Way back at IMBB 6: Grillers and Barbecuers Delight, I admired Deb's Char Siew Bao. Over a year later I've finally managed to get round to making some of my own, my only problem was that I've never actually tasted the real thing.... So, I'm unable to tell you all if these are as good as the real thing.
I opted to go the whole nine yards and make my own Char Siew--exactly how many spellings are there for this? I think I ran across at least four--as we've recently moved house, and I haven't managed to scope out a good Chinese takeaway yet. It was definitely worth the effort but to minimise the time I spend hanging around the oven in the future, I think I'd make a couple of kilos of Char Siew at a time. As much as I love cooking, I resent having to spent an hour chained to the oven basting religiously. Far better to do it in one large batch.
My bun dough recipe is adapted from several recipes found on the internet. A lot of people complained that their dough turned out dry, so I opted to use full-fat milk and real butter to add moisture. It worked beautifully. The crumb was fine, fluffy and deliciously moist. The amount of sugar used in the dough is quite frightening, especially for what is supposed to be a savoury snack, but I promise you the whole thing works.
All in all, I'm really proud of these bao. I have no idea how they match up to the real thing, but I know that they're incredibly addictive. I'm having real difficulty stopping myself from gobbling up the last two--I've even come up with all sorts of plausible excuses to give to Dave, as I promised to save them for him! The sweet, fluffy dough is a perfect compliment to the intense sweet, salty, savoury of the pork filling. Every bite is a delight and as soon as the last crumb is gone, you'll be plotting another batch.
I wish I could eat bao every day....
Char Siew Bao
Makes 12.
Char Siew
3T dark soy sauce
3T light soy sauce
1/2c runny honey
1/2t salt
3T oyster sauce
2T shaoxing wine
3T hoisin sauce
1t five-spice powder
1/2t ground white pepper
1-2 lbs pork tenderloin, loin, or belly cut into strips approx. 2" thick and 8" long. (I only used 1lb, but the marinade will easily take 2lb of meat.)
Stir all ingredients together in a deep bowl until honey dissolves.
Poke the pork all over with a skewer and place in the marinade. Turn until well coated. Cover and refridgerate for 24 hours.
Preheat oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4. Set a wire rack over a deep baking tin filled with about an inch of hot water. Place the meat onto the rack, well spaced out. Baste generously and roast for 15 minutes.
Baste the meat once more and roast for another 20 minutes. Baste once more then turn the meat over. Baste generously and roast for another 20 minutes, basting 2-3 times during this period.
Turn the oven up to 200C/Gas Mark 6. Baste the meat one last time. Roast for 15 minutes until the meat is mahogany-coloured and the edges are slightly charred. Remove meat from to a chopping board and leave to rest. Don't throw away the pan juices, you'll need some for the filling!
Bun dough
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup full-fat milk
45g unsalted butter (3 tablespoons)
1 large egg, beaten
approximately 2 cups bread flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 of a 7g sachet of instant yeast
3/4 teaspoon double-action baking powder (used after first rise)
Place one cup flour in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the sugar and salt, then add the yeast. Whisk once more and make a well in the dry mixture. Melt the butter and milk together and let cool to hand-hot temperature.
Pour the milk mixture into the well and mix to a smooth batter. Beat in half the egg. Add enough flour to create a soft, slightly sticky dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead until smooth. Work in more flour as necessary to create a smooth, elastic dough.
Place in a clean, lightly oiled bowl. Cover with clingfilm (plastic wrap) and leave in a warm, draught-free place until tripled. Depending on the temperature, this could take up to three hours as the dough is very rich. Don't be disheartened if the dough doesn't seem to be doing anything; my dough didn't start visibly rising for about two hours and took me completely by surprise!
While the dough rises, make the filling.
Filling
1 tbsp groundnut (peanut) oil
1 medium onion, chopped finely
1 lb char siew, chopped finely
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tbsp grated ginger
5 tbsp pork drippings from the char siew--or chicken stock
2 1/4 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
1 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
2 tsp ketchup
good pinch of white pepper
1 1/2 tsp shaoxing wine
1 tsp sesame oil
Mix drippings (stock), oyster sauce, sugar, cornflour, ginger, soy sauce and ketchup in a small bowl, stirring until lumps of cornflour dissolve.
Heat wok or frying pan over high heat. Add oil to pan and heat until it shimmers. Toss in onion and immediately turn heat to medium. Stir fry for approximately 2 minutes until onions are beginning to turn brown. Add pork and continue to stir fry for 2 minutes until the meat is heated through again. Stir in the wine.
Stir the sauce, scraping the bottom of the bowl well. Add to pan and stir vigorously, coating all the pork mixture well. Cook until sauce is thick and clinging to the meat.
Immediately scrape the mixture into a large shallow dish. Stir in the sesame oil and leave to cool to room temperature.
Assembly
Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4. Line a baking sheet with greased foil or baking parchment.
Punch down the dough and leave to rest for 2 minutes. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until elastic. Flatten into a round and sprinkle the baking powder on top. Draw up the edges and press together firmly. Knead for about 8 minutes until the baking powder is evenly dispersed through the dough. The dough may go very bubbly and look like an alien lifeform, but persevere. It'll even out when the dough is rolled.
Roll the dough into a fat 12" long cylinder and cut into 1" pieces. Work with one piece of dough at a time--keep the rest covered in the bowl.
With a rolling pin, roll out the piece of dough to a thin round, ensuring that the edges are thinner than the middle. It should be about 15cm in diameter. Place 2 tablespoons of filling in the middle of the round. Fold up the edges and pleat neatly, enclosing the filling completely. Place on the prepared baking sheet, pleated side down, and cover with clingfilm or a damp cloth while you fill the rest of the buns. Space them at least 2 inches apart.
Cover tray with clingfilm or damp cloth and leave in a warm place until doubled in size. Add an equal amount of water to the remaining beaten egg and brush the bao with the egg wash. Bake for 20 minutes.
If you want soft tops to the bao, brush them immediately with oil. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly before tucking in.
Reheating the bao: Heat for 7 minutes in a 150C degree oven.
Apologies for the recipes being in cups, I didn't have time to weigh everything.
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