the bun on a baking sheet that is well greased or lined with parchment paper, pinched side down. Repeat for remaining pieces of dough. Place buns about 2 inches apart, to give them room to rise. Cover them with a clean towel and let rise for half an hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• With a pastry brush, or your fingers, brush the tops of the buns with the beaten egg.
• Put buns in preheated oven and bake 20-25 minutes, until buns are golden brown. The bread should look airy and cooked if a bun is torn open.
• If you want to mark the tops of the buns with a red dot, mix the red food colouring and 2 tsp water in a small bowl and use the end of a chop stick to put a drop of the red water on the top of each hot bun.
• Transfer the buns to a wire rack and let cool a little. Buns can be served warm, refrigerated and reheated (either for 10 seconds in the microwave or a few minutes in the oven) or frozen for later.

CRAB "SOUP DUMPLINGS" (DIM SUM)

Steps:

• Hours or a day before making the dumplings, cook the agar-agar in the chicken broth until completely dissolved. Pour into a shallow dish. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours until it gels.
• Mix all the filling ingredients.
• Dice the gelled agar-agar/broth into small pieces and mix with the filling ingredients.
• Refrigerate this mixture.
• To make the wrappers:.
• Mix flour and egg.
• Add water a little at a time until a soft but not sticky dough is formed.
• Knead until dough is smooth and elastic.
• Roll the dough into a long sausage, 1 inch in diameter.
• Cut the dough into walnut-sized pices, then roll them into round balls; cover the balls with a damp towel.
• You are now going to make crescent-shaped dumplings.
• Dust your work surface with a little flour.
• Roll a piece of dough into a paper-thin circle.
• Put about a tablespoon of filling (now including the gelled broth) in the center of the circle.
• Fold the circle in half to look like a half-moon.
• Pleat the top curved edge.
• Pinch the pleated edge and the unpleated edge together to seal.
• Gently tap the crescent's round bottom so that it can stand up.
• Place the crescent-shaped dumpling between towels.
• Make the remaining crescents in the same way.
• Place a layer of cheesecloth in the bottom of a steamer.
• Arrange the crescent dumplings on the cloth.
• Cover and steam over high heat for 10 minutes.
• Serve hot with ginger-vinegar-soy dip.
• To make the dip:.
• Mix all dip ingredients in a serving bowl, cover, and allow to stand at room temperature for at least 10 minutes before serving; it should keep for hours at room temperature.