Steamed Custard Bun ("Nai Huang Bao" 奶黄包)

I have never even heard or eaten of this buns before until I saw Tze of AwayofMind Bakery House posted her Steamed Custard Bun sometime back. She mentioned that her custard buns was being made after watching a video on Youtube by Irene Chan.  But her video does not indicate the proper measurement of the ingredients; only showing how to mix the ingredients and steaming the custard.

Subsequently I tried searching in the web to search whether she has a blog and at last I found hers, but the site was in Chinese.  So, those ingredients that I am not familiar what it was, I have to ask my elder sister to translate it for me.

And here, Steamed Custard Buns or in Chinese "Nai Huang Bao"

Steamed Custard Buns

Ingredients for custard filling:
60g custard powder
40g milk powder

100g caster sugar (I used only 75g, but still can cut down to 60-50g)

130g coconut milk
80g evaporate milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten first
30g  melted butter

Method:
Place the custard powder, caster sugar and milk powder in a bowl and mix to combine.

Using a whisk, add in the coconut milk and evaporated milk and whisk till the sugar dissolved.  Add in the egg, stir until combine, and lastly add in the melted butter.

Sieve the liquid and pour it into a lightly grease pan and steam high for 8~10 mins.

Remove the custard out from steamer and mash the custard with a potato masher.

(Irene Chai’s video showing she knead the custard using hand till till the custard smooth; I didn’t do it this way.  I just continue using the masher to mash for 5 minutes).

Divide the custard into small balls; about 20g-30g to your preference.

Recipe source from Irene Chan

And thanks to Tze of Awayofmind Bakery House, that I came to known of this Custard Buns when she posted hers recently.

As for the buns I'm using back the same buns I made for the red bean buns previously.

Steamed Buns
(makes 12)

Ingredients:

300g Hong Kong pau flour
3g baking powder
3g instant yeast
30g caster sugar
160ml water
15g vegetable oil

Custard Filling 

Method 

Sieve Hong Kong pau flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Add yeast, caster sugar and mix well.

Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture, add in water and mix to form a dough. Transfer dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead dough until it becomes smooth (about 5 mins). Knead in the vegetable oil and continue to knead for another 10-15 mins or until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.  Take a piece of dough  (about the size of a table tennis ball) and stretch it, you should be able to stretch it  to a fairly thin membrane without tearing off easily, if not continue to knead for another 5 to 10mins.

Roll dough into a smooth round, place in a lightly greased mixing bowl, cover with cling wrap and let it proof for about 1 hr or until it doubles in bulk.

Punch down the dough and give a few light kneading to release the trapped air bubbles.

Divide the dough into 12 portions (about 40g each). Roll each portion into a smooth round. 

Flatten each dough into a small disc with your palm or a small rolling pin, make the edges thinner and the centre portion thicker. Wrap each dough with 20g of custard filling. Pinch and seal the seams. Place dough seam side down on a square piece of parchment paper. Cover loosely with cling wrap and leave buns to proof for 20-25 mins.  

Place buns in a steamer and space them apart so that they do not touch one another. Steam it medium to high heat for 12mins (make sure the water is already boiling before steaming). 

When ready, remove the lid carefully to prevent water from dripping over the buns. Remove immediately and serve warm. Keep any leftovers in fridge (covered with cling wrap or store in airtight containers) and re-steam till hot before serving.

 I didn't use hands to knead the custard (like what Irene Chan did in her video.  Instead I just continue to mash, mash, mash with the masher.  Lazy me lor.....)

Red Bean Glutinous Rice Cake (豆沙烧餅) & Steamed Buns with Red Bean Paste (豆沙包)

With the left over of red bean paste from making the mooncakes, I have made this Red Bean Glutinous Rice Cake and Steamed Buns for the past few days for morning breakfast! 

Red Bean Glutinous Rice Cake (豆沙烧餅)

Red Bean Glutinous Rice Cakes

Ingredients
170g glutinous rice flour
50g caster sugar
80g water
60g coconut milk
150g red bean paste
2 tsp vegetable oil

Procedures
Pour glutinous rice flour into a big bowl.

Bring caster sugar, water, coconut milk and vegetable oil to a boil in a small saucepan.  Pour hot liquid into the glutinous rice flour.  Use silicone spatula to swiftly mix well to form smooth dough that does not stick to hands.  Let cool and divide into small portions.

Wrap red bean paste with dough.  Roll into round balls.  Flatten dough balls.

Heat a little oil in non stick pan.  Pan fry glutinous rice cakes over low heat until both sides turn golden brown and fragrant and have rise a little.

Next.....Steamed Buns with Red Bean Paste (豆沙包)

Steamed Buns with Red Bean Paste
Recipe source :  Happy Home Baking
(makes 12)

Ingredients:

300g Hong Kong pau flour
3g baking powder
3g instant yeast
30g caster sugar
160ml water
15g vegetable oil

240g red bean paste

Method 

Sieve Hong Kong pau flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Add yeast, caster sugar and mix well. 

Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture, add in water and mix to form a dough. Transfer dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead dough until it becomes smooth (about 5 mins). Knead in the vegetable oil and continue to knead for another 10-15 mins or until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.  Take a piece of dough  (about the size of a table tennis ball) and stretch it, you should be able to stretch it  to a fairly thin membrane without tearing off easily, if not continue to knead for another 5 to 10mins.

Roll dough into a smooth round, place in a lightly greased mixing bowl, cover with cling wrap and let it proof for about 1 hr or until it doubles in bulk.

Punch down the dough and give a few light kneading to release the trapped air bubbles. 

Divide the dough into 12 portions (about 40g each). Roll each portion into a smooth round.

Flatten each dough into a small disc with your palm or a small rolling pin, make the edges thinner and the centre portion thicker. Wrap each dough with 20g of red bean paste. Pinch and seal the seams. Place dough seam side down on a square piece of parchment paper. Cover loosely with cling wrap and leave buns to proof for 20-25 mins.

Place buns in a steamer and space them apart so that they do not touch one another. Steam at medium to high heat for 12mins (make sure the water is already boiling before steaming). When ready, remove the lid carefully to prevent water from dripping over the buns. Remove immediately and serve warm. Keep any leftovers in fridge (covered with cling wrap or store in airtight containers) and re-steam till hot before serving.

Steamed Vegetable Dumpling

Few months ago I saw Sonia posted her Steamed Vegetable Dumpling (Chai Kueh) and looking at the picture just make me drool as I always loves this steamed kuih very much and then few days ago, Jessie-Cooking Moments posted her version.  So I got no choice and gear up my hands to make this.  I was unsure whether I can really make this. 

My lunch usually is light lunch, and if I can try to avoid having rice for lunch.  I have this for my lunch today and should have a cup of chinese tea to go with it but.... I am more on English tea person.

I thought I wanted to give it a miss of posting this Steamed Vegetable Dumpling after I have finished steaming it......ooh.....well call myself lazy again of taking out the camera.  

Steamed Vegetarian Dumpling

Recipe source from Jessie-CookingMoments

Makes about 18 Dumplings

Filling Ingredients:

1 Medium Yam Bean@Sengkuang@Jicama (abt 200g), shredded

1 Medium Carrot, shredded

3g Cloud Ears, soaked, rinsed & shredded

1.5 – 2tsp Light Soy Sauce

1tsp Sesame Oil

Dash of White Ground Pepper

1tbsp Cooking Oil

1tbsp Parsley Leaves, chopped

Dumpling Skin Ingredients:

100g Wheat Flour@Tang Mein Flour

60g Tapioca Starch

Pinch of Salt

1tbsp Oil

220g Hot Boiling Water

Method:

1. To make the dumpling filling, heat the cooking oil into a frying pan. Add yam bean, carrot &

    cloud ears & stir & cook until soft.  Add light soy sauce, sesame oil & ground pepper to taste. 

    Remove from heat & let to cool down completely.  Stir in parsley leaves.

2. To make the dumpling skin, add wheat flour, tapioca starch & salt into a mixing bowl. Stir to 

    mix well.

3. With dough hook fitted, switch on stand mixer to medium high speed & let the dough hook to 

    mix the flour. Add boiling water into the flour & knead until a dough is formed.

4. Add oil & continue to knead until a smooth & elastic dough is formed, about few minutes. 

    Remove & very quickly, cover with a cling wrap. Let the dough to rest for 5 minutes.  

5. Oil 2 heat-proof plates.

6. Divide & cut the dough into 18 portions.  Roughly roll into balls. Roll out on a slightly floured 

    surface to about 2mm thickness. Use a 9cm cookie cutter to cut a circle.

7. Place some dumpling filling onto the centre of the dumpling skin.  Fold to seal the dumpling.

    Please go over to this site Table for 2 .... or more to view the tutorial picture on 

    how to fold and pleat the dumpling correctly.see how to fold a dumpling correctly.

8. Place the dumpling on an oiled plate. Repeat until all the dough is used. Remember to leave a

    gap between each dumpling.

9.  Steam the dumpling on high heat for 7 minutes. 

    (To remove the dumpling out to your serving plate, you can lightly brush the dumpling
    with some oil for easy removal so it does not stick to your chopstick or utensils).

     Eat is faster than making this!

五香眉豆糕 Steamed Black Eye Bean Cake (aka Steamed White Bean Cake)

Made something different today than the usual Steamed Yam Cake as black eye pea or black eye bean is used instead.

I usually used this black eye bean for boiling soup which is very nutritious.  After seeing Helena's Kitchen  made this the other day, I just got to try this out.

Steamed Black Eye Bean Cake
Recipe adapted from Helena's Kitchen
also from Agnes Chang (蓝赛珍) : Delightful Snacks & Dim Sum Cookbook

Batter：

300g rice flour

75g tapioca flour

1120ml water

1 tbsp chicken stock granules

1 tsp salt (or to taste)

2 tsp fish oil

¼ tsp pepper

½ tsp alkaline water (I omit this)

Ingredients:

4 tbsp oil

1 tbsp chopped garlic

4 tbsp dried prawns, soaked and chopped

5 mushrooms, soaked and diced

1 tbsp chopped preserved cabbage (I used preserved parsnip)

150g minced pork (I used 1 Chinese sausage, diced small)

½ tsp five spice powder

300g black eye beans  (soaked for 4 hours thereafter boiled 30 minutes

 until soft, drained)

Method:

1. Batter: Mix rice flour, tapioca flour with water. Strain and add in seasonings.

2. Heat up 4 tbsp oil, sauté chopped garlic until fragrant, add dried prawns and continue

     to fry until fragrant. Add in mushrooms and preserved parsnip,  diced sausage and

     five spice powder. Lastly, mix in the beans.

3. Reduce heat, pour in batter and continue to stir until the mixture has thickened. Pour

     into a greased 9” or 8” steaming tray (I used 8” square pan). Steam for 45 minutes to 1

     hour or until cooked. Cool completely before cutting.

4. Garnish with fried shallots, diced spring onion and chopped red chilli, served with

     chilli sauce or sweet sauce.

Vegetable Steamed Buns ("Choy Pau" 菜包)

This is my 2nd attempt making the pau dough.  The first time I made is Char Siew Pau and confidently thought after steaming everything will turn out as to be white pau.  

I thought pau only mah.....what so difficult, knead, add filling, send it to steam, that's it.  But OMG, after I lift up the steamer cover, the paus are all full of yellow spots!  But I have already make sure I dissolved well the baking powder....sigh, it is still not well done.

So I make it again,  but this time is Vegetable Buns.  Before I lift up the steamer cover, I just cross my finger,  at least this time is much better though there are still little yellow spots around.  Hmm.... maybe my third time be more better?  Well, we learned better each time after we tried and tried, isn't it?

Vegetable Steamed Buns  ("Choy Pau" 菜包)
Recipe adapted from My Kitchen &   Minty's Kitchen

Dough Ingredients

150g Hong Kong Flour

50g wheat starch

30g icing sugar

4g instant dry yeast

80ml lukewarm water

¼ tsp white vinegar or lemon juice

15g vegetable oil or shortening

5g baking powder

5ml cold water

Dough

1. Sift the flours and icing sugar together in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the

    middle.

2. Fill well with lukewarm water, vinegar and yeast. Use a spatula, gently stir the water to

    dissolve the yeast then slowly bring together flour mixture.

3. Add in the oil and knead for 10-15 minutes until soft dough is formed. It should be

    smooth on the surface.

4. Cover dough with damp cloth and let it rise for 30 minutes or until it is doubled in size.

5. Dissolve baking powder in cold water – (make sure it is really well dissolved to

prevent yellow spots on the finished buns), sprinkle over dough and knead until

well combined.

Divide dough into 7 or 8 (I made 7) equal portions and flatten with a rolling pin into

circle. Then place a heaped teaspoon of filling in the middle, wrap and pleat the dough

to seal. Place it on a ~6cm square piece of baking paper.

6. Preheat the steamer over a pot of rapidly boiling water. Spray water mist over buns,

     and place into the steamer basket and place the lid on for 12 minutes. Remove buns

     from steamer and cool on rack to prevent soggy bottom.

Filling Ingredients
250g jicama (yam bean), juliened
25g dried shrimps, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced

Seasonings (to your taste)

Salt, white pepper, 5 spice powder (abt ¼ tsp), sugar
Some water

Some oil
 

Heat oil and saute the garlic and dried shrimps until aromatic.

Add in jicama, seasonings and some water and fry until soft.

Set aside to cool. 

Well, making pau at home is always more economical and healthier, isn't it.  So it doesn't 

matter it doesn't look perfect.