Chinese Pao 鲜肉包子

I managed to wrap these fluffy and chewy Paos while still finding my way in a new kitchen. Results? – I washed down five of them with a bottle of Budweiser. My fussy 4-year-old eater asked for more after having three of them.I guess it should be an easy affair for you in your familiar home kitchen, right?

Yields about 20 Paos,

Wrappers

• 300g                      all purpose or plain flour 中筋面粉
• 1 tablespoon        yeast
• 1 teaspoon            baking soda泡打粉
• 150g                       water

Fillings

• 250g                     ground pork
• 125g                     ginger and sprint onions water (this calls for 2 spring onions and 8g  gingers and 200g water)
• 1 tablespoon        cooking oil
• 1/2 tablespoon     salt
• 1 tablespoon        light soy sauce 生抽
• 2 teaspoon           sugar
• 1 teaspoon           sesame oil 香油
• 125g                      leek or any equivalent veggies (Napa cabbages etc.), minced

Method

1. Resolve the yeast in a ¼ cup of warm water in 40℃.
2. Place the flour, baking soda and yeast in a mixing bowl and gradually add in 150g water
3. Bring the mixture together with your hands and make a dough. Knead the dough for about 6 minutes till it is smooth. Cover the bowl in a plastic bag. Rest for 30 minutes.
4. Cut the spring onions into small pieces and slice the ginger. Rub them in the 200g water so flavors of the ingredients are absorbed in the water. Drain and discard the spring onions and ginger by keeping the water only.
5. Place the minced pork in a bowl. Gradually add ginger and spring onions water and stir in the same direction for 100 times. Add the cooking oil and stir in the same direction. Combine with the rest of the ingredients and stir all in one direction till all ingredients are well mixed.
6. To make the wrapper, cut the dough into 2 equal pieces. Roll one piece into a long snake of about 2cm diameter and cut in 1.5cm, cover the dough pieces; roll one on the floured surface into a ball shape and press it down as a dish and roll it out in a circle about a diameter of 8cm, about 0.5cm thin in the center – edges are thinner than the center as this has to hold the filling.
7. Place a tablespoon of the fillings in the center of the wrapper. Fold the edges to the center while twisting so the Pao is completed sealed.
8. Bring the water of the steamer to a boil, place parchment paper into the steam basket, place the Paos in the steam basket, cover it with a lid and steam over high heat for 10 minutes.
9. Let cooked Paos rest in the basket for another 5 minutes while the lid remains tightly on – this is very important as it will help make good-looking bulging Paos. Early removal of the lid would result in ‘collapsed’ Paos.