大包 Big Bāo (Big Bun)
When I was a kid - I always stuck to Chā Shāo Bāo
or Red Bean
Paste Bāo. To me the Big Bāo was for bigger people like adults.
It's much bigger than the regular buns and i could never finish
one. The Big Bāo is also a savoury bun, filled with stir fried
gingered chicken, pork and chinese mushrooms in soy and oyster
sauce, with a wedge of hard boiled egg. It could be a meal. The Big
Bāo is also considered the King of the Bāos because it just has a
whole lot more than the other 1 main ingredient Bāo. So being all
grown up now, it's time to have Big Bāo.
The dough used for this Bāo is the regular kind - unlike the one
for the Chā Shāo Bāo
which
required more time and days. This is a lot simpler and you just
need to prepare it in about an hour ahead. The recipe I used is
adapted from Agnes Chang's Delightful Snacks & Dim Sum. With this
dough you can fill your Bāo with a variety of fillings like red
bean paste, lotus seed paste, minced chicken, etc. The possibility
is endless!
Makes 30+
600g Hong Kong Flour, sifted
150g Fine Caster Sugar
1 Tbsp Double-Action Baking Powder
½ Tbsp Instant Yeast
3 Tbsp Shortening
½ Tsp Salt
200ml Water
In a big bowl, mix together ingredients and knead into a smooth and elastic dough. Cover with a damp cloth and leave to proof and rest for 30 minutes, or until it has doubled in size. Using the "finger-tip" test to check if the dough has fully risen. Press dough with your finger tip. If the impression stays, it is ready to go on to shaping. If the impression spring back, continue to prove.
Filling
400g Pork, diced
400g Chicken Breast, diced
6 Dried Chinese Mushrooms, soaked in very hot water until soft and sliced thinly
Vegetable Oil
1 Tbsp Ginger, chopped finely
2 Tbsp Light Soy sauce
2 Tbsp Oyster sauce
½ Cubed Chicken Stock - chopped finely
½ Tbsp Sesame Oil
1 Tsp Sugar
1½ Tsp Corn Starch
Pepper
2 Hard Boiled Eggs, cut into small wedges (about 16 per egg) - or more if you like more
Mix all ingredients (except vegetable oil, ginger and hard boiled egg) together and leave to marinate for 30 minutes.
In a heated wok, saute ginger in vegetable oil till fragrant. Add in marinated ingredients and stir fry until it smells wonderful.
Dish and leave to cool for a few hours.
Divide dough up into little balls of 40g each, cover in a bowl with
a damp cloth when the rest are not in use.
Flatten and roll out dough until it's about 2 mm thin and about
10-12 cm in diameter, add a wedge of egg and a tablespoon of
filling, pleat the sides together and pinch or snip off any
access.
Line the bottom with parchment or greaseproof paper, set aside to proof for 15 minutes and steam on high for another 15 minutes until cooked. Serve hot!