Smile Pao Revisited

Since this is my first posting of this new year, i would like to post something more cheerful as January can be a cold, dreary bummer  of a month. The only way to shake the desire to hibernate until spring, i had to cook or bake something that puts a smile not only on my face but a smile to everyone who enjoys eating these Smile Pao.............

Continue to read and recipe click HERE Read More......

Smile Pau/Bao Improved Final

What a surprise!!!  I have finally managed to get into Blogger after some mind blogging tasks, so early in the morning, brain is still in the sleeping mode.  I am staring at the new format and my brain is trying to get accustomed it.  I tried loading pictures as i have promised to show before steaming and after steaming the paus/baos and i am delighted to find out that i am now able to select several pictures at one time, just like it used to be, a long time ago.  Thank you Blogger, for bringing back this feature.  


Below, i have numbered every pau/bao that i have pleated and took a picture of it before steaming it and then another picture of it after steaming...........


Continue to read and to view all the pictures, click HERE Read More......

Smile Pau/Bao Improved Continuation

As promised, i am sharing how to finish making the pau/bao. In my next post i will share pictures of the pleated paus/bao before steaming and after steaming..........


To view how to finish making the pau/bao, click HERE Read More......

Smile Pau/Bao Improved

I have just finished making another batch of char siew pau/bao and this time with a starter that i have left to ferment for more than 48 hrs - it was give and take 55 hours. The starter dough did not look any different and did not smell sour or yeasty............


Continue reading and see what are the improvements HERE Read More......

Starter Dough for Smile Char Siew Pau/Bao

i had wanted to share this step-by-step procedure from the beginning to end with a finished smiling pau/bao but blogger did not cooperate. I loaded all the pictures and was about to select them, boom, it took me somewhere and i lost all the pictures loaded. I am not going to load them again, cos blogger does not allow mutiple loading and i had to load, one at a time. I hope someone can help me load multiple like how it used to be. Anyway, so i decided to post this procedure by sections, starting from the starter..........

Check out the starter dough HERE Read More......

Smile Pau/Bao

Smile though your heart is aching
Smile, even though it's breaking
When there are clouds, in the sky, you'll get by
If you smile, through your fear and sorrow
Smile, and there'll be tomorrow
You'll see the sun come shining through
If you'll....


Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear, may be ever so near,
That's the time, you must keep on trying
Smile, what's the use of crying?
You'll find that life is still worthwhile,
If you'll just....


Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear, may be ever so near,
That's the time, you must keep on trying
Smile, what's the use of crying?
You'll find that life is still worthwhile,
If you'll just....


Smile

 
I hope you all enjoyed this video and sang along with the lyrics as the lyrics of yesteryears are so meaningful. Smile is a very powerful tool, even a pau/bao that smiles will make your day. It is easier to make me SMILE but not so easy to make the pau/bao smile. It took me 2 days and many paus/baos after, to be able to make them Smiling...........
 
Continue to read and for recipe click HERE Read More......

Velvety Sauce Char Siew Pau/Bao

 I have to share this Velvety sauce as this sauce kicked the Char Siew Pau/Bao up a few knotches and moved it to my favorite, will not go back to my older recipe. The recipe for the sauce makes.......... 

Continue to read and the recipe can be found HERE Read More......

Lau Sar Pau

With less exposure of asian food, i am so behind with the 'in' asian food if not for my good friends from the Orient. They would ask me if i have eaten these or that and thank goodness for the internet, i am able to Google as to what they were asking about....


To read further and the recipe is HERE

Read More......

Rose Paus

As a presence in a room with its scent, color, and shape, a rose can take possession of the viewer's innermost thoughts and emotions, making everything else look absurdly small in comparison. This you are talking about A Rose, but how about a plate full of Roses, edible ones?  Yes, what are your innermost thoughts when you looked at this plate?  Are your emotions all worked up? bet you would want to grap one and give it a good sniff.  Oops, should have used some rose essence on the paus but for now the aroma of yeast has to please the nose..

You would hope to win the heart by giving a rose but by giving a plateful, i hope to satiate the stomach and increase your waistline.

Giving white roses says that you believe that your intentions are pure and that the recipient is worthy. This statement is so true, i am sharing this recipe with good pure intentions and all you recipients are definitely worthy

The recipe  and step-by-step on how to make Rose Paus is HERE Read More......

Longevity Peach Bun for Birthday

Showing respect and esteem for the elderly is a tradition that remains today. Nowadays, when grandparents or parents reach the ages of 70, 80 or 90, their children and grandchildren organize ceremonies for longevity. Such celebrations, either large or small,  are occasions to show devotion and respect to grandparents and parents. Celebrations for longevity, manifest the family’s joy in having a relative who has been able to lead a long life.  The Chinese God of Longevity, known as Sau,  is a symbol of easy life, smooth living, and victory over the strife that life can sometimes cause. A gourd is attached to the end of his staff which is said to hold the elixir of life or immortality. Sau is usually depicted holding a peach, which is the divine fruit of the gods, allowing them to live forever, therefore making Sau Tou/Peach Buns is a must for longevity celebration.  Besides having a banquet of which long and thin noodles are served, everyone will be blessed with presents ,


a red envelope/lei si, -   Good blessings.


a longetivity rice bowl together with a pair of chopsticks  - wishing steady income in the future


and


a pair of wooden CLOGS -  wishing a successful career ~~ "po po ko sing" which means to rise to the top, step by step.



Read about the story of the Longevity Peach (bun) HERE

The recipe for Longevity Peach Bun is HERE Read More......

Super Soft Pau

When my friend. Lena wanted to make pau, i suggested that she try out this Tien Tsin Pau recipe. She liked the pau skin alot and has been suggesting to friends to try it.

The recipe is HERE Read More......

Glutinious Rice Roll

Today is the 5th Day of the Fifth Moon following the Lunar Calender and today is the day of the 'Chung/Rice Dumpling Festival'.   I had wanted to make  some 'chung'  but due to unforeseen circumstances was not able to make some - excuses - excuses!!!  But...... since i do have leftover Law Mei Farn which is a very good filling for these Rolls.  These rolls are so much easier and faster to make and I am pleased that i have kept half the tradition by having glutinious rice served today but in another form.  You can follow any pau dough recipe or follow the one below.

 Ingredients:

Pau Dough:

2 cups pau flour(if all-purpose flour is used - add more water to make into a soft dough)
3/4 cup wheat starch
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup powdered/confectioner's sugar
1 1/2 tbsp shortening/lard
1 tsp instant yeast
2/3 cup water(adjust according)
1/4 tsp vinegar

Filling:

1/2 recipe of Law Mei Farn

Method:

To make pau dough:

Put flour, wheat starch, baking powder, powdered sugar and yeast in the food processor and pulse a few times to mix ingredients well..

Add in shortening/lard and pulse until well mixed.

Add vinegar to the water and pour into flour mixture with the food processor on,  Mix until a soft ball forms - water has to adjusted, adding more a little at a time, to make dough into a very soft and pliable dough.

Remove from food processor and knead until smooth, then leave to proof until double it's size.

To assemble:

Roll the 'law mei farn' into a 2 inch log.

Punch down the pau dough and roll into a rectangle that is big enough to wrap the law mei farn log.

Wrap the law mei farn log with the pau dough rectangle and pinch the seam well.

Cut the log into 1 1/2 inch pieces and put a piece of greaseproof paper underneath every piece. Leave rolls to proof again before steaming.  Pau dough should feel puffy and if touched lightly, the dough should not spring back and the dent remained)

Bring the water in the steamer to a very high boil and steam pau rolls for 8 - 10 minutes.

Serve hot

Serves
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Layered pau

Another pau which is layered but not as much as the Thousand Layers Cake, this one has only 4 layers of pau and 3 fillings.  The color of the filling is so vibrant as it has so many egg yolks and the custard powder bring it to another level.  Try making this, it is not as tedious but just as or rather more delicious.



Ingredients:

Filling:

6 egg yolks
1 cup dessicated coconut
7 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp rice flour
3 tbsp custard powder
3/4 cup milk

Dough:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp yeast
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp oil
Topping:

Wofberries/goji/kee chee(optional)

Method:

Mix filling ingredients together in a microwave-safe bowl and cook on high one minute at a time stir well after every minute, until mixture has thickened(it was thickened in 3 minutes in my 900 watts microwave, so if you are having a higher wattage microwave oven, you could use 3/4 power or stop at 2 minutes).  Divide into 3 equal portions.

To make the dough:

Knead dough. let dough rise until it is double in bulk.

Divide dough  into 4 portions.

Roll out each portion of dough into 7 inch square (Roll the first portion and if it resists, let it rest and roll the second, repeat rolling and resting for all 4 portions)

Spray or grease a 7 inch cake pan with non stick butter spray and line with parchment paper.

Place  on piece of rolled portion on the bottom and spread a portion of the filling on top, level filling with an off-set spatula.

Top filling portion with another piece of rolled dough, press down to release trapped air. 

Repeat with filling and topping with another piece of rolled dough, ending with a piece of rolled dough on top.
Press wofberries/goiji/kee chee on top in a pattern.

Brush top of dough with oil to prevent drying out.

Let it rest for 30 - 45 minutes and in the meantime, bring the water in a steamer to the boil.

When dough has rested and risen, put into steamer and steam on high heat for 35 minutes until a skewer comes out clean when pricked into the middle of cake.

Let cake cool before cutting into bite-size portions and serve warm.

Serves
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Steamed Thousand Layer Cake

.Steamed Thousand Layer Cake,  I cannot decide on the name for this, should it be a cake or pau?  Although the ingredients for the dough is the same for 'pau' and assembled into a huge 'pau', it needed to be cut into bite-size pieces for serving, so i think i will call it a cake. The traditional filling is usually with coconut and dates but i have tweaked the filling to pork floss and hope that Renee will eat this cake as she does not like coconut at all..  She loves anything made with yeast and loves to smell the pau and bread before she eats them.

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cup  all purpose flour
2 tsp instant yeast
1 1/4 cup or more water

Filling:

1/2  cup Sugar
1/2 cup Lard /shortening/margarine
1 cup pork floss

Place flour, yeast and water in the food processor and pulse until a dough forms.

Remove and knead until dough is soft and smooth.

Cover with a wet cloth and let rise until double in bulk.

Remove the dough to a pastry board.

Then roll until very thin, about 30 inches long and 12 inches wide.

Spread some lard and sprinkle sugar

Divide dough into 3 portions

Sprinkle sugar on to the center third only

Spread pork floss all over the center third and sprinkle more sugar

Fold the right third over the center third

Brush with melted margarine/oil

Sprinkle on sugar

Spread pork floss and then more sugar and fold the left third over

Roll dough out to 18 inch x 12 inch and divide into thirds.  Repeat brushing, sprinkling of sugar and pork floss and sugar again

Repeat folding the right third and the brushing, sprinkling and folding the left third over

Roll dough out to 18 inch x 12 inch, then fold 3 inches in on both sides of the 18 inch edge to make a 12 inch piece of dough.  Fold the dough in half and then half again to make a 6 inch square.

Perforate an 8 inch piece of parchment and put into steaming rack

Place the 6 inch square dough on top of parchment paper and leave to proof  for 30 minutes  In the meantime, bring water to the boil and steam cake for 45 minutes.  Cool cake before slicing.

Read More......