Steamed Buns Baozi 包子 （Chinese)
Finally. These yummy steamed buns which are the second batch that I made is a success. I like the minced to be chicken, but these ones made with beef are good too. Honestly, it is very easy to make. I didn't have a good luck for one batch prior to this as the yeast did not really work as it should. My recipe for Steamed Buns as follows:
INGREDIENTS:
FOR THE DOUGH
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsps dry yeast (or 11.34g of fresh yeast)
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsps sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2tbsp cooking oil
FOR FILLING
- 200g minced chicken
- (Alternatively, you can use beef or pork or vegetables: daikon (white radish), carrot, mushrooms cabbages)
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- scallions
- 1.5 tsp hoisin sauce
- Few dashes pepper
- water (1 cup til mixture is some sort of gluey)
- Two dashes of Mirin
TOOLS:
- Parchment paper cut into small squares or cupcakes liners
- Plastic wrap
- Steamer
DIRECTIONS:
- Make the basic dough. You’ll need about 1.5 hours to prepare the dough.
- Add yeast and sugar into a small bowl, add warm water and stir gently. Let the yeast start to bubble for about 15 minutes.
- Add in 2 cups of flour, some oil, salt and baking powder. Stir with the end of a wooden spoon, til a dough is formed.
- Knead the dough for about 10 minutes, and shape it into a ball. Cover it with plastic wrap. Let it rest for 1.5 hours.
- While waiting for the dough to rise, start making the filling by stirring with chopsticks: ginger, garlic, minced meat, water and the seasonings. Mix until all the ingredients are well incorporated.
- Once it became double in size, punched out the air and transfer it to a floured surface to knead for a few minutes.
- Divide into 2 portions. Roll each portion into a log that’s about 1.5 inches in diameter
- Cut the log into 8 parts and shape each port into a ball. Make sure you coat the dough balls with a layer of flour. Press down the ball with your palm. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a round thin wrapper with 4-inches diameter (or to a size slightly bigger than your palm). When rolling, make sure the center of the wrapper is thicker than the edge of the wrapper. Repeat this step to make a batch of 8 wrappers at a time
- To fold the bun. Place 1 to 2 tbsp of the filling in the center of the wrapper. Try to stack up the filling so it’s at least 1 inch from the edge of the wrapper. Wrap the bun by folding the edge counterclockwise until the bun is completely sealed. Repeat these two steps to assemble the rest of the buns
- Place the buns on a steamer with parchment in between to prevent sticking. Don’t steam your buns right away but instead, let them sit for another 30 – 45 minutes. This is an important step in making the buns soft and fluffy. The buns will increase in size
- Steam the buns for 15 minutes over high heat. Turn off the heat but do not open the steamer cover. Let them sit in the steamer for another 5 minutes before you take them out. Let them cool a little and serve hot as breakfast, snack, or appetizers
Nikuman (Steamed Pork Buns) is made similarly. The meat inside is Pork and cabbages, as well as mushrooms and shrimps are added.
0 comments