Titus Chans Char Siu Bao Recipes

TITUS CHAN'S CHAR SIU BAO

Steps:

• To make dough: Dissolve sugar in warm water (water should be as hot as your finger can stand to touch). Add yeast. Let stand 10 minutes as yeast foams and rises.
• Sift flours together twice. Place in a large bowl. Add shortening, then slowly add the yeast mixture, incorporating it into the flour gradually. Form into a ball.
• Turn onto a floured surface and knead 5 to 7 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Add more flour or water if necessary. Place in a clean bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Let rise in a warm place for 2 to 4 hours, until at least doubled in bulk.
• To make filling: Heat vegetable oil in a wok. Add remaining ingredients, except the cornstarch slurry, and stir-fry until hot. Bring to a boil, then stir in slurry to thicken. Cool.
• To assemble bao: Remove warm dough from bowl and knead on a floured surface 5 to 7 minutes, adding more water if too dry, or more flour if too wet. Form into a long roll and divide into 24 equal portions. Lightly oil a Chinese knife or cleaver. Place a section of dough cut-side down on a flat surface and pound with the flat side of the knife. Then press down on the dough with the knife and turn the knife clockwise to form the dough into a thin circle, about three inches in diameter. Use the knife to lift the dough and place it in your hand.
• Place a heaping tablespoon of filling into the circle, gather up the edges and pinch closed in the center. Place on a square of paper. (Dough is easier to work with when warm. Beginners may wish to work with half the dough at a time, keeping the remainder in a warm place.).
• Let filled buns rise in a warm place 15 minutes.
• Oil steamer baskets and arrange buns 1/2-inch apart. Fill a wok 75 percent with water and bring water to a boil. Steam buns 15 minutes over high heat. If buns are in two stacked trays, switch the trays midway. Serve hot.

CHAR SIU BAO (PORK BUNS)

Steps:

• 1. Trim fat from the pork, and cut pork into strips.
• 2. Create a marinade using all ingredients except for the meat and vegetables. Thoroughly coat the pork in the marinade, and refrigerate in a sealed container for at least an hour.
• 3. Add yeast, sugar, and warm water to a mixing bowl. Allow to proof until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• 4. Using a mixer equipped with dough hooks, gradually blend the flour, cornstarch, and salt into the yeast mixture on low speed. Continue blending until mixture looks shaggy in appearance.
• 5. Knead dough by hand until there are no dry spots. Spray inside of mixing bowl with cooking spray and roll the dough to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest in a warm place until doubled in size, about an hour.
• 6. While the dough is rising, heat a pan to mediunm-high, and cook marinaded pork for a few minutes, reserving some of the marinade from the container. Pork will contunue to cook in remaining steps, so don't worry about doneness.
• 7. Add chopped vegetables and the rest of the marinade to the pan, and heat while stirring thoroughly.
• 8. Remove pork and vegetables from pan and allow to cool in refrigerator while preparing the dough.
• 9. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, and roll each into a ball. As you roll out each ball, cover the remaining dough to keep it from drying out.
• 10. Flatten one dough ball into a disc that's about 5 inches across. Add 1/8 of the pork and vegetable mixture to the middle of the disc. Pull up the edges of the disc in a fan-fold pattern as you close up the filling. Pinch together the dough to there are no openings.
• 11. If using a rice cooker, place a square of parchment paper to cover the holes. Arrange the pork buns, seam-side down, in the steamer so there's an inch of space between them. They will expand in the steamer, so this will avoid them sticking together.
• 12. Steam pork buns for 10 minutes, or until the dough seems to be set. Remove pork buns from steamer by inverting the steamer onto a plate: removing them individually can cause parts of the surface to break, since the dough will still be somewhat sticky. Repeat for remaining pork buns.
• 13. Refrigerate pork puns with a layer of parchment paper between them so they don't stick together.

VEGAN CHA SIU BAO

Steps:

• In a small bowl, dissolve cane sugar in warm water. Mix gently and add yeast. Allow mixture to rest for 10 minutes.
• In a larger bowl, knead together the flour and margarine until mixture resembles small beads. Add yeast mixture and mix gently with a spoon. On a floured cutting board, knead dough until it's smooth and pliable. Form into a ball and place back into a larger bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for about two hours.
• In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, heat vegetable oil. Add seitan, salt, and pepper, and pan-fry for about 3 minutes on each side. In a medium bowl, mix hoisin sauce, chili sauce, and sour cream. Add fried seitan and set aside.
• On a cutting board sprinkled with baking powder, divide dough into 12 flat rounds. In the center of each round, add a heaping tablespoon of the seitan mixture. Pull the sides of the rounds up to completely encase the seitan mixture and twist the dough to seal.
• Fill a large saucepan 1/4 of the way with water, place over high heat, and bring to a boil. In a metal colander over the pot seam buns for about 15 minutes.

CHAR SIU BAO (PORK BUNS)

Steps:

• To make meat:.
• Combine marinade. Marinate pork at least 3 hours, or overnight.
• Cooking methods:.
• a) place meat on a roasting pan with a rack -- with the pan below filled with water and roast at 350 F until done (turn over half way through) OR.
• b) cook in a crock pot with 3 cups of water for 1 hour on high and then 7 hours on low or until it flakes apart (this is the method I have used) OR.
• c) you could try grilling or broiling the meat, but it might lack some of the moisture that the other two methods will give you.
• To make filling:.
• Sauté ginger in hot peanut oil, stirring constantly, for about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and mix with hoisin, chili paste, green onions and meat. Let cool.
• To make dough:.
• Mix yeast, sugar and warm water; let proof (sit and rise) for about 10 minutes.
• Place flours and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, if available. (This can also be done by hand).
• Add yeast mixture. Knead until homogeneous and dough forms a ball.
• Let rise in a cool place to minimize air bubbles, about 15 minutes.
• Portion dough into 16 balls, flatten them, and place a small amount of filling into the center of each.
• Pinch back to close and form a ball shape.
• Place balls on lightly oiled piece of parchment or waxed paper (oiled plastic wrap would probably work too). Let proof 15 minutes, or until double in size.
• Place in a covered steamer, and cook for 8-10 minutes.
• Eat now or cool completely and freeze in ziplock bags (to reheat: steam 10 minutes).
• Enjoy the fruits of your labor!

CHA SIU BAO (SWEET BARBECUE PORK BUNS)

Steps:

• You can use my recipe for char siu (#34265) or make it with a mix- both powdered and liquid mixes are available at Asian food stores.
• I like the Noh brand, personally.
• Chop the char siu and mushrooms finely.
• Combine the water and cornstarch and stir into the char siu and mushrooms.
• Add salt, soy sauce, sesame oil, hoisin sauce, and sugar, and add enough food coloring to color the mixture a bright red.
• Heat the oil and lightly cook the garlic, then add the rest of the filling mixture and cook until thick.
• To make the bao dough, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the water and let stand for 5 minutes.
• Combine water with salt, milk and oil; stir in flour.
• Knead 5-10 minutes or until dough is smooth.
• Divide dough into 8 even balls.
• Press a cavity into each ball, and spread the ball into a 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick cup.
• Fill the cup with 1/8 of the filling mixture, and press the edges closed to seal the bao.
• Cut waxed paper in 4-5 inch squares and place each bao on a piece of paper, sealed side down.
• Place bao in a steamer basket, cover, and let rise for 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size.
• Bring the water under the steamer to a boil and steam bao for 10 minutes.