Nam Yue Bao ( Bacon Rolls ) 南乳包

Nam Yue Bao ( Bacon Rolls ) 南乳包

Recipe source for the Nam Yue rolls :  Adapted from The Hong Kong Cookbook
Recipe source for Bao skin :  Blue key Pau flour

These nam yue bao can be easily bought from the shops around the place I stay, but it is so satisfying to my sense of achievement to make them at home. It is even more satisfying when the bao turned out excellently. It is little wonder that we have such a large community of like-minded food bloggers who all love to cook and share!

Ingredients

350g pork belly, cut into 8 pieces about 1 cm thick
4 eggs, hard-boiled and with shells removed
30g shallots, sliced
2 tbsp cooking oil

Seasoning

1 1/2 cubes of nam yue
1/2 tbsp shao hsing wine
500ml water
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp black soya sauce
1 tsp oyster sauce
1/4 tsp five-spice powder

To cook the nam yue rolls

1.  Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok and saute the sliced shallots until fragrant.
2.  Add in the pork slices and fry until colour changes. Add in seasoning and hard-boiled eggs and bring to a boil. Once it boils, reduce to small flame and allow to simmer for 30 minutes or until the pork slices are tender.
3.  Dish up and set aside to cool.
4.  Cut the eggs into halves. 

 The pork belly and eggs ready for assembling

Ingredients for bao skin

330g bao flour
1 tsp yeast
180ml water
50g sugar
1 tsp double-action baking powder
25g shortening

To make the bao skin

1. Combine the bao flour, sugar, double-action baking powder and shortening in a mixing bowl. Mix in the yeast and water. Whisk until the the ingredients form into a smooth dough.
2.  Place into a big bowl and cover the bowl with cling film. Allow it to proof for about 30 minutes or until double in size.

To assemble the bao

1.  Punch down the bao dough and divide the dough into 8 equal portions.
2.. Roll out one portion into an oval shape. Place one piece of pork belly in the middle of the rolled-out dough. Add half an egg on top of the pork belly.
3.  Fold in the two sides of the dough and place the bao on a piece of baking paper. 
4.  Repeat the process with the rest of the ingredients.
5.  Place the bao onto a steaming tray and allow to further proof for about 20 minutes.
4.  Steam the conventional way over boiling water for 10 minutes or in a steam oven.

 The wrapped-up nam yue bao set aside to proof

Fresh from the oven!

Closed-up view of the nam yue bao

Ready to be washed down with Chinese tea

I am linking this post to Best recipes for everyone #3 Oct 14 ~ Bun In My Hot Steamer
Hosted by Fion of XuanHom's Mom Kitchen Diary
 

I am also linking this post to Cook-Your-Book #17

Hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours

Special Steamed Chicken Curry Pau 蒸咖哩面包鸡

Special Steamed Chicken Curry Pau 蒸咖哩面包鸡

Recipe source :  Inspired by Coco Kong ( Y3K magazine )

While browsing at a bookstore I came across a recipe by Y3K magazine featuring  Coco Kong's cookbook on various "pau", including this steamed version of a pau filled with chicken curry.  As I was reading, I remembered my friends telling me about a coffee shop located in Klang which sells this speciality pau.  I have yet to visit that shop to sample their speciality, but after reading the recipe from Coco Kong, I guessed I am gamed to try it out. 

Now, here I am sharing my humble experience. Half-way through making it, I  realized that these pau are going to be huge because I needed plenty of dough to wrap up the foil cups! The end results was totally out of my expectation. I did not envisage the pau to be this big. Anyhow, I managed to make four gigantic pau, measuring more than six inches in diameter each. 

It was very satisfying when my son showed me the thumbs up!  We both agreed that they were truly finger-licking good!

A point to take note - the pau dough was enough to make four huge pau but there were plenty of chicken curry left over. So, if you are making this, do remember to reduce the amount of chicken curry or alternatively, make more pau dough to use up the chicken curry.

Double thumbs up!!

Ingredients for Chicken Curry ( recipe by Doris Choo @ Sumptuous Flavours )

1/2 a chicken ( about 550g )
3 large potatoes ( about 500g) - peeled and cut into pieces, then deep-fried
2 1/2 tbsp curry powder
80g minced chilli
80g shallots, finely chopped
30g garlic, finely chopped
1 cup coconut milk  ( santan)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp soya sauce
4 tbsp cooking oil 

Utensils required

4 aluminium foil cups

Potatoes - deep-fry the potato pieces

Top left : minced garlic. Top right : minced shallots

Centre :  curry powder

Bottom left : santan. Bottom right : minced chilli

Preparation 

1.  Heat wok until hot. Add in 4 tbsp cooking oil.
2.  Saute chopped garlic and shallots until fragrant. Reduce to medium flame. Add in minced chilli. Stir to mix well.  
3.  Add 2 tbsp coconut milk , followed by the curry powder. Stir evenly until red chilli oil oozes out. 
4.  Add in chicken pieces and mix well. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes. 
5.  Add in 4 Chinese rice bowls of water. Bring to a boil.
6.  Pour in the deep-fried potatoes. Stir to mix well.
7.  Allow to simmer for about 12 to 15 minutes until done.
8.  Remove and let it cool down before spooning the curry chicken into 4 aluminium foil cups.

 

Ingredients For Pau Skin ( recipe is from Blue Key Pau Flour )

1 tsp instant yeast
180ml warm water
330g pau flour (sifted)
50 fine sugar
1 tsp double action baking powder
25g shortening

Method

1.  Place pau flour, baking powder, sugar and shortening into a mixer bowl. Dissolve yeast in warm water. Pour yeast into the mixture and knead until a smooth dough is form. 
2.  Cover dough with cling film and let it rest for about 30 to 40 minutes or until it has doubled its size.
3.  After proofing, divide dough into 4 portions. 
4.  Roll out one portion of dough into a large circle. Place one aluminium cup containing the curry chicken onto the dough and wrap it up and gather the edges together on top of the pau,
5.  Alternatively, wrap a piece of rolled-out dough on top of the aluminium cup and gather the edges to seal at the bottom of the cup.

Step 4 and 5 of wrapping the pau

Bottom left : the edges are sealed underneath the pau.

Bottom right : the edges are sealed on top of the pau.

 The result of method 4

 The result of method 5

 

 Chicken curry inside a steamed pau!

I am linking this to Little Thumbs Up

The theme for July  2014 is Potato

Hosted by Jasline of Foodie Baker

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

 

Snowman Bun (dumpling)

Snowman Bun (dumpling)

Recipe source : Doris Choo


When I was young, I used to join in the Christmas revelry because one my friends, HS, was the grand daughter of a family which built and managed the only church in town. I used to joined her and other church members when they went Christmas carolling. I, too, joined in the fun and festivities when she and her family decorated their Christmas tree. Thinking of this brought back happy memories of my childhood and Christmas! Well, those were the days!

"Christmas" brings images of Santa Claus, reindeer, pine trees, the colours red and green, mistletoe, white snow, snowflakes and of course, the inevitable snowman! I remember seeing a picture of "snowman buns" somewhere. It was cute and like I said, somehow the snowman brings me connotations of Christmas cheer!

So, wanting to join in the Christmas festivity, I set out to make some snowman buns today. 

Here is my humble attempt at making snowman buns.

Ingredients for basic bun - makes 15 buns

500g pau flour
11g instant yeast
100g sugar
50g corn oil
250ml water ( add more if necessary )
2 3/4  tsp double action baking powder

Other ingredients

500g red bean paste
red food colouring
pieces of carrot for the snowman's nose (The carrot is to be stuck to the nose area when the buns are ready and is for decorative purposes only)
black beans ( for snowman's eyes. An alternative is to use red bean paste to make the eyes )
plain flour dough, stained pink for the snowman's scarf (The scarf is to be wrapped around the snowman's neck after the buns are ready and again is for decoration only)
15 pieces of grease-proof paper ( 12cm x 6 cm )

 Instructions

1.  Mix pau flour and yeast together.
2.  Dissolve sugar in the hot water.
3.  Mix all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and knead dough with hands for 10 to 15            minutes or by electric mixer until it becomes smooth and extensible.
4.  Leave the dough in the bowl for about 1 hour to allow the dough to develop and rise. 
5.  Cover the bowl with cling film or a towel.
6.  After an hour, punch down the dough and divide it into 15 portions of 40g each and another 15 portions of 20g each.  
7.  Divide the red bean paste into 15 portions of 10g each and another 15 portions of 30g each.
8.  The 40g dough is for the snowman's body while the 20g dough is for the snowman's head.
9.  Roll out the 40g dough and wrap 30g of red bean paste to form an oval shape for the snowman's body. 
10.  Roll out the 20g dough and wrap 10g red bean paste to form a ball for the snowman's head.
11.  Stick the two pieces of wrapped dough together and place onto a piece of grease-proof paper.
12. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.
13. Let it proof again for about 30 minutes. 
14. Place the buns into a steamer and steam for 15 minutes.
15. Decorate the steamed buns with eyes, nose, mouth and scarf to make the buns look like snowmen. 

The snowmen before steaming

I am submitting this to Baby Sumo's Christmas Recipes Collection 2013 event which is hosted by Baby Sumo of Eat Your Heart Out