Steamed Bao包 and Siu Mai 烧卖

'Har Gow 虾饺, Siu Mai 烧卖, Char Siu Bao 叉 烧 包, Lo Mai Kai 糯米鸡' !!!

Those were the familiar Dim Sum names when the waitress pushed the trolley filled with freshly baked or steamed Dim Sums and announced (like rhyming) as she passed by every table. Customers would just stopped her and choose whatever they wanted from the trolley.   Those were my fond memories when I indulged Dim Sum feast in some Chinese restaurants in the late 80s. Occasionally we have Dim Sum too, but I could hardly find such a scene now.

At home, Mom's shouting for big kids "Dim Sum is ready, Har Gow, Siu Mai, Char Siu Bao, Lo Mai Kai! ... Opps ! sorry .. no Har Gow & Lo Mai Kai  ... next time."

So, what's our mini homemade Dim Sum feast for our weekend tea-break ?  Ta dah da! Steamed Colorful Siu Mai, Char Siu Bao & Chicken Bao ^-^!

Chicken Bao & Siu Mai

Fillings for :
A) Char Siu Bao 叉烧包 (qty: 8)
About 120g roasted char siu (bought from the roasted meat stall), chopped small pieces
* I used the sauce that comes with the char siu. If not using the ready provided char siu sauce from stall, you may use below suggestion to make your own sauce for the char siu filling.
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 small onion, dice
Sesame seeds

1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce

A2) 60 ml water
1 teaspoon cornflour - add a little water (1 tablespoon) to dissolve the cornflour in separate bowl.

Method:

1) Heat wok/pan with medium heat, pour cooking oil.

2) Pan fry onions till fragrant (about 1 - 2 mins), add in the char siu, tossing a little.

3) Pour in the char siu sauce and continue to cook for another 3 mins.

4) Add water, sesame oil and corn flour to thicken the sauce slightly, bring to a boil. A few quick stirring just before turning off the flame.

Sprinkle some sesame seed and set aside.

B) Chicken Bao 鸡肉包 (qty: 8)
120g chicken fillet,  diced finely
2 tablespoon vegetarian oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil

B2) 60 ml water
1 teaspoon cornflour - add a little water (1 tablespoon) to dissolve the cornflour in separate bowl.

Method:

1) Heat wok/pan with medium heat, pour cooking oil.

2) Pan fry ginger & garlic till fragrant (about 1 - 2 mins).

3) Add in the chicken meat, tossing a little.

4) Pour in the oyster sauce & sugar and continue to cook for another 5 mins.

5) Add water, sesame oil and corn flour to thicken the sauce slightly, bring to a boil. A few quick stirring just before turning off the flame.

Sprinkle some sesame seed & some spring onions if you like. Set aside {note: I had cooked the chicken filling the previous night and refrigerated it.}

As I'm making 2 types of different fillings, do adjust the quantity, ingredients and taste to your preference. 

I'm using the bao - dough recipe adapted from Rasamalaysia
Ingredients for dough :
8g instant dry yeast
160ml lukewarm water
½ tsp white vinegar or lemon juice (optional)
280g low-protein flour aka hong kong flour
100g wheat starch
90g icing sugar
30g shortening or vegetable oil (I used vegetable oil)
10g baking powder
10ml cold water

Method
Buns:
1. Sift together flours and icing sugar. Place sifted flour mixture in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the middle.
2. Fill well with lukewarm water, vinegar and yeast. Use a spatula, gently stir the water to dissolve the yeast then slowly bring together flour mixture.
3. Add in shortening or oil and knead for 10-15 minutes until soft dough is formed. It should be smooth on the surface.
4. Cover dough with damp cloth and let it rise for 30 minutes or until it is doubled in size. (I proofed my dough for 1 hour)
5. Dissolve baking powder in cold water, sprinkle over dough and knead until well combined. Divide dough into 16 equal portions and flatten with a rolling pin to make a 3” circle. (Note: the dough weighed 605g in total, each 37g). Then place a heap teaspoon of filling in the middle, wrap and pleat the dough to seal. Place it on a 1.5” square parchment paper, seal side up. Proof about 10 minutes before arranging the buns into steamer. 
6. Arrange buns into a steamer, leave about 1” gab in between buns. Spray water mist over buns (I didn't do this), and steam in a preheated steamer on high heat for 12 minutes. Remove buns from steamer and cool on rack to prevent soggy bottom.

As for the Siu Mai, I made a batch of small quantity ... about 12 pieces.

Fillings for Siu Mai烧卖

About 80g of minced lean pork
2 - 3 pieces water chestnut, peeled, washed and finely diced

3 - 4 pieces medium-sized prawns - shelled, devein, cleaned and diced.

Add seasoning :

Pinch of salt

1.5 teaspoon light soya sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon cornflour
1 teaspoon brandy

Dash of pepper

Combine and marinate the fillings, let stand for at least 1 hour in the fridge. 

A pack of siu mai wrap (I bought the round type).

Instead of wrapping the usual Siu Mai, I like to add some colours to it with some toppings.  

Colorful topping ingredients:

Finely chopped some red capsicum, mushroom, pumpkin and carrot. 

(Can use other variations like some chopped ham, colourful capsicums etc.)

Place 1 tablespoon level filling on each Siu Mai wrapper.  Close the wrapper by pinching in half, then into quarters (tuck in the sides), so forming 4 small cups on top. 

Fill the 'cups'  or 'loops' with small amount of the selected topping ingredients.

Place them in a steamer and steam about 8 - 10 minutes on high heat. Serve hot.

Note : to prevent the Siu Mai wrappers from sticking onto the steamer,  use lettuce as base or lightly grease the parchment paper with oil. 

Hee hee ... you could tell that
I need more practice in pleating the baos

Phew ! Sweat !  Done with all the steaming ! Now, I can sit down comfortably and enjoy my Dim Sums .... let's "yum cha" ^-^! 

Well, we couldn't finish all the baos ... kept a few in the fridge for next day's brekkie ! 

Have a great day!

I'm linking this post to Little Thumbs Up event and the theme for August 2014 is Flour

Hosted by Diana of  Domestic Goddess Wannabe

This event is organised by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids
and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY