SIUMAI
Porkand mushroom dumplings
MAKES15-20
“BeforebeingintroducedtoHongKong,theearliestappearanceofthesedumplings
datesbackto13thcenturyChina.Otherfillingsincludefishpaste,beefandpork liver,
but pork and mushroom is definitely the classic,” says Chan.Pictured p106
8 piecesdriedshiitakemushroom
200 gmpeeled,deveinedprawns
50 gmporkfat,finelydiced
225 gmporkloin,finelydiced
1 tbsplightsoysauce
1 tbspchoppedspringonion,
whitepartonly
2 tspShaoxingricewine
⅛ tspgroundwhitepepper
1 tspcastersugar
2 tspsesameoil
2 tspcornflour
15-20 yellow wonton wrappers
1 Soakdriedshiitakeintepidwater
for6 hoursorovernighttorehydrate.
Removestem,thensqueezeout any
excesswaterandfinelydice.
2 Tossprawnswith½tspsalt,then
rinseundercoldrunningwaterand
patdrywithpapertowel.Refrigerate
for1 hour,thenfinelydice.
3 Cookporkfatinboilingwateruntil
transparent(5-10minutes).Rinseunder
coldrunningwateruntilcool,thenpatdry.
4 Combineporkloin,soysauceand1/4
tsp salt in a large bowl and stir untilit becomessticky.Liftmixtureandslap
it backintothebowlfiveorsixtimesto
make it moreelastic.Stirinprawnmeat
andslapmixtureanotherfiveorsixtimes.
5 Addshiitake,porkfat,springonion,
Shaoxingwine,pepper,sugar,sesameoil
andcornflourandmixuntilwellcombined.
Refrigerateuntilchilled(20minutes).
6 Holda wontonwrapperinonehand
andspoon1 heapedtbspofthepork
mixtureintothemiddle.Workingyour
wayaroundthefilling,pushthewonton
wrapperupsothatit is wrappedaround
thefilling,leavingthetoppartexposed.
Placedumplingona plate.Repeat with
remainingwrappersandfilling.
7 Pourwaterintoa largesaucepanto
a depthofabout3cmandbringtothe
boil.Coverandsteamdumplingsfor
6-8 minutes. Serve hot.BOLOBAO
Pineapple bun with butter
MAKES 8
“Thereis notraceofpineappleinthisbun– it getsitsnamefromitsgoldencrispy
crustthatlooksa bitlikea pineapple.A slabofcoldbuttermeltinginthemiddle
ofa freshlybakedbunis whatmakes these truly addictive,” says Chan.
1 eggyolk,lightlybeaten
Butter,toserve
BUNDOUGH
60 gmcastersugar
5 gminstantdryyeast
1 egg,lightlybeaten
2 tspevaporatedmilk
60 gmlard(orvegetableshortening)
atroomtemperature
300 gm(2cups)breadflour
PASTRYTOPPING
¼ tspbakingsoda
70 gmcakeflour,plus extra for dusting
50 gmicingsugar
1 eggyolk
1 tspevaporatedmilk
30 gm lard or vegetable shortening
1 Tomakebundough,combinesugar,
yeastand150mltepidwaterina bowl.
Setasidefor5 minutesoruntilthe
mixturestartstobubble.Stirinegg,
evaporatedmilkandlard,thenaddflour
andgentlymixuntilwellcombined.
2 Turnoutdoughontoa cleansurface
andkneadfor 10 minutes.Coverwitha
cleandampclothandrestfor 10 minutes.
Kneaddoughforanother 10 minutes
oruntilsmooth.Takea smallpieceof
doughanddothe“windowpane”test:
if youcanstretchit relativelythinly
withouttearingit, thatmeansthegluten
hasdevelopedenough.If it tears, knead
fora bitlongerandtryagain.
3 Placedoughina mediumbowl,cover
with a clean damp cloth and leave doughtoprovefor1-1½hoursoruntilit has
nearlydoubledinsize.Provingtimewill
dependonthetemperatureintheroom.
4 Gentlyknockbackdough,thenrollit
intoa cylinder.Dividedoughintoeight
evenpiecesandrollintoballs.Placeon
a tray,coverwithcleandryclothand
proveforanhouruntildoubledin size.
5 Preheattheovento200°C.
6 Tomaketopping,combinebaking
soda,flourandsugarina bowl.Addthe
egg,milk,lardand½tspwaterandmix
untiljustcombined(donotoverwork
dough).Coverdoughwithplasticwrap
andrestinthefridgefor 30 minutes.
7 Cutpastrytoppingintoeightwalnut-
sizedballs.Lightlydustsurfacewithflour,
thenpressdownoneachballtoforma
thindisc.Placea discontopofeachbun.
8 Lightlyspraybunsandtoppingwith
water,thenbrushtoppingwithbeaten
eggyolk.Bakeuntilbunsareraisedand
goldenbrown(15minutes).Cutinhalf
andservewarmwitha sliceofbutter.
Bunsarebesteatenonthedaythey’re
made,butcanbestoredinanairtight
container and eaten the next day.➤GOURMET TRAVELLER 111