Siopao

Baked Siopao (Baked Pork or Chicken Buns)

You normally find these Chinese dimsums as white steamed buns. I found this baked recipe from one of Martin Yan’s cookbooks, The Best of Martin Yan.  It is exactly the same recipe for the steamed pork buns except that these are baked and therefore come out looking brown instead of white.

Ingredients:

Dough:

    * 4 tbs sugar
    * 1/2 cup warm milk
    * 1/3 cup warm water
    * 2 tsp active dry yeast
    * about 2 1/2 cups flour
    * 1/2 tsp salt

Filling:

    * 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
    * 2 tbs vegetable oil
    * 1/2 cup minced green onions
    * 2 tsp minced garlic
    * 1/2 cup water
    * 4 tsp hoisin sauce (Hoisin sauce, or haixian sauce, is a Chinese dipping sauce.)
    *  4 tsp oyster sauce
    * 1 tbs sugar
    * 2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbs water
    * 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten

Directions:

   1. Dissolve 2 tbs sugar in milk and water. Sprinkle the yeast and let              stand in warm place until bubbly, about 10 minutes.
   2. Gradually add remaining sugar, 2 cups flour and salt. Add more                   flour as needed until dough is no longer sticky.
   3. Place dough on a lightly floured work space  and knead until smooth  and elastic (about 6 – 8 minutes). Place in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in bulk (about 1 hour).
   4. Prepare filling. Heat oil in wok or pan. Add green onions and garlic, frying for 1 minute. Stir in water, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce and sugar. Add cornstarch solution, boil, stirring until thick.  Add chicken. Cool.
   5. Prepare dough.  Punch down dough then roll into a cylinder. Cut into 12 equal pieces, rolling each piece into a ball. Cover.
   6. Flatten each ball and roll into a circle about 4 – 6 inches in diameter. Place 1 heaping tbs of filling in the center. Gather edges of circle over the filling; twist and pinch edges together to seal.
   7. Place buns seam side down 2 inches apart in a baking sheet. Cover and let rise in a warm place until puffy and light. Brush tops with egg yolk.
   8. Preheat oven to 350F. Bake buns 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.