Conference turris::cooks

Here's one from the Web:

Barbecued Pork Bun (cha Siu Bow)



      Title: BARBECUED PORK BUN (CHA SIU BOW)
 Categories: Chinese, Pork
      Yield: 16 servings
 
    1/3 c  Warm water
    1/2 ts Sugar
      1 pk Dry yeast
  2 1/2 c  Flour
  2 1/2 c  Cake flour
      4 tb Sugar
    1/2 ts Salt
      2 tb Shortening
  1 1/4 c  Low fat milk
     16    Pieces white paper 2 inches
           - square

--------------------------FILLING--------------------------
      6 oz Chinese BBQ pork, diced
      1 tb Oil
      2 ts Water
    1/2 ts Salt
    1/2 ts Sugar
    1/2 ts Thin soy sauce
      1 ts Oyster sauce
      1 ts Hoisin sauce
      2 ts Cornstarch
      4 ts Cold water (For thickening)
 
  Mix together the warm water, 1/2 tsp. sugar and yeast
  in an 8 oz. measuring cup.  Let stand until it rises
  to the 8 oz. level (about 20 minutes).
  
  Sift flour, cake flour, sugar and salt into a large
  mixing bowl.
  
  Add shortening, yeast mixture and mil,.
  
  Knead mixture 5 minutes to form a dough.  Cover with a
  damp cloth and set dough in a warm place.  Allow the
  dough to rise for 3 hours.
  
  Heat wok, add oil and stir-fry pork for 2 minutes.
  
  Add 2 tablespoons water, salt, sugar, soy sauce,
  oyster sauce and hoisin sauce.  Bring it to a boil.
  Prepare thickening by mixing the cornstarch and 4
  tablespoons cold water. Stir into the mixture and cook
  for 1 minute.  Let cool before using.
  
  After 3 hours, when the dough has risen, shape into
  rolls about 2 inches in diameter.  Cut each roll into
  1-1/2 inch pieces.
  
  Shape each piece into a shallow bowl shape.
  
  Put 1 tablespoon filling in the center, close ans
  twist dough to form a bun.  Put the bun on a 2 inch
  square of white paper.  (This prevents the bun from
  becoming soggy while steaming.)  Place 8 buns in a pie
  pan and allow them to set and rest for 15 minutes in a
  warm place.
  
  Steam for 25 minutes.
  
**

    Thanks,
    
    It sounds like it's exactly what I was looking for.....
    
    I'll try to make it this weekend and I'll let you know how they
    were....
    
    Bye,
    
    Martijn.

    YOu can also make these with chopped chicken (I use chicken thighs), if
    you don't want to make them with pork.
    
    Very yummy either way...
    
    ****

RE: .1

I question the authenticity of that recipe for the dough.  This is 
the first time I've seen a Chinese pastry recipe that uses milk.  
Chinese cuisine is devoid of use of dairy products, no doubt because 
so many orientals are lactose-intolerant.

--PSW

RE .4:

Why don't you enter an authentic one then???  I don't remember anything
claiming that this is authentic.  Most of the chinese recipes we get over here
are not.

Laura

RE: .4

This is the recipe for Chinese basic yeast dough for steamed buns 
from Huang Su Huei's book CHINESE SNACKS, published by the Wei-Chuan 
food company in Taiwan.  This book is a gold mine of recipes for dim 
sum and other Chinese snacks.  It also includes some basic recipes 
such as how to make one's own bean curd.

6 cups     flour
1/4 cup    sugar
1 3/4 cup  warm water
1 TBS      yeast
2 TBS      shortening

1) Dissolve sugar in warm water; add yeast.  Note: the illustrations 
accompanying this recipe show dried yeast.  One can of course 
substitute the equivalent amount of cake yeast.

2) Let yeast mixture stand 10 minutes, until the yeast is active and 
foaming.

3) Sift flour, add shortening, and mix.

4) Add yeast mixture to flour and form into dough.

5) Knead dough until smooth and elastic.

6) Put dough in clean bowl, cover with cloth, and let rise until 
doubled or tripled in bulk.


--PSW

re: .5

>RE .4:
>
>Why don't you enter an authentic one then???  I don't remember anything
>claiming that this is authentic.  Most of the chinese recipes we get over here
>are not.

Hey, chill out!  Paul didn't say your recipe was bad, just that it wasn't
authentic!  I'd go as far as to say that as Chinese (and other	Oriental
cuisines) become more accepted in this country, more "fusion" type recipes
will become common that are Chinese flavored, but not authentic Chinese.

On the other hand, in my part of the country (Maryland), it's rather 
difficult to get authentic Chinese food in restaurants, as they all tend
to "Americanize" their food.

-Hal

I did not mean to say that the dough recipe in .1 is bad.  I'm sorry 
if my remark came across that way.  In fact, it's quite likely an 
improvement over the Chinese original--my American palate has never 
much cared for the dough that the Chinese use for steamed dumplings. 
But if you're out to reproduce exactly what you'd get in a Hong Kong 
tea house, you want the dough recipe in .4.

--PSW 

PSW,

I didn't interpret what you said as the dough recipe in .1 as being bad,
just requested that you enter an authentic one...didn't mean to get things
stirred up either.  I love the authentic steamed pork buns I used to get in
Chinatown in S.F., but I'd probably like either.  Thanks for entering the
other recipe.  I also saw one using turkey, which we also be entirely
unauthentic, but am thinking of entering it anyway because it aounded so good...
anyone interested in it?

Laura

Turkey bow would be perfectly in keeping with the Chinese spirit, 
which is that you can stuff steamed buns with just about anything.

--PSW

    re .5
    
    I liked that outburst!  It stirred up the conference a bit!
    
    ;-) 

Hahaha!!!  Gotta stir things up in the kitchen, right?!!