Both versions sounds delicious, Lorraine. What an interesting man your friend must have been.
Here's the Chinese Bun recipe that is really good!
Char Siu Bao - Chinese Steamed Pork Buns
Recipe By :Rhonda Parkinson,
Serving Size : 24
2 tablespoons oil
1 scallion -- chopped fine
1 clove garlic -- chopped fine
1/2 pound barbecued pork cut into small cubes
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch -- dissolved in 2 tablespoons water or chicken stock
Follow Basic Bun recipe through step 3 (preparing the dough and letting it rest).
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in wok. Stir fry scallion and garlic 30 seconds. Add pork. Stir fry 1 minute. Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar.
Pour in dissolved cornstarch. Stir fry quickly until pork is glazed. Remove to bowl and allow to cool.
On a floured board, knead dough 1 minute and roll into one long, sausage-like roll 2 inches in diameter. Slice the roll crosswise into 1 inch pieces.
Flatten each piece with the palm of your hand and roll with rolling pin into 3 inch rounds.
Place 2 tablespoons of filling in center of each round.
Gather dough up around the filling by pleating along the edges.
Bring the pleats up and twist securely and firmly.
Place each bun on 2 inch square of aluminum foil on steamer tray. Cover with a towel. Let rise 1 hour, until dough springs back when touched with finger. Remove towel.
Steam over briskly boiling water 10 minutes. May be prepared in advance. May be frozen. Thaw out in plastic bag and resteam 10 minutes.
(*Note: This recipe is reprinted from "Madame Wong's Long-Life Chinese Cookbook", courtesy of Sylvia Schulman).
Steamed Bun Dough
1 package dried yeast or 1 cake fresh yeast
1 cup lukewarm water
4 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons Crisco or vegetable oil
1/2 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons sesame seed oil
Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water. Add 1 cup of flour. Mix thoroughly. Cover with cloth. Let rise 1 hour, until bubbles appear.
Dissolve sugar and vegetable oil in 1/2 cup boiling water. Stir well. Cool until lukewarm. Pour into yeast mixture. Add 3 1/2 cups flour.
Knead dough on lightly floured board until smooth. Put into extra large, greased bowl in a warm place. Cover with damp cloth. Let rise until double in bulk, about 2 hours.
Divide into 2 portions. Remove first portion and knead 2 minutes. Repeat with second. Roll each into roll 12 inches long and 2 inches wide. Cut into 12 pieces (24 total).
Flatten each piece with palm of hand. Roll with rolling pin into 3 inch circles.
Brush with sesame seed oil. Indent middle of circle with chopstick. Fold circle in half so that it becomes a half moon. Crimp edges tightly with fork.
Place each roll on separate square piece of foil on steamer tray. Cover tray with towel. Let buns rise to double in bulk, about 30 minutes. Remove towel.
Steam, tightly covered, over briskly boiling water for 10 minutes. Serve with Peking Duck, Crispy Duck, or with any filling you desire. May be prepared in advance. May be frozen. Thaw out in plastic bag and re-steam 10 minutes.
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and here's a heart smart version that is almost as good!!
Steamed Chicken Buns
Recipe By :Heart Smart Chinese Cooking
Dough:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp icing sugar
2 tbsp canola oil
3/4 cup lukewarm water
1/2 tsp white vinegar
10 squares waxed paper or parchment paper -- (3 inch)
Filling:
1 1/4 lb. ground skinless chicken
1 tbsp peeled and finely grated ginger
1/2 cup finely chopped Chinese chives
I tsp -- minced garlic
1 tin water chestnuts -- (7 1/2 oz.) drained and finely chopped
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp dry sherry
2 tbsp Chicken stock (p. 3) or Rich Pork Stock (p. 8)
1/2 tsp white pepper
2 tsp cornstarch
1. Sift together flour and baking powder. Stir in icing sugar and rub in oil with fingertips till evenly distributed.
Combine water and vinegar and add slowly to flour mixture, mixing well. Knead to form a fairly soft dough.
Shape dough into smooth ball, cover and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, combine all filling ingredients; mix well and refrigerate.
3. To make buns, divide dough into 10 portions and mould each into smooth ball.
Roll out on lightly floured board to 4" circle. Put spoonful of filling in center of circle and gather edges towards middle.
Fold, pleat and pinch dough to seal.
Place each bun gathered-side down on square of parchment paper. Repeat procedure with balance of ingredients.
4. Heat steamer over boiling water. Space buns in steamer, cover and steam for 20 min. Serve warm. Cooked buns can be refrigerated overnight and reheated by steaming for 3 minutes before serving. Serves 10
Author's note: Solid Fats vs. Oils
We've used oil rather than the traditional lard in this dough. Lard is 43% saturated fat and has 12 mg of cholesterol per tbsp, whereas a vegetable oil such as canola oil is only 7% saturated and contains no cholesterol. Wherever possible use vegetable oil in recipes instead of a solid animal fat like lard, butter (68% satu-rated) or beef tallow (48% saturated). And experiment with cutting the total fat by 1/4 to 1/2 of what is called for. (These substitutions are less straightforward in baked goods. )
Each serving: cal: 274; carb: 28g; protein: 20g; fat: 8g; chol: 51 g; fiber: 1g; sodium: 221mg
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Sorry Lorraine, I really got carried away hijacking your thread.
