Char Siu Pau (BBQ pork steam bun)

I wanted to make pau for a long time and finally get to do it.  Sometimes, when you imagine something is hard to do, you procrastinate. In my mind, I feel it is a lot of work and very tedious to make pau.  There is a lot of waiting time too. By nature, I am a very impatient person so I really did not like the waiting part. However, I am curious to find out how homemade pau taste as compared to those in the restaurant.  People said curiosity killed the cat but in this case it did not, in fact it made the cat takes action. So are you ready to look at the pau made by a first timer?

What do you think? "Boleh tahan tak?" (can do or not?) 

Ingredients for filling:

1 lb. cooked BBQ pork (diced small)

1 teaspoon sesame oil

3 tablespoons (diced) red onion

1 tablespoon chinese cooking wine

2 tablespoon soya sauce

3/4 cup hoisin sauce

2 tbs cup potato starch (to thicken the gravy)

1tbs water

Method to make Filling:

In a wok, add oil, sauté the onions and add the pork cook for 3 minutes. Add in the wine, soya sauce and hoisin sauce. and Cook for few more minutes. Mix potato flour water and pour in to thicken gravy. Pour into a bowl and allow to cool.

*NOTE - you can buy cooked BBQ Pork at any Chinese market or restaurant.

Ingredients for pau dough:

500 gm flour (super white flour or Pau flour)

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp (6g) instant dry yeast

2 tbsp shorterning or vegetable oil

250 ml luke warm water

Method to make dough:

Mix all the dry ingredients together (flour,baking powder,salt,sugar,yeast and shortening) in a bowl and then add in the water and mix well until it forms a dough. Keep kneading the dough until it doesn't stick to your hands. Divide the dough into two balls and knead again until the dough texture is smooth. Leave the dough to rise until double its size, covered with a wet cloth. (about 1 hour).  When the dough has risen , punch the dough down to let the air out. Knead the dough and divide into small balls (about 50gms each). Flatten each ball of dough in your hands and put a tbs filling in the center. Use your fingers to pleat  and shape the dough. (Click here to go to the link to learn how to pleat and shape the pau. It will be a bit difficult to do but after to get the hang of it, it is not so bad.)  Place a small piece of paper underneath each pau. Leave all the paus to rise again for about 30 – 45 minutes. Meanwhile you can prepare the steamer to bring the water to boil. Steam the pau for about 15 minutes , and serve.

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