Smilling Char Siew Pau/ Starter Dough Method(Traditional Way) (2024)

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Paudough recipe adapted and slightly modified from Lily's Wai Sek Hong
Ingredients:

Char Siew Filling

* more than enough for one batch of steamed buns

(A)

300g char siew, dice

(B) Thickening sauce

120ml water

5 tbsp homemade char siew sauce(fromroasted pork)

1 tbsp tapioca flour

1 tbsp corn flour

½ tbsp all-purpose flour

Mix all the thickening sauce tillwell combined. Bring to simmer at low heat by stirring continuously tillthicken. Off the heat and add in the diced char siew. Stirtill well mix.Cover and keep in fridge to set for several hours before use.

* Do not skip the thickening sauce asthis will create the ‘sauce’ while having the hot char siew pau.

Or

You can replace with ordinary pork meatand cook as below.

~Char siew filling with ordinary pork meat

(A)

300g pork loin(梅花肉)‏, dice

1 onion (dice)

2 tbsp oil

(B)

Seasoning: 2 tbsp oyster sauce, 3 tbspsoya sauce, 3 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp sesame oil

Thickening sauce: ½ cup water, 2 tbspcornflour, 1 tbsp plain flour (mix and set aside)

PauDough

* yield about 8 pieces of steamed buns(about 38g each)
~Starter dough (yield about 350g;only used 150g for this recipe;keep the rest for other batch)
250g pau flour
1 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp sugar
130-150ml water

~Main dough
(A)
150g starter dough
50g castor sugar

(B)
1 tsp double action baking powder
1/2 tsp Ammonium bicarbonate
A tiny drop of potassium carbonate & sodium bi-carbonate solution a.k.a.Kan Sui (<1/8tsp)
3 tsp water

(C)
5 tbsp pau flour
4 tbsp wheat starch

1 tbsp lard/shortening


Methods:
~ Starter dough
Knead all till form into dough. Put inside a container and flatten the dough.Cover with wet cloth. Leave to rest overnight at room temperature.

~Main dough
1. Weigh 150g of starter dough and add in the sugar. Mix until the sugar has dissolved.
* I mix with scraper as the mixture is sticky to handle.

2. In a small plate, add 1/2 tsp double action baking powder, 1/2 tsp ammoniumbicarbonate and a drop of kan sui with 2 teaspoons water. Stir to dissolve. Add into starter doughmixture. Mix well to combine.

3. Add in the pau flour and wheat starch. Mixing with scraper till most of theflour form into lumps. Transfer to working surface and knead with hand to softdough. (a little more water might beneeded as it depends on how wet the starter dough is).
* I added about 2-3 teaspoons. One teaspoon at a time.

4. Add in 1 tablespoon lard/shortening and knead well.
*At first it might seems very oily. Don't worry as the dough will absorb as youknead.

5. Flatten dough and spread it out. In a small plate, dissolve the remain 1/2 teaspoondouble action baking powder with 1 teaspoon water. Rub/spread all over thedough. Fold the dough in and knead well, so that all the baking powder is wellspread. Dough is ready to be shaped.

6. Divided into 8 portions (about 38g each). Shape all into balls.

7. Flatten one portion and put the Char Siew filling. Pick up the edges and wrap up the filling.Place the bun on parchment paper. Repeat till all finish.
* Do refer Christine and dim sum chef video on how to pleat steamed buns.

8. Bring the water in a steamer to rapid boil. Steam the buns for 10 minutes. Turn the heat (stove) to lowest and steamfurther 1 minute. Off the heat and leave the buns inside for few minutes beforeopen the lid.
* This process is to avoid sudden decrease pressure inside steamerwhichcan cause shrinking.
* If the ammonia smell is too strong do steam 2nd time for few minutes. Thiswill get rid of the unpleasant smell.