NON-HALAL: Originating from Guangzhou in mainland China, char siew pao is available in pretty much every kopitiam in the country.
Imagine soft, fluffy, white steamed buns filled with savoury char siew that are heavenly for breakfast with a steaming cup of coffee.
The char siew for the filling can be bought or you can make your own in advance.
Ingredients
Char siew filling
- 1/2 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 250 g char siew, diced
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1-2 drops red food colour, optional
- Salt, to taste
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 150ml water
Dough
- 280 g low-protein flour (Hong Kong flour) OR cake flour (Use all-purpose flour if neither is available but the dough will not be as fluffy)
- 100 g wheat starch
- 90 g powdered sugar
- 1 scant tablespoon active dry yeast or instant yeast
- 160 ml lukewarm water
- 1/2 teaspoon Chinese white vinegar or lemon juice, optional
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons cold water
Method
Char siew filling
- Heat oil and sauté onion for one to two minutes and add in char siew, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, sesame oil and red food colour, if using.
- Stir-fry for one to two minutes and add salt to taste.
- Mix cornstarch and water together and add to the filling. Simmer on low heat until the sauce is thickened.
- Remove the filling from the pan. Let cool and then divide the filling into 16 portions and set aside.
Dough
- Sift the flour, wheat starch and powdered sugar into a large mixing bowl.
- Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and add the yeast, lukewarm water and vinegar or lemon juice, if using.
- Gently dissolve the yeast with the water. Slowly bring together the flour mixture and add the vegetable oil.
- Knead with hands for 15 minutes or until a soft dough is formed. It should be smooth and shiny on the surface.
- Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let rise for 60 to 90 minutes or until it expands in size.
- Dissolve the baking powder in the cold water, sprinkle over the dough and knead until well combined. For fluffier buns, rest the dough for 10 minutes after adding the baking powder.
- Cut and divide the dough to 16 equal portions.
- Roll and flatten each dough ball to a 7.5 cm circle with a rolling pin. Place a portion of the filling in the middle.
- Wrap and fold the dough up. Pinch and twist to enclose the opening. Make sure the pao is sealed tight at the top.
- Place each pao on a piece of parchment paper measuring 5 cm by 7.5 cm.
- Arrange the buns in a steamer, leaving about a 2.5 cm gap between buns. Spray a mist of water over the buns and steam in a preheated steamer on high heat for 10 minutes.
- Remove buns from the steamer and serve warm.
Tips
- To make bigger buns, divide the dough into 12 equal portions.
- To make the char siew pao white, add 1 teaspoon of Chinese white vinegar to the steaming water.
- The water in the steamer must be boiling before placing the buns in.
- Spraying a water mist over the buns will ensure a smooth surface.
- DO NOT open the lid of the steamer during the steaming process.
- If there are yellowish spots on the steamed buns, it means the baking powder is not fully dissolved.
- If the pao is brownish in colour, it is over-steamed.
This recipe first appeared in Rasa Malaysia.
Low Bee Yinn is a food blogger and cookbook author.