Cookbook

How to make Baozi

Steamed bun

300ml warm water (1.25 cups)(around body temperature - 100°F or 38°C)

• 3 tsp. active dry yeast (or 1 packet)
• 2 tbsp. granulated white sugar
• 450g or 3 1/2 cups white bread flour, plus extra for flouring hands, surfaces, etc.
• 1 tsp. baking powder. Must be double-acting (i.e. has a raising agent that works at high temperature).
• ½ tsp. salt, if desired.
• a little bit of sesame oil for step 7

• Making the Dough

  Stir yeast and 1 tablespoon of sugar into 1 cup of the warm water. Let stand for 15 minutes. Skip this step if your yeast does not need proofing (it will say so on the packet)

  1. Sift the flour and sugar together.
  2. If you pre-mixed the yeast, add to the flour and the rest of the sugar in a mixing bowl.
  3. If you didn't pre-mix the yeast, mix flour, salt if desired, and the sugar, then mix in yeast in a mixing bowl. Add 1 cup of the water in a steady stream, mixing constantly.
  4. Mix together. The dough will begin to form a ragged clump. If the dough does not stick together, add a small amount more water.
  5. Knead dough for 5-10 minutes. The dough will stiffen, and should spring back slowly when indented with a finger. The surface should be smooth and slightly shiny.
  6. Coat the bottom of a large bowl with the sesame oil to give a thin film, and place the dough in the bowl. Roll over so it is coated with the oil.
  7. Allow dough to rise and double in volume in a warm place for 1-1½ hours, or in a cool place like a fridge for 2-3 hours. A slow rise in a cool place will produce a finer texture.
  8. Punch dough down. If you wish at this point, you can allow it to rise and double again, in a warm or cool place, and punch down again. A double rise also results in a finer, more tender texture.
  9. Form into a large pancake shape.
  10. Sprinkle the baking powder evenly across the dough, and knead again, until the same consistency as before it rose. Water from the yeast's respiration may have made the dough softer, so add a bit more flour if needed.
  11. Divide the dough into two long rolls, and cut each into 6 pieces.
  12. Roll each piece of dough into a ball. If you are making plain baozi, go straight to Step 20 now. If making filled baozi, then flatten each ball into a 6-inch disc.
  13. Shape the disc so that it is significantly thicker in the centre than at the edges.
  14. Position one hand as if you were holding a normal drinking glass, and place a disc of dough over the top.
  15. Using two fingers, push the centre of the disc down by about 1 inch.
  16. Place 1 dessert spoon of filling into the well you just made in the dough.
  17. Still holding your hand in position, use your other hand to fold the edges of the dough together, in a sort of pleated fashion.
  18. Pinch edges together and twist (so that you twist a small portion at the top right off) to close the baozi.
  19. Place each baozi on a square of parchment paper, 3 inches to a side.
  20. Allow to rise in warm place 1 hour. The dough should end up springy to the touch.

  Cooking

  Place buns in a steamer. Try to position so they do not touch one another. It will almost certainly require several batches to steam all the buns, unless you have lots of steamers, or a very big one. You can put them seam up (opening flower effect) or seam down (smooth, round top).

1. Steam buns over gently boiling water for 10-15 minutes.
2. After this time, remove the pan and steamer from heat, but don't remove the steamer from the pan, or lift the lid of the steamer. By allowing the steam to subside gradually like this, you prevent the dough from collapsing on contact with the cold air.
3. After a few minutes, carefully lift the lid and remove the bun gently from the steamer.
4. When cool enough to handle, remove parchment paper from bottom of buns.
5. Serve warm.

Char Kway teow

Ingredients:500 g kway teow

3 cloves chopped garlic
3 tablespoons cooking oil
300 g prawns, shelled but leave the tails intact
150 g cockles, scalded and shelled
150 g bean sprouts
100 g chives, cut into 3cm lengths
chili paste
2 eggs
water
Seasoning
1 tablespoon light soya sauce
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon chili paste
dark soya sauce
Directions:

1
Mix seasoning ingredients in a bowl.
2
Heat wok with 3 tbsp oil until hot and fry chopped garlic until light brown.
3
Add prawns and cockles.
4
Push all the fried ingredients to one side and add in kway teow.
5
Stir-fry the kway teow quickly and add seasoning and chili paste.
6
Sprinkle with a little water and mix in all the fried ingredients together.
7
Spread all the ingredients around the wok to create an empty space in the centre, then crack an egg into it and add a little more oil.
8
Cover the egg with all the ingredients and stir-fry evenly.
9
Add beansprouts and chives and stir well.
10
Do not overcook.
11
Remove the dish to a plate and serve hot.