Char Siu Bao | The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling

I'm speechless again for the second time in as many minutes. A part of me is terrified. But another part of my brain is running wild with the possibilities. Maybe we could make Xiao Long Bao or BBQ pork buns. A yum cha style takeaway? For dinner!
The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling
Wai Chim

I experienced my first ever yum cha recently. Visiting Sydney for the Mardi Gras parade, I remembered that there was an all vegan yum cha venue - something that is sorely lacking from Melbourne, but possibly for the best considering I spent over $100 within the first thirty minutes, eager to taste everything that got brought past our table. The small town I grew up in had no such options, vegan or otherwise, within it - there was a Chinese buffet from memory, but by most reports from high school friends, eating there would result in a bout of food poisoning unfortunately.

My favourite item (aside from dumplings, because obviously) was probably the steamed buns - hugely fluffy and light, with perfectly cooked and seasoned faux pork inside. Usually I would try and source a plant-based pork to make this with, to ensure that it was as close to the book mention as possible. Unfortunately with everything happening related to COVID-19, it's been harder to make trips out to the usual store that sells the majority of faux meat I buy. I made this recipe twice - once with brined jackfruit and once with mushrooms. While jackfruit will get you closer to the correct texture of pork, I found it was a bit too sweet for me. The mushrooms however absorbed the sauce instantly, providing a flavour that was not too sweet and not too overpowering.

I've read through The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling a few time - it was a purchase made on a whim when browsing Readings bookstore near Cinema Nova (something made very dangerous by it being open till 11pm - the perfect time for browsing as a movie gets out). While definitely located within the young adult genre, it is still a well done book about the challenges of growing up with immigrant parents, along with an even deeper look into the shame of mental health in some cultures. Definitely worth a read at some stage.

Char Siu Bao
Makes approx. 15 buns
IngredientsDough
1 tsp instant yeast
180ml warm water
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 vegetable oil
2 1/2 tsp baking power
Filling
250g king oyster mushrooms, diced very small
1 brown onion, finely diced
3 - 4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp tamari/soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1/4 tsp Chinese five spice
1 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp water

1. Combine the warm water and yeast, leaving to sit for around five minutes or until the mixture turns a bit foamy.

2. Add in the flour, sugar, oil and mix until a soft dough forms.

3. On a gently floured surfaced, knead the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic. You may need to add a little more flour at this point or water - you don't want the dough to be too dry or too sticky. Place into an oiled bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and leave for around 45 minutes to rest.

4. During this time, make the filling. Combine the rice wine vinegar, tamari or soy sauce, sugar, hoisin sauce, ginger, minced garlic and Chinese 5 spice and place to the side.

5. Heat the vegetable oil in a pan and cook the finely diced garlic until soft before adding in the diced mushrooms. You want to cook them for around 5 - 10 minutes until the moisture cooks out of the mushrooms.

6. Add in the prepared sauce to the pan, mixing with the cooked mushrooms and onion until they are all well covered. Combine the 2 tbsp water and 1 tbsp cornflour until a slurry mix and add into the pan. It will only take a minute or so for the mixture to thicken - make sure you keep moving it during this time otherwise it will congeal.

7. Remove from the heat and place to the side to cool.

8. Back to the dough! Pull the dough out onto a lightly floured surface again, lightly pushing down to get the air from it. Now is when you want to add the baking powder in, folding it into the dough until it is combined.

9. Divide the dough into 15 equal pieces (you can do more or less at this stage depending how big you want the buns to be), rolling each piece into a circle.

10. Prepare a number of circles cut from baking paper - you want enough to match however many buns you're making.

11. Cup the circle of flattened dough in your hand and place a spoonful of filling in the middle - sealing them is a bit tricky and I still haven't mastered it, I recommended looking up some tutorials on Youtube. Basically, you're wanting to sort of pleat the outside all the way around, pinching it off until it's closed.

12. While doing this, get a pot of water on to boil - I always use a bamboo steamer to help avoid things sticking - but any steamer is fine. As you make the buns, place them into the steamer on one of the baking paper circles. They'll take around 5 - 8 minutes to cook through depending on how hot the water is. Once you've had one it's a good indication of cooking time.

13. Enjoy with tamari, chilli or vinegar!