Charsiu pau

The best pau that I've eaten so far was in Singapore back in 2008. The dough was so soft and fluffy and basically melts in your mouth. Mmm.. And I'm pretty sure it was the same taste when I ate them this year as well. :P


I'd been looking everywhere for 'Hong Kong pau flour'. I finally found it earlier in the year at Laguna in QV. So I bought a packet (500gm) for $2.45. I didn't know what made the flour so special, but now that I think of it.. I think it's just because it's low in gluten/protein (unlike bread flour which is high in gluten/protein); thus making it soft and light. Therefore.. you just need to buy low protein/gluten flour which you can find at most Asian grocers for about $1.65 per 500gm packet. -__-

Charsiu pau
Makes about 27 small-med pau

Filling:
500gm charsiu pork, diced
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp water
1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp light soya sauce
2 1/2 tbsp corn flour
1 tbsp roasted sesame seeds
2/3 cup corn kernels
2/3 cup peas
pinch of salt

cooked quail eggs

Pau skin/dough:
500gm Hong Kong Pau flour
3 tsp baking powder
2 tsp instant yeast
1 tbsp water
1 tsp sugar
200ml water
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
60gm vegetable shortening

Prepare the filling the night before.
Combine all of the ingredients together (except the quail eggs as they are very delicate) and stirfry on low for a few minutes.
Allow to cool.
Cover and refrigerate over night.

For the pau skin, sift baking powder, sugar, salt and flour in a bowl.

In a small bowl, prepare the yeast by adding the 1 tbsp water and 1 tsp sugar. Leave to rest for about 15 minutes or until frothy like in appearance.

Create a well in the centre of the flour mixture. Add water and yeast mixture.
Mix until a dough is formed.
Add shortening.
Knead dough until soft.
Cover and leave to rest for about an 1hr or until about double in size.

Punch dough once and knead. Roll out dough and cut into equal pieces.
Roll each piece out and apply filling (including a quail egg) before closing up.
Place on top of a small piece of baking paper.

Steam on high for about 25 minutes or until cooked.

Serve immediately, or reheat when required. (The pau will harden otherwise, but should soften upon reheating).


They weren't as soft and fluffy, but still soft. My dough didn't rise as much as I had wanted.. so perhaps I needed more yeast? Or the yeast wasn't working quite well.. sigh. Oh, and I really need practice is wrapping up the pau. Haha.. the first few were quite.. hideous. :/

Pork, two ways.

I've been meaning to do this for a while now - make my own Asian pork meatballs. You know the ones you find at Asian grocers, the ones that you eat with your instant ramen/noodles? Well, this is my first time making them. I haven't eaten them in a very long time. They just seem so expensive for such a small quantity, so I haven't bought any. (I just longed for them. Haha..)


Well, they worked out pretty good. They were bouncy and all, but.. they weren't all that flavoursome. It needed something extra. More salt perhaps? Pork stock? Or some other spice? Or.. some prawn perhaps! And then it'll be like the 'har gow' filling! Mmm..

I didn't use all of the lump of pork, so I tried making char siu pork with the rest. I plan on, well, I hope to make charsiu pau (charsiu pork buns).

This was kinda my first time playing with meat. I've been watching 'Gourmet' (a Korean drama), and with watching MasterChef as well, I decided that I wanted to play with meat as well! Haha. I quite like marinating and slicing meat. There's just something about holding a knife.. :)

Asian pork meatballs
Makes about 37 meatballs

500gm pork meat, diced
2 1/2 tbsp corn flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup water
1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp fish sauce

extra, pepper and salt to taste
ice cubes and extra water

In a food processor, mince the pork meat with 1/4 cup of water. You should get a smooth paste. Add more of the water if needed, but leave some for the seasoning.


In a bowl, mix fish sauce, water (1/4 cup, or what's left), oil, salt, pepper, sugar, cornflour and baking powder.
Combine the seasoning mix with the mince in the one bowl.
Cover and freeze for 1hr.

In a large bowl, fill with water and ice.

Fill a large pot with water, about 1/2 full and boil.
Scoop small balls of mince into the pot. (They will sink to the bottom. The larger the meatballs, the longer they take to cook)
When the meatballs start floating to the top, they are nearly cooked through. Leave for about 1-2mins when they float to the top.
Remove one from the pot and into the ice water. Check the middle to see if it's cooked. It should no longer be pink, but grey throughout.
If not, pop it back into the pot to continue cooking.
Drain and freeze if not serving.


Charsiu pork

1kg pork meat

Marinade:
6 tbsp sugar
2 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp salt
2 cloves of garlic, minced

Glaze:
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp light soy sauce
red food colouring


Combine sugar, soy sauce, salt and garlic. Rub into pork pieces until all of the sugar has dissolved. Cover and refrigerate overnight.


Preheat oven to 200C.
Mix honey with soy sauce and food colouring.
Line a baking tray/dish with aluminium foil. Brush both sides of the pork pieces.
Place pieces of marinated pork on the tray and bake each side of the pork for 15mins each.
Brush with honey soy when you flip over.
Turn oven down to 175C.
Brush with honey soy and bake for another 25mins.
Flip, brush with honey soy and bake for another 25 mins.
Check if the pork is cooked. Timing will depend on the size of the pork pieces.
Remove from oven.