Luisa's Baked Char Sui Bao I Made It

Luisa's Baked Char Sui Bao

frankieanne 11 years ago
Baked Char Sui Bao
I've never had dim sum but when I saw these I knew I wanted to try them. I was a bit nervous, for some reason, but Luisa gave me a pep talk and they actually were pretty easy. A bit time consuming but that's what a weekend is for. :)
I got a nice 12 out of the dough (hey, pso, I kneaded some dough by hand!! :D) and I froze four uncooked for another day.
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NPMarie 11 years ago said:

Wow, they look just beautiful! You have inspired me:) Need to find a recipe with chicken:)

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luisascatering 11 years ago said:

Marie, just use chicken thighs instead! NICE JOB Frankie!!!

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frankieanne 11 years ago said:

I think this sauce would be fine on chicken, Marie. Its pretty tasty. I agree with the thighs, too. I think breasts would be too dry.
Thank you, Luisa. I did it! :-D

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chuckieb 11 years ago said:

Wow! I'm impressed Frankieanne! I bookmarked that recipe straight away but, like you, felt a little apprehensive, okay.....a lot apprehensive..... as it seems like a large undertaking. I am quite well known to be a "Pork Bun" Monster. I way prefer baked ones to steamed. Hubby and I go for Dim Sum on a fairly regular basis and if the pork buns don't show up on the cart...it is a Black Day. :) And...... on my first visit to China Town in San Francisco, we passed by the cutest little bakery that had a sign up on the door advertising baked pork buns. $1/pc., huge, not the red sauce I'm used to, a light brown one, but still a touch of sweetness, warm...they keep them in these neat S/S warming boxes. Grab one, and stroll down the street. Nothing finer.
I'm almost positive I have the Char Sui sauce in my pantry. Bought on a foray to an amazing Asian grocery store we have here in Ottawa. Infact...now that the memory fog is clearing a little....I tried to make a Vegetarian version for my son...using homemade seitan....(don't ask...it was disgusting...and we ended up throwing the entire mess into the garbage as a very, very bad try)
And Marie...as Luisa said, you could totally use chicken instead of pork I'm sure. Boneless, skinless thighs as you want that nice moist meat.
Frankieanne....you've inspired me. I'm going to give this recipe a try. Heaven help me if I can make these on a regular basis at home!!!!!!

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NPMarie 11 years ago said:

Thanks everyone! Bookmarked to try soon!

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frankieanne 11 years ago said:

It is a pretty time consuming recipe, Chuckie. I set it all to marinade last night. Turned the marinade bag a few times, too. Late morning I cooked up the chops. Then I chopped them all up and mixed in the green onions and just left it all in the refrigerator until I was ready to tackle the dough. My dough actually rose for about three hours before I liked the size of it. Once you start the dough, though, you are committed! I used a little 3/4 inch dowel that is about 6" long to roll them out and a bit of flour. Just a bit though. The dough is pretty sticky so they seal up really well so that part was easy enough, too.
Thank you, everyone. I'm pretty proud of myself. :-P

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chuckieb 11 years ago said:

Now you've got me all pumped up and I'm craving Pork Buns big time! :) Just did a google street view thing so I could tell you where you can go for a great Pork Bun next time you're in SF......and.....it is right next to my very favourite shop in China Town....the Wok Shop!!!!!!! With virtually every cooking utensil known to man!!!!!
Type in 718 Grant Ave. SF in the Google Map Direction Bar and the picture of the Wok Shop will show up and the "Eastern Bakery" is right beside it to the left. 720 Grant. Ave. A MUST SEE!
You totally should be proud of yourself. I'm excited to try now!

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mommyluvs2cook 11 years ago said:

Those are good looking buns!!!

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frankieanne 11 years ago said:

Hey, Chuckie, I saw it! Too cool. I wonder where everyone was that day? Pretty empty for Chinatown. I'm heading to S.F. this month but to Golden Gate Park and The Academy of Sciences. I'll definitely check both places out the next time I am in Chinatown.
Thank you, ml2c. They are tasty little buns, too.

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chuckieb 11 years ago said:

Wow! Just finished munching on these! Fantastic! I was worried initially that there wouldn't be enough sauce with the pork but it was perfect. As was the flavour of the pork. Bun dough to pork ratio also spot on. My dough also was very slow to rise. My yeast did not 'bloom' at all in the water and sugar mixture but I went ahead (the yeast was a brand new jar) and even after the two hours the dough hadn't really doubled in size. But in the end everything seemed to have worked out. I made 10 larger buns as opposed to 12. Baked up 5 and froze 5 uncooked. When I first pulled mine out of the oven they didn't look as nice and golden brown as Luisa's so I popped them back into the oven under the broiler and....yep...they got a bit too brown. :( But they still tasted excellent and I'm really tickled I can now get a Pork Bun fix without heading out for Dim Sum. Thanks Luisa for a great recipe and thanks Frankieanne for calling attention to it and giving me the incentive to give it a whirl.

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mrpiggy 11 years ago said:

It has been years since I have been to Dim Sum. The pork buns are one of my favorites. Theres a cabbage roll/ball (cant remember what it was called) that was my other fav. I would like to try this. I see that the dough can be done in a bread machine, too : ) Awesome looking buns, Frankie. Making me hungry ; )

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mommyluvs2cook 11 years ago said:

Is this it on the cabbage rolls Mr P? http://justbento.com/handbook/johbisai/bento-sized-mini-cabbage-rolls

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mrpiggy 11 years ago said:

Yes, thats them. Those lil buggers are so good

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chuckieb 11 years ago said:

Probably my Husband's very favourite food is Cabbage Rolls and even though we are Dim Sum regulars I don't know that I have ever seen those little Bento sized cabbage rolls on the carts. I 'pinned' that recipe in a flash plus I bookmarked that website as it's pretty cool. Thanks MrP and ML2C!

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mrpiggy 11 years ago said:

Chuckie, I wish I knew what they were called in the Dim Sum lingo so you could ask for them on your next sitting. My dad was the PapaPiggy of Dim Sum. He worked for Southern Pacific on 1st and Market in San Francisco, for decades, in upper management and went out for the stuff every Wednesday. I wish I knew which was his favorite restaurant there. He used to take us there and make us try all kinds of stuff that ,as a kid, scared us just looking at it. The cabbage balls were the worst looking of the bunch, but oh sooo good

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chuckieb 11 years ago said:

ROFL MrP. "The PapaPiggy of Dim Sum". I must try remember that phrase next time I go! :) And ROFL @ being scared of Dim Sum as a child. I can see that. I don't think I would have been too receptive as a kid either. Don't think I even tried Dim Sum for the first time until I was in my '30's. I'm sure with a little googling I'll be able to find out the name of the cabbage balls. Now whether or not I'll be able to pronounce it legibly when I'm at the restaurant is quite another. :)

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frankieanne 11 years ago said:

1st and Market. Wow! That's right in the thick of things down there!
I'd love to try some of these buns steamed, which is the traditional way, I guess. No dim sum here in Ukiah. I'll have to look next time I am in San Francisco. I think those cabbage rolls look great!

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