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Steamed Dumplings or Pau (?)

Steamed Dumplings or Pau (?)

Ingredients

400g HK flour

40g Corn flour

1g salt

60g sugar

190ml water at 40C

20g white coloured fat (coconut oil, lard)

7g yeast

Method

  1. I use a thermomix.
  2. In the bowl, add all the dry ingredients, and set the machine on #2 for 1 minute.
  3. Add the warm water gradually, allowing the water to mix in and stop when the dough leaves the sides of the bowl.
  4. Switch to kneading, and knead for 3 minutes.
  5. Transfer dough into a plastic bag, and seal the ends of the bag, allowing room for proofing.
  6. When it is double, it is ready. It takes about 30 to 45 minutes for me.
https://recipe.mei.kitchen/steamed-dumplings-or-pau-%e5%8c%85/
15094491_10211396999790834_1792676482107742959_nWhere there are Chinese migrants, you will see these. I have personally seen these in Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, US, European counties…  they are everywhere!

The filings can vary: from sweet to savoury to spicy. Mostly, they are meat and the luxurious version with an egg. The sweet versions vary from bean pastes to lava egg yolks. Their sizes also vary. Typically, I like to make mine small, so about 30g a piece is good for small paus, and 50g for the large ones.

I have seen really large large ones!  I am guessing the dough is at least 100g.  Enough to feed two people in my opinion.

My favourite version of the pau is one without fat. I find that the dough becomes easier to handle, fluffier, and whiter. I have included one with fat here, and you can omit as you like. As always, when added water to dough, stop when the dough feels right. There is no hard and fast rule, as all flours have different dampness.

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This dough is flexible in that you can use both sweet and savoury filings for them.  The common ones are:

  1. Chicken meat （鸡肉）
  2. Minced pork （猪肉）
  3. Salted egg yolk lava （流沙）
  4. Taosar or red bean paste （豆沙）
  5. Lotus seed paste（莲蓉）
  6. Char Siew （叉烧）
  7. Custard（奶王）
  8. Cabbage and meat  – normally pan-fried（水煎包)
  9. Yam (芋泥)

Honestly，as with all pastries, you are limited by only your own imaginations.